I thought of the animated movie “How to Train your Dragon” as the writing team discussed Revelation 12 last week, (love the sweet dragon movie) and some of us decided to write on how to OUT-train the Dragon. In other words, how to train ourselves to be on our guard and prepared to defeat the dragon or enemy of our souls by hiding Scripture in our hearts, praying constantly for God’s Spirit of wisdom and discernment, and relying fully on the Holy Spirit’s guidance in our lives, etc.
Yesterday, Lynette reminded us that Satan is the accuser and the Father of lies. (John 8:44) Even knowing this, are we prepared for his cunning deception in our own lives? Do we really understand spiritual warfare? Do we think because we are believers, attend church, maybe even serve somewhere and/or give, that we are immune from his deceptive attacks? Are we prepared for the wolf in lamb’s clothing?
John, the writer of Revelation, uses the dragon image to reveal Satan’s true, vile nature rather than his literal physical form. The dragon is a metaphor for Satan’s character and attributes, not a literal description of his appearance. Scripture portrays Satan as a dragon because he is powerful, terrifying, and capable of causing much harm. (1 Peter 5:8)
We know, and Scripture teaches that this enemy of our souls will ultimately be defeated. Until then, we can continue to study and speak the truth of Scripture, keep our hearts clean, strive to treat others as we want to be treated, stay low (humble) before the Lord, pray continually, intercede on behalf of others, and love our neighbors as ourselves.
During my seven decades on this earth, one important thing I’ve learned is that we need the friendship and encouragement of other Christ followers. We need to encourage those going through hard times, new believers in their growth, and mature believers facing burnout or physical challenges. In other words, we all need to know that someone cares no matter where we are (or aren’t) in our Christian walk. Be a listener not a fixer, share your own testimony when appropriate, remind them of the good you see in them, and most importantly let them know you are praying for them.
Through all of that, light will pierce the darkness, and the enemy will be defeated in his attempt to deceive, accuse, discourage and make people feel less than. A small act of kindness, care and concern for someone else will have a ripple effect. So, we have a choice–what will we do today to make the light of Christ’s love burn stronger and the dragon’s schemes dimmer?
Deb Hill
EFCC Member