Be alert and of sober mind. 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 the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

1 Peter 5:8-9

I’ve heard the story so many times I can see it in my mind.

My grandmother’s chili simmered over the campfire. My dad and his brothers, fishing in the nearby stream, noticed movement in the trees. A bear with a fondness for beef sauntered toward the fire.

What happened next wouldn’t surprise anyone who knew my grandmother. A child of The Great Depression, she wasn’t someone who let anything go to waste. There was no way a bear was going to swipe the dinner she’d labored over in the middle of a forest.

She yelled for her young children to jump in the station wagon and grabbed an old dish towel, waving it at the bear.

“Get out of here! This is our chili. Find something else for dinner.”

Apparently that big black bear assessed my grandmother, recognizing the determination in her voice. My dad and his brothers watched from the car as the bear reluctantly turned and disappeared into the woods. At this point in the story, my dad always adds that the chili around the campfire that night was the best he’d ever tasted.

What am I willing to protect? Do I spend time praying over the ones that matter most to me? Do I persevere even when it appears I’m battling an unbeatable foe? Do I use the powerful weapon of Scripture to combat fear and anxiety?

For whom or what are you fighting? Do you pray for your marriage and children? Your church and pastor? In ourselves we are powerless, but in God’s power and through His Word we can fight for what matters most.

Lord, thank You that You are stronger than any fear or obstacle. Help me to trust You and pray in faith.

Whitney