I love nesting in quiet spots to read and journal. My current home of 3 years provides a sweet sanctuary in the family room with a big window framing our backyard. I often sneak away back there as it overlooks the water. Ducks, geese, and ibis all congregate on our lawn from time to time — so fun!
A few days after settling in, I realized that two particular ducks seemed to be frozen in place like statues. I pointed them out to my man, and he explained that they were “decoy ducks” set up by our landlord to protect the yard from Muscovy infiltration. An impressive tactical maneuver, I thought.
Later that month, however, my friend Sherree schooled me by shedding light on the fact that the county had actually placed the ducks along the canal bank behind every home on my block to protect the underwater utility lines from boat damage. When confronted with this fact, my man shrugged sheepishly and admitted his mistake – I am still not sure if he deceived me on purpose or if he had bought into the lie himself.
I was reminded of this story this week while digging “Into the Word.” Paul cautioned us to study the Scriptures so that we would not be “sitting ducks,” easy marks for wolves in sheep’s clothing that the enemy uses to destroy us:
“Don’t be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches,
people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting,
stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog,
unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous,
ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They’ll make
a show of religion, but behind the scenes they’re animals.
Stay clear of these people. These are the kind of people who smooth-talk
themselves into the homes of unstable and needy women and
take advantage of them; women who, depressed by their sinfulness,
take up with every new religious fad that calls itself ‘truth.’
They get exploited every time and never really learn…
They were rejects from the faith, twisted in their thinking, defying truth itself
….But don’t let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed,
sure of the integrity of your teachers—why, you took in
the sacred Scriptures with your mother’s milk! There’s nothing like
the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed
and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion,
correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word
we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us” (II Timothy 3, MSG).
This week, I am praying that the Lord will help me to know a real duck from a decoy. May His Word dwell in my heart and guide my steps. How about you? Have you ever felt like a sitting duck — easily deceived and lead astray? Dig in to the Truth. It’s the best remedy.
Every Monday we will be working our way through Anne Graham Lotz’s 52-week study “Into the Word.” Hop on over to the 3dLessons4Life Blog Facebook Page to join us as we dig into God’s Word together.