“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

Once there was a dialogue between a set of three small and young fish and a senior and very big fish. “What is your secret of living that long (over a hundred years) and being that big and fat?” asked the inquisitive young small fish. “My secret ”, responded the old fish “is that I avoid free food. That is what has kept me alive and will probably continue to preserve my life even long after you are dead. Any time I see a worm dangling provocatively, I suspect it is somebody’s strategy to waste me, and I keep myself far from it”

Beloved, I think there is much we can learn as well from the wisdom of that old and experienced fish. In fact, we can easily liken our world to a big ocean where the devil sees each human being as a fish and thus as potential prey. Faithful to his predator strategy that has stood the test of time and worked for him over centuries, he will invest in knowing what challenges our resistance and use it to bait us. To people who love sex, he will confront them with something that looks like an opportunity they can’t say “no” to; those who are strong in gossiping, he will push them to engage in discussions where they should have been silent; those who can’t resist food and drink will find themselves in places where they would be given abundant food and drink, etc. Those are the “free food” the old fish was referring to.

Beloved, let’s keep under constant check any of our trends that are not aligned with the words of God for they may become potential open doors our enemies may use to access us and ultimately destroy us. With our enemy prowling around with a fierce appetite to find someone to devour, vigilance cannot be overemphasized. It is, above everything, our personal responsibility.

In this era of technology where we leave our footprints anytime we are surfing on the web, we should even be doubly cautious. Finding our preferences has never been as easy as it is now. We should therefore pay particular attention to anything that appears like things we fancy and double check before accepting it otherwise, it could be the free food the old fish is warning us about. May the Lord help us stay tuned to him. Amen!