Longing for Truth (in Huaraz, Peru)


This past weekend, Deanna and I were preparing to head to a local park. I was going to run and she was going to walk. While doing so, I looked out the front window and noticed a car parked in our driveway that I did not recognize.

I headed for the garage and opened the door to see who was out there. As the door cleared for me to have a view, I saw a man I did not recognize behind the wheel. He became frantic to get his car started. It was a bit sluggish, but fired and he backed quickly from my drive and turned to leave.

He watched me watch him as he pulled away, and as I leaned forward to get his license number, he sped down the construction riddled street, at a high rate of speed. Clearly, he did not want to be seen.

Though we could find nothing disturbed, we felt violated.

For days since, a foreboding sense of being a target has been hard to shake. We are doing what we can to be more careful...even though we generally are, anyway.

We know there have been a rash of robberies in the area, and that it is likely he was casing our home and neighborhood. The brashness of doing so at 10:30 on a Saturday morning, seems completely foolish. He sat in our drive long enough to leave a saucer sized oil stain.

There is no doubt that some of the enemies attacks blind side us. However, it is not uncommon for his schemes to be visible if we are walking in the Spirit. Being aware of our surroundings does not exempt us from these attacks, but it can certainly help stave off the obvious.

I do not like the sense of being violated. I remember shortly after Deanna and I were married, and our apartment was robbed, that it took us a long time to return to a sense of normalcy. We often felt stalked, as a result. Our things had been turned upside down and tossed about as the offenders looked for drugs and money. We had little of value, but what we did have they took.

How often does the enemy gain victory in our lives through attacks that we fail to recognize? How common is it for thoughts or feelings he distracts us with to become actions that we do not even realize are the result of giving in to his offenses against us?

We must be more prepared. This only comes through increased time spent in the presence of our Savior. The more we spend with Him, the more like Him we will be. The more like Him we are, the more quickly we will recognize the points of offense for what they are.

Selfishness, lust, greed, chronic material pursuits, bitterness, complaining attitudes, self promotion, etc. are all victories of the enemy over us. When these are present in our lives, we have allowed our old sin nature to be dominant, and have cast our Savior from Lordship in our lives.

We cannot succumb to his foolishness. We all recognize his victory in the lives of others, but are slow to recognize it in our own homes.

Lord, help us to be safe and wise in our walk with you. We cannot do it without your intervention.


brent