1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
Our red barn was starting to resemble a patchwork quilt. The woodpeckers were having a heyday boring through the wood to find their daily supply of dinner, à la bugs. My husband carefully covered over each hole with pieces of aluminum. But no sooner did he patch up one hole than the woodpeckers returned to find a new feasting spot. Finally, he said, “Enough!” He covered the barn with wood siding that contained a bug-resistant epoxy. The woodpeckers no longer had incentive to peck without a food supply. No bugs. No woodpeckers. No haven for woodpecker destruction.
The barn can now look forward to a long, purposeful life. But it requires maintenance. Everything needs maintenance.
I know I do. Physically, mentally, and emotionally, but most importantly, spiritually. When I mess up, I can’t just patch over the gaping holes. I need to ask the Holy Spirit to root out the bugs. Bugs that provide a feeding frenzy for Satan to chow down.
Peter warns us about the necessity of spiritual maintenance. He says if we let down our guard the devil will pounce. Our enemy wants to weaken us to the point where he can “devour” us by poking holes in our faith. And nothing compromises our faith more than undealt with sin. Like those invasive bugs, sin in our lives provides a delicious menu for the tempter.
But we can deny him access to our soul by maintaining a firm faith. Every time we turn to the word of God to help us resist temptation, our faith grows a little firmer. My goodness, that’s what Jesus did when he was tempted. Let’s commit ourselves to following his example (Matthew 4).
Don’t you, like me, look forward to living a purposeful rather than patchwork life? It requires us to be diligent in getting rid of the bugs. To cultivate faith as solid as the bug-resistant epoxy that now covers our barn. Of this we can be sure, the devil is going to try and destroy us, whether he comes as a prowling lion or persistent woodpecker.
We don’t have to put up with ugly holes. Woodpeckers begone!