Be Ready to Fight

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 NKJV

In a story published by KSL News Utah yesterday, it was reported that a black bear was euthanized Wednesday night after biting a runner on a trail in Big Cottonwood Canyon earlier in the day, state wildlife officials said. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources responded to a report of a bear attack in the canyon shortly after 1:15 p.m. A man had been running along Mill D North Fork Trail when he said a bear approached him. He tried to back away and make himself look big to scare off the animal, but he tripped over a log and the bear bit him on his upper arm, according to division spokeswoman Faith Heaton Jolley. "The man kicked at the bear and was able to escape," she said. The hiker was able to get out of the canyon and drive himself to St. Marks Hospital in Millcreek, where he was treated for puncture wounds to his upper arm.

And, you know, when it comes to escaping from an enemy intent on harming us, you and I would do well to remember that we won’t win our battle against the devil and his schemes by playing dead and hoping he will go away. This is a tactic that will never work! Instead, we are to “submit to God,” stand our ground, and resist temptation to the point of agonizing. Why? Because voicing a simple “no thank you” to the enemy’s attempts to lure us into sin will never make the devil flee or abandon his efforts to take us out. It’s a battle that will get so strenuous at times that we will be absolutely exhausted. But we have to keep fighting! The devil will tempt us over and over and over again, which means resisting him can sometimes take as much time, strength and effort as repeatedly fighting off a bear. 

So knowing that the enemy will never give up, let us vow to do the same my friend—by stripping off our pride, admitting our complete dependence on God, and then putting on our spiritual armor each and every day. That way when the enemy comes (and it’s not a matter of if but when), we will not be caught unaware and will be ready to fight. 

Heavenly Father, thank you for reminding us that we are in a spiritual battle each and every day. Remind us Lord that our enemy doesn’t want to come and just hurt us, but to kill us. Remind us that the devil does this by getting us to sin and to stray from You. Lord, help us to put on our spiritual armor each and every day and to rid ourselves of any pride or independence we have so that we will stay on the path of righteousness. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!