Sitting in the back yard I noticed something very strange. There was a lizard sitting on a piece of dog poop, seemingly sunning himself. I almost didn’t see him there, lounging on the fecal matter. He was very camouflaged and the only reason I noticed him was that he was doing little lizard push-ups while sunning himself. I watched him for awhile and thought about how dumb he was! In a yard full of grass, sand, rocks, walls to climb, trees to lounge in, he chose to place his little body directly on top of a pile of . . . . well, you get the picture. Why? I asked myself, and, I can’t lie, I might have asked him too, why would a lizard choose to perch himself there, in the absolutely worst part of the yard? Then it happened.
A fly was circling the poop and coming in for a landing. The lizard saw the fly and immediately quit his current set of poo-poo-push-ups. Slowly and deliberately, he lowered himself into the poop making himself virtually invisible to the incoming fly.
The fly never saw what hit him! The lizard’s tongue appeared out of nowhere and snatched the fly right out of the air just inches from his landing spot on the poop. GENIUS! That lizard was genius! He knew that if he waited patiently in an area that would attract his victim, surely his victim would come. He was right, the fly came.
Flies love poop. I don’t know why. But that’s something I want to get to the bottom of (no pun intended.) I mean, you have to agree this is fascinating stuff! The dog poops, the lizard does push-ups on the poop, the fly comes to the poop, the lizard eats the fly. This is repeated until the lizard has a full belly, or until someone picks up the poop.
Poop is definitely NOT a safe place to hang out if you are a fly. Yet they can’t seem to resist it!
Clearly you would never be found sunning on poop, nor would I. But there are other things: people and places; that are potentially dangerous poop piles for us. In fact, co-workers, neighbors, friends and other people with whom we come in contact on a daily basis may lead us to a proverbial pile of poop where satan sits; patiently waiting for us to circle over and come in for a landing.
Make no mistake, if we attempt to land there, he, satan, and/or his minions will strike. satan would like nothing more than to make a meal out of you, a precious child of God – even if it means waiting in a nasty pile of defecated matter for a long period of time. To satan, it is worth the wait, it is worth the stench. The soul of one of God’s children is a great reward for the evil piece of . . . . . well, you get the picture, I do not need to be vulgar, right?
Psalm 1:1 “Blessed is the man who WALKS NOT in the counsel of the ungodly, NOR STANDS in the path of sinners, NOR SITS in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.”
According to the Nelson Study Bible, the parallelism in this section of scripture speaks of an increasingly deeper involvement with wickedness; “walking beside,” “stand with,” “sitting beside.” When we walk, stand and sit with evil, we will end up in his bed. The contrast is strong, instead of finding enjoyment in walking, standing or sitting with wicked persons, we must find our deep enjoyment in the things of God, particularly the Word of God.
Clearly, we are not to walk, stand or sit anywhere near the the lusts of the world; and most certainly, we should never circle and come in for a landing. Please recognize that the pile in your yard (life) may look and smell much different than dog poop, but the same spiritual danger lurks there. Make no mistake, if you or I choose the poop, the vile lizard from hell will snatch us up and never look back.
1 Peter 5:8-9 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”
James 4:7 “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
Where does satan wait and watch for you? What lures and attracts you? What beckons you to walk, stand and sit with it? What is it? Drugs? Alcohol? Gambling? Hatred? Fear? Jealousy? Unforgiveness? Porn? What is it? Is it misuse of social media? Is it an eating disorder or improper view of your self image? What is it? Whatever it is, know this, satan lurks there, in full camo, waiting patiently for you to circle and come in for a landing. But before you can even touch ground, he will devour you, and you will be his.
Don’t be that guy, don’t be the fly! Don’t walk, stand or sit with the enemy. Rather, consider this: “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper.” Psalm 1:2-3
SOOOOOOOO much better than being eaten by the poopy-push-up lizard, right?
A true friend will expect godliness from you; no, wait, a true friend will DEMAND godliness from you and settle for nothing less. If you have something or someone in your life who is luring you to a pile of poop, that person is NOT your friend. That person DOES NOT have your best interest at heart. That person is a liar and a fraud, that person is the lizard lying in wait on fecal matter.
If it LOOKS like dog poop, and it SMELLS like dog poop, DON’T TASTE IT; it IS dog poop! Just say “NO!” Don’t walk, stand or sit . . .RUN!
Dear Lord, please help me to recognize the dangerous areas of my life. Help me to identify them and avoid them. Remind me to find my deep enjoyment in the things of You, particularly Your precious Word. Remind me to hide Your Word in my heart, where I can quickly and easily find it when I am faced with raunchy satanic excrement. Please Lord, guard and guide me to be influenced by the Holy Spirit, not the world. Help me to draw near to You, and You to me. I love you!
Disclaimer:
No living creatures were injured or eaten during the writing of this blog. I mean, a fly was eaten during my research, but . . .
I purposely do not capitalize the name of satan, the great deceiver. Not sure why, I guess I feel he just doesn’t deserve the recognition.
Beyond all Measure 