Scarecrows

SCARECROW

1 PETER 5:8-9

Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering.

Man has been able to keep birds from wheat and rice fields through the use of manlike structures erected to scare away the pests. In real sense, these structures are completely harmless to the birds and pose no danger to them but they succeed in keeping them from devouring the fields through their clinging noise. Birds would rather starve than be killed by a ‘scarecrow’! how funny!

This is exactly how Christians behave in some instances. We are scared of attaining higher status for fear of fear. Fear per se is not harmful but it has succeeded in killing many visions which would have contributed to the development of this planet. I am sure that once a bird risks ‘eating’ in the field, it would never be scared at all. Have you ever had a lion roar? The sound is scary and no wild animal can dare dance to its melody.

Then Bible tells us that the devil is like- and therefore the devil is not a lion. He is only like a roaring lion. He is a scarecrow lion which cannot harm whatever but has the potential of keeping Christians off their blessings. He instills fear on Christians sending them scampering away from their victory. What a shame! We can see many believers today struggling with life. They keep on wondering and questioning the existence of God because they try to help themselves so that God can help them. They are scared of failing in life. They say life is not a rehearsal and that it is short for one to waste it. With those fears in mind, the ‘scarecrow’ takes advantage over them sending them away from their packages.

King David realized that goliath was only but a scarecrow (1 Samuel 17:20-50) threatening Gods people and he destroyed him with a single stone thrown from a sling. To an extent, Goliath had instilled fear from King Saul to the lowest of those in the army. They watched as Goliath abused them, their God, their king, and they just watched in amazement. In 2 Kings 6:18-17 Elisha was not scared after the Arameans had surrounded the city in search of him, because he knew that those who were on his side were many than those against him. Again in Isaiah 37:10-20, we find Sennacherib threatening Hezekiah and Hezekiah turning to the Lord for help. I have been threatened by men. I have seen people threatening other people and some people run away from empty threats. It is time for us to stand boldly and face every critic without turning our backs in fright.

Remember that between you and your blessing, a scarecrow stands. Between you and your promotion, marriage, career, health, your boss etc. a scarecrow stands. He stands there with blank threats; that, you will soon die, be sacked, divorced, fail, be demoted, get cancer etc. These threats can in reality manifest symptoms which relay false information from what you think about your situation. The Lion of Judah says that you shall be head and not tail. I believe his report because he is a real lion and not like a lion. he is not scaring me but he has a divine assurance upon my life. He is within me which thus makes me a lion too!