The Cricket And Spider

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

I noticed a cricket jumping around beside my outside doorway. He jumped onto a spider’s web and as fast as lightning a spider leapt out, grabbed him, and then disappeared. I stood there in shock as it happened so quickly and there was no sign of the cricket or spider, but I noticed a tunnel at the back of the web where the spider had disappeared with its prey.

Scripture warns us to be wary of our arch enemy. The devil seeks to destroy the testimony and the lives of Christians. Our enemy is ever on the prowl watching for a time when we are being careless or foolish so he can pounce.

How do we stay alert? First we realize the devil is not the caricature red devil with a pointed tail and horns. Neither is he non-existent. Even in churches you will seldom hear Satan mentioned. Yet our enemy is real and we need to stay alert and wary so we do not fall into his trap.

We can be vigilant by remaining strong in our prayer life and meditating upon scripture. We can also realize that becoming a Christian does not make us immune to sin. If we think we are invulnerable to temptation we set ourselves up for the enemy.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ Matthew 6:13

We are led into temptation and risk danger when we begin to allow “little sins” into our heart and life. Small steps toward darkness can allow our capture by sin just as that unwise cricket hopped right onto the spider’s web.

Jesus taught us to pray that we do not fall into temptation and that we would be delivered from Satan’s power. Our Lord would not have emphasized this if it were not important to both pray about and to be reminded of this real danger.

Brothers and Sisters, there are many dangers in this world, but nothing is as dangerous as falling into the trap of the enemy. He is not focused on trapping unbelievers, for he already has them in his web. No, he is out to get Christians any way he can, even if it is through destroying our testimony by falling into sin through foolishness. Let us be both wise and wary. And let us always be on our guard and strengthened through prayer and God’s word to avoid sin and the enemy trap.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we are foolish in many ways, but help us not to be so foolish that we step into the trap of the enemy. Amen.