Overcoming the Wily One - Martin Wiles

God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming to strong that you can stand up against it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT

With the wily ways of his nature, the opossum lured my chicken to her death.

After one move, I decided to buy a few chickens. I saw no need to fence them since I lived in the country, but I was wrong. Some immediately headed for the woods. Others became food for wild varmints. Finally, only one chicken remained. I did my best to protect her by putting her in a cage with small holes and placing her next to the back porch. Surely, a wild animal wouldn't get her here. I was wrong again. The next morning, the cage was completely empty. Not a feather in sight. An opossum had lured her with his charming ways and sucked her out of the cage piece by piece.

Satan came in the form of a serpent in the Garden of Eden, and Peter classified him as a roaring lion seeking to kill. Paul, however, gives us encouragement. God controls Satan's temptations.

Sometimes, I must remind myself that temptation isn't the same as sinning. Satan tempts, God allows it, and I'm the one tempted, but temptation isn't sinful. Instead, it demonstrates my desire to live obediently to God's commands. If I were already living as Satan wanted, he would have no need to tempt me.

Satan would love nothing better than for us to adopt a we-can't-win attitude. Having this mindset sets us up for defeat—and Satan loves it when a defeatist attitude overcomes us. With a defeatist attitude, we'll give in to temptation more easily. We won't be able to summon up enough energy to fight. Why bother, we'll muse. We might as well give in.

Through interaction, Satan learns our weaknesses and targets them. Once he discovers where we're prone to fail, he'll attempt to suck the life out of us like the opossum did my chicken.

But giving in to temptation isn't necessary. The one who lives in us is greater than the one tempting. Through prayer, depending on the Spirit's power, putting on spiritual armor, exercising caution, staying in the Word, and associating with Christian encouragers, our chances of winning over the wily one increase tremendously.

If Satan has duped you into thinking you can't win over his wily tricks, take heart. Through Christ, overcoming the wily one becomes possible.

Father, thank you for providing me the power to overcome the enemy's tactics.

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Take a Daily Bath - Martin Wiles

A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet to be entirely clean. And you are clean. John 13:10 NLT

As I sat at my computer writing in the early morning hours, my wife hollered, “Come quickly.”

Although we lived in the city, a few months ago, an opossum came waddling between the privacy fence surrounding our backyard and made himself at home rummaging around in our yard. He was petite. I saw him again a few weeks later, trekking atop our privacy fence. He was much larger then.

On this particular morning, my wife discovered his hideout. A small patch of brush and trees separates our subdivision from the one behind us. One of the larger trees had a hollow, and he had made it his home. He sat upon a strong limb in the early morning light and bathed himself, much like a raccoon or cat.

On one occasion, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet to teach them about serving. When he came to Peter, Peter refused. He thought it was beneath the Messiah to perform such a menial task. Jesus explained that though Peter didn’t need to wash all over, his feet still needed washing. After all, people in this period walked the dusty roads barefoot or in sandals.

With rare exceptions, I, like the opossum, take daily baths. I feel cleaner when I do even if I’ve done nothing that day to get dirty. Oils build up on my skin. I may have eaten at a restaurant with sizzling smells or been junking in thrift stores.

Jesus, however, talked about a spiritual bath. The disciples had bathed when they trusted him as who he claimed to be—God’s Son. Once this is done, all our sins are washed away—past, present, and future. I don’t need a whole-body bath again, but I do need daily cleansing. My feet get dirty from walking through the world. The opossum didn’t jump in the lake; he just licked parts of his body.

My daily baths consist of confession for sins of omission and commission. I also apologize for missing opportunities the Savior has sent because I was too busy, selfish, or consumed by my own world. This daily bath keeps me on good terms with Christ and helps me hear him clearly when he calls.

Don’t neglect your daily bath.

Father, move me to daily confession so I can hear you clearly when you call me to ministry opportunities. 

Tweetable: Are you taking a daily bath? 

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Where’s the Hope - Martin Wiles

And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43 NLT

For months, I passed the bare spot and remembered what had lain there.

Opossum. When they’re hit, a horrendous smell assaults the nostrils of anyone passing by. This one lay on the side of the road in the grass, and I saw him during my daily afternoon walk.

Day after day, I passed him as I walked. Had I lived in the country, the road crew—buzzards and crows—would have picked him apart within short order, but I lived in town. I watched his body slowly deteriorate until one day nothing was left but a little fur.

Many months have passed since old Mr. Opossum died, but the place where he lay is still devoid of grass. As if someone had poured salt over the area. Which by the way many ancients did when they conquered a city, ensuring nothing would grow there anymore.

I’m sure the various animals God created populate heaven, but not Mr. Opossum—or any other animals that have lived on earth. They have no souls. God gave only humans that privilege. And with the immortal soul—and the hope of a new body—we have more hope than the opossum.

Jesus told the believing thief who hung by Him on the cross that he’d be with Him in Paradise that day. Paul said something similar when he said that to be absent from the body was to be at home with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8).

Ideas of the afterlife vary. Some deny it. Death ends everything. Some prefer annihilation. Others hold to reincarnation—coming back in one life form or another depending on how good or bad we were in life. Still, others prefer soul sleep—believing our souls rest until some appointed future time.

The Bible teaches none of the above—and I’m glad. I wouldn’t want the fate of the opossum, nor would I want to risk coming back as one because I hadn’t been good in this life. Hope lies in a person and in a plan. Belief in Jesus as our Savior ensures forgiveness of our sins and connects us to God. Doing so also guarantees us a place in God’s new heaven and earth. With this hope, we can face each day confidently.

Make sure you have placed your hope in the right person.

Prayer: Father, thank You for giving us hope that never perishes.

Tweetable: Where do you find your hope? 

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