Never turn your back on the enemy

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes." Ephesians 6:10-11 NIV

In a video that went viral earlier this month, Kyle Burgess came face to face with every runner's worst nightmare... an apex predator. It all started when Kyle went out for an easy 10 mile trail run in Utah's Slate Canyon and stopped to take a video of what he thought were baby bobcats. But as he moved closer, he realized he was in big trouble. He had stumbled upon mountain lion cubs and the mama was not happy. For the next six minutes the angry cat continued to charge at Kyle while he walked backwards slowly and continued to film. Speaking later about the incident, Justine Smith, an assistant professor of wildlife, fish, and conservation biology at the University of California, said it's never wise to approach wildlife but if a person ever did encounter a situation like Burgess’s, the best defense would be to back away slowly, make yourself look big, be loud without sounding distressed, speak in a lower-toned voice and, most importantly, never run or turn your back to the animal. And those actions are exactly what saved Kyle's life.

And you know, while our chances of being attacked by a mountain lion are very slim, our chances of being attacked by the devil are very high. In fact, it's not even a matter of if you and I will be attacked but when. And when that happens,  we would do well to stand our ground and resist the urge to run or to turn our backs on the enemy just as Kyle did. You see, the Bible gives us everything we need to not only face our adversary but to defeat him. But guess what? We can't fight our enemy if we are running from him! Which means we must "put on the full armor of God" and then take our "stand against the devil's schemes.”

So if you're going through a battle today, resist the urge to run from it my friend. Stand up and face the enemy knowing that you, through Christ, are most definitely bigger, louder and stronger than anything the devil can throw your way. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us to stand firm in the midst of any attack. Help us to understand that the reason we don't have any armor on our back is because we were meant to face the enemy not run away from him. No matter what we might be facing today Lord, remind us that through You we are victorious. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

Marching on - Rend Collective