PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE
B.J. FUNK
Have you seen the TV commercial where a granddaddy is reading the story of the
Three Little Pigs to his grandson? As the wolf approaches the pigs’ home of straw, he huffs and puffs to blow down the house. The child interrupts, “Kind of like you, Grandpa, when you huff and puff?”
Grandpa explains, “That’s right. When you have COPD, it’s hard to get air in and air out.” The commercial continues as the wolf tries hard to blow down the house of straw, but he is unable to blow hard enough. The obvious conclusion is that the listener with COPD should purchase the advertisement’s product. The obvious conclusion for the Christian is a bit different.
What a great illustration of the helplessness of Satan. He comes to our lives like a strong wolf, but in reality, he cannot blow down our house because we are built on the strong foundation of Jesus Christ. He thinks he can. He acts like he can. He wants to, and he tries to, but he cannot. He is powerless. He is a wolf with COPD.
He is a thief, who comes to steal, kill and destroy. (John 10:10) He rushes into your life, seeking to bring havoc to your plans. He wants to destroy your life. He wants to destroy your family. He is in an all-out war against us.
The Christian has nothing to fear. We know that Satan is defeated before he even begins. Christ took care of that on the cross. He fought that battle and won.
He would love nothing better than to steal your testimony, to show others that you are not really the Christian you say you are. He is your enemy who sometimes poses as a friend. Sometimes he even dresses in sheep’s clothing.
We need to be reminded of the victory we have in Christ. Many Christians are like those three pigs, cowering in fear and looking at Wolf Satan with fear and trembling. Because we have difficulties and because we often face hardships, we forget that we already have the victory through Christ.
So, next time you begin to tremble with fear over pain Satan tries to throw at you, stop and remember that Satan has no power over you.
He is simply a wolf with COPD.
The Rev. B.J. Funk is associate pastor of Central UMC in Fitzgerald. Email Rev. Funk at bjfunk@bellsouth.net.
