Polar bears.

"The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you." (Romans 16:20)

The arctic polar bear is the largest land carnivore in the world. It can weigh between 700 and 1200 pounds. It needs at least 5 pounds of fat per day just to survive. Where can such an animal find huge amounts of food in a frozen wasteland? Actually, it's easier than you think, because many of the polar bear's neighbors (the seals) have a load of lard to offer. In fact, the polar bear feeds almost entirely on seals. The problem is capturing them, because they tend to be pretty slippery, and they have a habit of jumping in the water rather quickly when they see a polar bear charging. To secure the extra value seal meal, the bear sometimes resorts to a cunning bit of trickery. If the hole in the ice through which the seal gets his food is not too far from the edge of open water, the polar bear will take a deep breath, slip underwater, and swim to the seal's fishing hole. He will then actually imitate a fish by scratching lightly on the underside of the ice. When the seal hears this sound, he dives in for a quick bite, only to find himself being the main course.

The apostle Peter calls Satan a "roaring lion", but I think an alternative title could be a "hungry polar bear". Every hour of every day he and his army of demons are seeking "Christian seals" to attack and devour using the same strategy. First, he figures out where we like to 'hang out' and spend our free time. For some, it's the mall, the movie theater, or in front of the television and/or computer. For others, it is with a group of close friends or perhaps with a boyfriend/girlfriend. Whatever the case, he's got us scoped out well. Most of the time these "fishing holes" are harmless, but sometimes he hides under the surface and baits us with some seemingly harmless pleasure. What we don't realize is that he is disguising the devastating consequences of sin with something that looks or sounds appealing. Then, when we've surrendered to the temptation, he catches us in his trap and consumes our dedication to Christ.

Here are a few examples of "ice scratching" that might come your way:

1. prayer request discussions that turn into gossip sessions
2. hurt feelings that become roots of bitterness
3. national pride that degenerates into deep seated prejudice
4. internet research that surfs over to pornographic exploration
5. friendly jests that grow into spiteful shots

The apostle Paul wrote that "we are not unaware of his (Satan's) schemes" (2 Corinthians 2:11). We know that he is after us, we know that he hides beneath the surface of life and waits for us to dive into sinful waters- so why do we keep doing it? Christians have no excuse for being taken in by the deception of the enemy. The Bible instructs us to "resist the devil, and he will flee..." (James 4:7). In other words, the next time Satan is scratching at the surface of your fishing hole, just remember that you can pray much longer than he can hold his breath.

Questions:

1. What area of your life is being dominated by Satan?
2. How aware are you of his schemes?
3. Do you need to change "fishing holes"?