An Ostrich and The Devil
I know what you’re thinking…another illustration making a parallel of an ostrich to a Christian with their head in the sand…but don’t click away just yet…
Yes, the ostrich is often a symbol of ignorance. “Burying your head in the sand,” you’ve heard the phrase, meaning one might ignore what is happening around them. But, if you look a little closer at this large bird you realize they don’t bury their head to avoid danger, they bury their head to tend to the eggs in their nest, turning them to keep them from overheating and to protect them from the predators above — they bury their head to care for, to nurture, to prepare.
They bury their head with purpose.
However, if an ostrich senses danger they flop their large bodies to the ground and remain very still, attempting to blend into the world around them.
Imagine for a moment a lion, hiding in the grass, stealthy approaching an ostrich…sensing danger, the fastest-running bird in the world (43mph) avoids the predator…sitting idle.One can assume how that story ends.
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1Peter 5:8)
We see the impact of the roaming lion all over our world today. Watching the news or scrolling social media, it’s not hard to see that the truth of God’s design has been twisted. There are wounded hearts and manipulated minds everywhere you look.
If we aren’t equipped with the truth of God’s design, how can we fulfill His purpose in this fallen world? How can we have a greater impact in a world where the devil prowls?
We have to flip the script back to what God intended. We must stop believing the lies of the enemy, twisting our identity in an effort to make us ineffective. God’s design says we are capable of running 43mph, yet so many of us blend in, idle. God’s design says there is purpose below the surface, yet so many of us remain unprepared and ill-equipped.
What if we dig deep to tend to what matters most? Preparing our minds, tending to our souls, equipping our families for the battle above—not ignoring, not avoiding, but rather preparing.
What is the devil to fear of the blended-in believer? A battlefield of idle believers is no battlefield at all, it is simply a playground for the enemy to manipulate, twist, confuse, and devour.
So what does our greatest enemy fear?
He fears the truth below the surface.
He fears a prayerful people.
He fears the power within a fully equipped believer.
He fears the impact of God’s better story.
God has given you all you need to combat the work of the enemy, but you have to dig deeper to tend to what’s below the surface and then rise up, empowered with the truth of who you are in Christ, and get in the fight.