Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

"Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong."¹

Roger Perkins wrote how he "once encountered a ruffled grouse in the woods of Montana. She was close and feigned having a broken wing and unable to fly. She would run ahead of me and look back to make sure I followed. Her purpose was to lead me away from her chicks who were somewhere nearby, although I couldn't see them. This is a common ploy among mother wild game birds. I am capable of the same thing in my life and have done it on occasion. I have to keep on constant guard." 

What Roger is saying is that it is very easy to be led astray by rationalizing tempting thoughts and allowing them to lead us astray, and then justifying our actions when we chose to do something that we know in our heart is wrong.

As the Apostle Paul advised, we need to be constantly on guard against our own deceptive thoughts, rationalizations, and actions because Satan will never give up on seeking to lead us away from God. "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."²

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, in the words of the hymn writer, I, too, am 'Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it / Prone to leave the God I love / Here's my heart, O take and seal it / Seal it for Thy courts above.' Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. 1 Corinthians 16:13 (NLT).
2. 1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV).

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