Today’s Daily Bread ~ The Woodpecker

Psalm 36:1 – Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts.  They have no fear of God to restrain them.

The other day I was out on a run with my kids when we decided to take a pit stop at a local park.  Caitlyn and Nick bee lined for the monkey bars and swings while I posted up beneath a tree.  It was peaceful; sunshine, a light breeze whispering through the branches, and the sounds of children laughing and playing.  Before long though, I noticed another sound.  “Peck-peck-peck-peck-peck.”  “Peck-peck-peck-peck-peck.”

I looked up,  and saw the cutest little woodpecker, not five feet above me.  He went on about his business, not paying me any mind.  “Peck-peck-peck-peck-peck.”

I called the children over to look.  Nick had no interest, but Caitlyn and I watched for at least five minutes or so.  Those little things are persistent.

My mother reminded me of an encounter our family had with a woodpecker when we lived in New Brighton, Minnesota.  A bird took a liking to the side of our house for some reason.  The aluminum siding of our house, I should say.  And instead of a little “peck-peck-peck,” it was more like a machine gun.  “BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!”  The little critter stuck around for a long time, too.  We never could scare it away for good.

Isn’t our enemy the same way?

Satan is a gradualist.  It almost always starts soft; so soft that it just blends into the noise around you.  Then, slowly but surely, his voice gets louder.  His first line of attack?  Sowing seeds of doubt.  Genesis 3:1 – Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the LORD God had made.  “Really?” he asked the woman.  “Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?”  Next, he waters the seed with lies:  Genesis 3:4-5 – “You won’t die!” the serpent hissed.  “God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it.  You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil.” 

Doubt, then lies.  And once we sin, he comes in and reaps a harvest of shame.  Genesis 3:7a – At that moment, their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. 

The Bible advises us against taking temptation on.  1 Timothy 6:11 tells us to “run from all these evil things, and follow what is right and good.”  James 4:7 says, “Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.”   If you can’t flee, then fight.  But don’t stand around and think you can hold your ground.  You won’t.

Sitting at the park, the woodpecker didn’t register with me at first.  The noise just blended in.  Once I noticed it, however, it was all I could hear.  Temptation is the same way.  Consider this example:

A woman was bored, and playing around on Facebook.  She was looking up old friends, when she noticed one of them was connected to her old high school sweetheart.  Something stirred within her when she clicked on his name. 

His picture popped up – a man with two children.  She sent a friend request.

The next morning a message was waiting for her in her inbox.  With butterflies in her stomach, she opened it.  They started up a chat, and she discovered that he was separated.  Over the following months, they messaged back and forth, and what started out as a friendly chat turned into a flirtation.  Then an emotionally intimate relationship.

He had a business trip to Dallas, practically in her neighborhood.  They met for lunch.  The next night they met for drinks.  Drinks turned into an affair.  The affair turned into a broken marriage, a broken heart, and two broken children.

The woman asked her husband to leave, and they set the divorce proceedings in motion.  However, the next morning, she received another message in her inbox.  Her old high school sweetheart was reconciling with his wife.  He’d never told her about the affair.  Now she sits amidst the broken pieces of the worst mistake she’s ever made.  Angry husband, hurt children, shattered life.  Unfortunately, this is a true story.

The enemy is very patient, and persistent.  Recognize your weaknesses.  Ask God to strengthen you, and don’t go where temptation lives.

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You so much for the Bible, Your Word to us.  Thank You for sending Your Son to die for our sins, and thank You for giving us Your Holy Spirit to guide and comfort us.  Lord, point out any areas we should avoid.  Convict us the second we start to get into a gray area.  Help us to sanctify ourselves God, so we can better serve You.  Bless us to be a blessing to others.  We love You so much, and we pray these things in the precious, holy name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.