We have a coyote issue in the woods behind our house. It’s actually pretty cool. My heart leaps as I watch safely from behind a fence as they parade past me, on their way to and from their day of hunting. These beautiful animals look like soft, sweet, cuddly dogs. My heart cries for them, “They’re hungry,” and “We’ve taken their land, and they have nowhere to go.”
Emotions aside, as I’ve become educated about these animals, I’ve learned that they’re very intelligent, extremely strategic, and dangerously cunning. The fence that gave me a sense of security won’t stop them; it will only slow them down – they can dig under it and climb over it. The fact that my own dogs are large means nothing to a hungry wild animal; small animals may be easier prey, but they’ll just as readily go after a larger one – it’ll just require more of them to take it down. The fact that I love them and think they’re beautiful also means nothing to them; they’re wild – focused solely on survival at any expense.
They study us, and know our neighborhood better than we do. They know homeowners’ habits. They know where the pets are, and when they’re usually outside. They know where every potential food source is. And they strategize just how to get what they want – sending in one or two as distraction, while the rest of the pack prepares to attack.
My husband encountered two coyotes at our fence. They had engaged our two large dogs in what seemed like “play”. As he tried to scare the coyotes off, they bared their teeth, and six more coyotes immediately appeared from their posts nearby. They’d been strategically, intentionally stationed there, hidden, waiting for our pets – their prey – to be lured over the fence. It was a set up. And the end result would’ve been death.
God showed me that this is exactly how the enemy works.
We have a false sense of security. What we think is harmless play, isn’t. What’s disguised as soft and cuddly can kill us. We get duped into following our hearts and our emotions. When, in fact, we’re being set up.
Just like the coyotes, the enemy studies us; he knows our habits and our weaknesses. He knows just how to trick us to get what he wants. He doesn’t care if we’re nice. Or if we’re “good”. Or if we believe we have special “protection”. Nothing matters to him. He is wild – focused solely on the kill.
The good news is that once we know his tactics, his setups become obvious and his distractions are no longer effective. We’re on to him.
I believe God smiles when we choose to see the truth. The truth that sets us free.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. – 1 Peter 5:8