A lady who loved her dog always went outside with him and never let her little pet go out alone. However, one day when the weather had turned cold, she let him out by himself, making sure he stayed close to home. She watched by the door in the early morning darkness, but she was completely unprepared for what happened next.
From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of something dark flying low toward her pet. The next moment it covered the body of her little dog!
When she saw that her pet was being attacked by some kind of large bird, the lady quickly went into action. Grabbing her coat, she ran outside to rescue him. She thought at first this large bird was a hawk and tried getting it off her dog. She quickly discovered it was a large owl with sharp talons. It did not want to let go of its victim; the owl intended to have the dog for breakfast! How frightening for the little dog that wasn’t able to defend himself from such a powerful enemy.
Boys and girls, you and I have a very powerful enemy who has his evil eye on each one of us, waiting for just the right moment to attack. That enemy is the devil, and his name is Satan. If you have accepted the Lord Jesus as your very own Saviour, you have Someone to cry to who will rescue you from the harm the enemy plans for you. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:11<<To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth.>> God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)). But God also gives us a warning about the devil in 1 Peter 5:88Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (1 Peter 5:8): “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” This means be on guard!
But any of you who don’t know the Lord Jesus may be harmed for the rest of your life. Satan’s plan is to destroy you. He is powerful enough to lure you into harmful habits. He is a liar and may tell you that there is no God and no heaven or hell. He’s a master in tempting his victims to steal little things, then bigger things and eventually leads them into a life of crime. Satan is an expert and will not let you go!
But we want you to know that there is a Saviour for you too, if you will have Him. His name is Jesus, and He is stronger than Satan. “Greater is He [Jesus] that is in you, than he [Satan] that is in the world” (1 John 4:44Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4)). Jesus loves you and has died for you and is waiting to save you with open arms. “The Son of Man [Jesus] is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them” (Luke 9:5656For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. (Luke 9:56)). Won’t you accept Him as your Saviour right now?
Like Satan, the owl did not want to let go of its victim, but the lady finally was able to loosen the owl’s grip on the dog’s back. Then the owl flew off into a nearby tree ... without its breakfast. The poor dog was terrified and had a large hole in his back from the owl’s sharp talons. This time the owl had to leave its victim behind, but what about its next victim?
The lady took her frightened, injured pet to an animal doctor for immediate help. The dog had to have antibiotics, and the injury to his back eventually healed. I am sure the lady will never let her treasured pet go outside alone again, especially with an owl in the area that is watching closely. From now on she will always be on guard, just as you and I should be with Satan who is nearby and watching closely.
ML-06/12/2011