Deceptive
Decoys
By Karen D’Amore
Put on the full
armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
Ephesians
6:11 (NIV)
Along
a path I travel daily is a large pond, flanking a neighboring church. As dusk
fell on a routine trip, I spotted an animal lying in the grass area surrounding
the pond. Pulling into the church parking lot, I zoomed in with my iPhone’s
camera and identified the animal as a coyote. After snapping a few pictures, I
called out in an attempt to spur movement. As the coyote remained motionless,
darkness inhibited my sight. The next morning, while passing the pond on my way
to work, I noticed the same coyote…now standing…in the location where it had
previously been laying. With my tender heart for wildlife spurring concern for
its well-being, I considered calling the local wildlife rescue center, until….a
third pass by the pond revealed that I’d been fooled by a… deceptive decoy!
Desiring
to humanely deter the “messy” geese from overtaking the pond and parking lot,
the church used decoys as an effective deterrent. For the remainder of that
season, the pond and surrounding area remained goose-free due to the placement
of the coyote decoys.
The
next summer, the coyote decoys were once again placed around the pond; however,
within a few weeks…the pond was overflowing with geese. I won’t embarrass
myself by sharing how I was eventually fooled (again) by swan decoys that
replaced the coyote decoys, but I do have an elaborate photo collection of the
fake birds! Spurring my curiosity, research revealed that decoys eventually
become ineffective if they’re not moved around periodically. While the decoys -
- whether coyotes or swans - - remained
in the exact location, the geese wised-up, recognizing that the decoys were “fake
predators” exhibiting no threat to them.
My
comical photo collection of fake coyotes and plastic swans impelled me to
consider “deceptive decoys” which pose a threat to believers. In Ephesians 6:11,
we’re exhorted to guard against the “devil’s schemes.” As a “master of deception” (Daniel 8:25) Satan’s
arsenal of “deceptive decoys” are endless. We’re warned in 2 Corinthians 11:14
that “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” Using deceptive decoys
that change constantly in appearance and position, Satan will do everything in
his power to fool us and deter us from The Truth. Like the geese, as
Christ-followers, we need to wise-up, exercise discernment and protect ourselves
from being fooled by the devil’s deceptive decoys.
Are
you ready to foolproof your life? “Submit
yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James
4:7, KJV).
GOING
DEEPER:
1. Identify areas of your life where you’re
vulnerable to Satan’s deceptive devices and resist being fooled!
FURTHER
READING:
Married to Dan,
Karen, a retired police officer, currently works as a Manicurist at Craig Berns
Salon and Foot Care Specialist at Shorehaven Senior Facility. She’s on the
Oakwood Women’s Ministry Special Events planning team.
