One morning recently outside my house we had a flock of Barn Swallow birds acrobatically flying back and forth all day long; a sizable flock of around thirty birds. It was a sight to see! Little did we know these in-flight dancing creatures were claiming our porch and deck as their place to build their nests for their upcoming offspring.
Are you familiar with Barn Swallows? They are extremely messy birds both in building their nest and living in it after it is built. During the building process, they drop mud everywhere, and while nesting, their bird droppings form into a massive pile on the ground below. Not a pleasant sight to see. One pair of Barn Swallows is tolerable, but fifteen nests in close proximity and where people walk? Not acceptable.
This whole scenario reminded me of how the enemy tries to infiltrate our lives and our homes. He is a deceiver and manipulator with intention to create chaos. At our house, what started as a sight to see of wonderment and intrigue would end in a ghastly mess to clean up.
In correlation, how we perceive the enemy can determine the outcome of his underhanded doings. You see, my response to observing these flying acrobats was, "Well, what are you gonna do?" In other words, the battle is too big; just let them have their space. That is exactly how a substantial number of people go through life; defeated, accepting whatever may come, speaking words of doubt, ending up with a miserable life.
My husband, on the other hand, looked at these birds in a whole different light. He had a determined fighting spirit to force the birds to relinquish their territory. One evening he came home and tore down the multiple mud nests they were building. I will admit I thought he was a little crazy because I knew they would be back the next day to start their rebuild. It was going to be a never-ending battle. I even felt sorry for the little creatures because they were needing a home for their babies in the coming weeks. Sure enough, they were back to building the next morning, and in the evening, he came and tore the progress down. The next morning was the same routine- build, build, build, and the evening- destroy, destroy destroy.
To my utter amazement, the third morning there were no energetic but annoying Barn Swallows around our house. My husband's persistence reminded me of how we need to approach the enemy. First, we must be proactive. We cannot just sit idly by and let the enemy take over our lives. We also must use our Spiritual weapons of speaking God's Truth and Promises. We must use our faith by believing the situation is taken care of before we see the results. We must remember to praise the Lord while in the battle and give Him the glory for seeing us through.
This small lesson also gives us a look at a successful walk with the Lord. We must remain persistent (carrying on a task even in spite of difficulties) and consistent (regular and unchanging habits) in our daily lives. We need to be persistent and consistent in reading his Word and talking to him; make him a part of every aspect of our lives. When we do so, we are prepared to destroy the works of the enemy who is invariably swarming us, looking for that perfect opportunity and location to make a home. Praise be to the Lord that we were given authority through Jesus to be victorious while here on earth. I cannot imagine a life without the Lord, can you?
We have the joy, opportunity, and duty to share with others the good news that they do not have to sit idly by and let the enemy take over. We have weapons of destruction when we trust the Lord. Not only do the lost need to know the Truth, but fellow Christians who have never been taught they have spiritual authority need to be told how to stand up to the enemy. They do not need to sit idly by with the thought that the Lord is trying to teach them something, or this is His will. We are in a spiritual war and the enemy is ramping up his attacks in every way possible. But greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world. Go share his Goodness with those around you.
To God be the Glory
