Sermons and Studies

Lessons From A Bobcat

If you don't have a hard-copy Bible available or an app on your phone, Bible.com is a fantastic, free resource with multiple versions in numerous languages available. (I'm not trying to promote one site over another, I just know and trust this one.)

Before we begin, why not start with some praise and worship music that hits you right in the spirit, and spend some time worshiping the God who created you? If you're limited on time, play the music while you pray. Don't forget to ask God to open your eyes to what He wants you to learn and understand from this lesson!

Also, you'll get a lot more out of reading this if you read the verses that are in the boldfaced type. Call them 'inside information'. 😉

I Peter 5:7-9

Last summer, I lost my little flock of chickens to a hungry bobcat, after having lost most of it to a neighborhood dog a month before. I had forgotten to shut the chicken house door that night, and the air conditioner prevented me from hearing all but the last, startled squawk of each of the three. Each time, until the last, I woke up, assumed it was nothing, and went back to sleep. I finally realized that I'd neglected the door and went out in time to scare the cat away from my rooster's corpse. I rescued it for a proper burial, at least. Even now, I ache for my lost pets. This disaster, and the resulting attempt at trapping the wildcat, taught me several spiritual truths.

The first truth is this: complacency invites attack. Read Mark 13:33-37, Matthew 24:43, Proverbs 6:10-11 Just as I was absorbed in my book until it was late, and then neglected to lock the chicken house door, so putting off devotions and slacking in prayer invites spiritual attack.

Now, read Hosea 4:6a. The second lesson is to know your enemy. In order to devise an effective strategy, I had to research the species. If I had known that motion sensor lights scare most predators away, I might not have lost my favorite buddy and my two mamas! Also, now that I know that bobcats eat fawns (or goat kids and lambs) and other larger 'small game', I can better bait a trap- or protect other farming interests! To effectively fight any foe, you need to become very familiar with everything about him; his habits, strengths and weaknesses, preferences (likes and dislikes,) his abode, resting places and frequently-traveled paths.

Check out Song of Solomon 2:15. Lesson number three is this: the enemy you know of is not the only enemy you have. Be on guard; evidence of one is not proof of only one! Notice the plural in this verse. Catching one does not mean the end of the problem. I have solid evidence of a bobcat, yet it was a fox that came repeatedly.

Luke 11:24-26 tells us our next lesson. The enemy returns to test for weakness and opportunity. The bobcat left fresh tracks the day after the last of the chickens were gone, and the trail cam revealed the fox, even when there was no bait. Satan will repeatedly test our weak spots in order to find an opening. If he defeated us once using a fault, he will try again, repeatedly.

Head over to Proverbs 17:19. Lesson five is this: Sometimes you invite attack without realizing it. The fox had been raiding our burn ring (where we burn our non-recyclables in the summer) for scraps after the fire died down, all summer. We had unknowingly invited it with charred bones and other scraps.

What you think of as protection is really a challenge to your enemies. Read I Timothy 6:9-10. When your focus changes, you start to compromise what you know in your heart is right. 'Just a little bit', or 'just this once' tends to grow until disaster sets in.

Back up a little bit to I Timothy 4:7. I was watching a cooking show some months ago, and the cook threw salt over her left shoulder without a word, after adding some to the food she was cooking. How many people still do this? The original purpose was to blind the devil. People thought he sat on the left shoulder in order to whisper bad advice, so the salt was meant to hit him in the eyes. What they think is protection is really a trap. Not only is it a waste of a necessary resource, it invites a false sense of security that invites neglect of disciplines that actually keep evil spirits at bay- prayer, Godly living, faith in God- rather than their own devices!

Zechariah 4:2-6 brings us to our next lesson. We cannot defeat the enemy in our own strength. I was not able to catch the bobcat on my own merit. Just as the lamps and their fire cannot supply light without the oil supplied by the olive trees, so we can't, in and of ourselves, expect to defeat our enemies. Read Ephesians 6:11. Notice Whose armor we are to employ!

Finally, Proverbs 14:4, and Proverbs 22:13 bring us to our last lesson. We must not live in fear. There are threats all around us. Bears, coyotes, bobcats, foxes, eagles and hawks all look for easy meals, but we can't let them stop us. My new chickens (bought the first weekend in September) have all started laying eggs. Over each door, solar-charged, motion-sensor lights not only frighten away potential predators, they alert the birds to be wary. Red lights inside allow the night-blind birds to see anything that might harm them without keeping them from sleep.

Revelations 12:10 shows us that Satan is not omnicient; he is bound into one place in time and space. Right now, he stands before the throne, but he has many servants to do his bidding.

I Peter 5:8 tells more about the enemy. The lion roars for one reason; to frighten his prey into running and so exposing themselves so that the rest of his pride can bring one down.

Take the time to read I Kings 20:11, Psalm 23:4, Psalm 144:1-2, Proverbs 18:10, Romans 8:14-15 and Ephesians 6:11 (They're all short; think of it like a scavenger hunt!) Notice what all these verses have in common? God is our refuge and strength, but why do we put armor on, if not to fight? We must continue to fight- in the boldness that comes from knowing Who is fighting through us!

Think of the things that you are afraid of. Ask God to show you how to fight not only your fears, but the enemy behind them as well.

Heavenly Father, You are our fortress and strong tower. In You, we are safe! Lord, help us to use these lessons so that we can have the victory over the enemy that You have for us. Protect us, Lord, not only from the enemy of our souls, but from our own ignorance. Help us to stay on the path of righteousness and avoid useless superstitions. We love You because You are the Savior of our souls and only through You can we hope to live victoriously and to see Heaven. Thank You for saving us! In Jesus Name we praise and give You thanks, amen.