Tag Archives: Danger

Danger ~ Day 22 ~ Write 28 Day Challenge

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Day 22: Danger
Singing My Way Through Write 28 Days
http://www.anitaojeda.com

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” Colossians 1:13 (NIV)

Dangerous Predator

“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;
Prone to leave the God I love:
Take my heart, oh, take and seal it
With Thy Spirit from above.
Rescued thus from sin and danger,
Purchased by the Savior’s blood,
May I walk on earth a stranger,
As a son and heir of  God.”
~Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing~

Something had caught my eye outside the window. An unfamiliar looking bird was perched motionless in the lilac tree. It took me a minute to finally realize that the small, oval shaped, smoothed-feathered bird statue clinging to a branch for dear life, was actually a usually large, boisterous, crown-wearing, self-assured blue jay. That’s when I knew that a hawk was hovering close by and my blue jay friend was in danger. Wary, he was doing all he could to conceal himself in hopes of avoiding attack and becoming a morning snack. 

You know, there’s a devious adversary who’s hovering around us too, and unfortunately he’s also a master of disguise. Patiently, he unassumingly lurks nearby, and before we know it, he’s able to capture us when we least expect it. I’m talking about Satan of course, the fallen angel from above. The ruler of this world we live in. (explains a lot about all that’s happening, doesn’t it?)

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)

Birds seem to have an innate sense when danger is near, but I, maybe you too, sometimes willingly come within the predator’s reach. The thing is, once we’re enticed and snatched away from where we want to be, it often takes us a while to realize it because as most beasts of prey do, the devil toys with us for awhile and then before we know it, we’re consumed.

“But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:3 (NIV)

“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.”James 1:14 (ESV)

Deceived, lured, enticed, I can relate. But wait, my own desire? Your desire? I guess if we really stop and think about it, we do find ourselves in the grip of the devil most often because he was able to convince us that it’s fine to pursue the seemingly harmless things WE long for or that there’s no harm in avoiding those WE don’t want, even when we know better. We give ourselves away so the enemy knows right where we stand.

To avoid attack, that poor blue jay stayed frozen in his spot for a long time. Nothing moved. Except, occasionally I noticed his eyes looking toward the sky. We are in the same kind of battle. Satan has so many wily ways to strike that it can leave us feeling stuck. That’s when we too, need to look up.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Ephesians 6:10-11

Luckily, the blue jay’s persistence paid off and the hawk eventually set off looking for new prey. The jay’s normal posture and personality returned and he quickly feasted at the feeders. Thankfully, God has already defeated Satan. He provides a defense for you and me and when we take our stance in His armor, we too can resist the one waiting to attack us. The predator is forced to retreat and we’re able to draw near to the One who provides the feast of everything we ever need to truly live.

Danger ~ Five Minute Friday

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“Think about things of heaven, not the things of earth.” Colossians 3:2

In Danger of Being Confined

Wanting to be an involved “MiMi” I purchased some plants from our grandsons’ school fund raiser. Unfortunately, I didn’t think about how they would get to me since I live four hours away.  Needless to say, my daughter had to babysit my flower collection for almost a month before I could pick them up and bring them home.

This morning I set out to get the poor things into my flower bed. It turned out to be more of a challenge than I’d bargained for.  Because they’d stayed so long in their tiny pots, each plant’s leaves had started to become wilted and yellow from the lack of nutrition and all of them had become so root bound that it was difficult to pull them free without breaking their life-giving, delicate stems.

While digging in the dirt it occurred to me that we can be an awfully lot like my waylaid plants. Finding ourselves in less than ideal conditions and so wrapped up in our troubles, we can be in danger of becoming confined if we stay too long in an unhealthy place, too. 

In recent months, someone who’s hurt me in the past did something that left me in a place of pain once again. The more I focused on the situation, the tighter my chest became and the smaller my confidence felt. Hemmed in by my emotions, questions, and disbelief, I was tangled up in the consequences and the wound was all I could see. Been there?

“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
Colossians 2:6-7 (NLT)

Today, I finally tore those confining containers from the plants and at long last freed their roots to be placed in the ground where they will now receive what they need to grow. Placing my pain into the Gardner’s hands had the same result for me. I began to understand that though at first I didn’t see it, He could take what was meant to restrict and instead, release me. God used the circumstances to carefully place me where I would thrive in His care. Throughout our lives, we will all face harsh conditions that threaten to break us; but when we are rooted in Christ who gives us life, we receive all we need to not just grow, but to flourish until He finally brings us home where we belong.

“For they are transplanted to the LORD’s own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green.”
Psalm 92:14 (NLT)

P.S. Here’s hoping my little plants flourish too!