Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
I Peter 5:8
It has been years since I have seen that little creature in the photo above! I always enjoyed watching them, so, when my grandson found this one on my patio, we decided to photograph it. We watched as it quickly crawled from the shovel in my hand, all the way up my arm. I repositioned it back on the shovel and it ran back up my arm, being very careful not to fall off any edges! Finally Evan placed the little green guy on a matching green plant where it became almost impossible to see it. Fun for a few minutes, education for me as I did some research on this 2 inch long praying mantis.
Apparently the Praying Mantis gets its name from the fact that that it holds it’s jointed front legs in a praying formation. Of course they don’t pray…but they DO prey on other insects! Here are f few things we can learn about our spiritual life from the preying mantis.
It blends right into the rest of the greenery in your yard! As believers we need to be very careful that we DO NOT BLEND IN TO OUR CULTURE! The ‘go along to get along’ philosophy is what got us into this amount of trouble in the first place. It is way overdue for us to speak up-and speak loudly! Just today I heard about a school district that would not allow a Christian student teacher into the classroom because she was ‘dangerous’! From my prospective the very help for this nation, return to faith in God and morality, is being shut out of our educational system. I suggest we use that same statement when we are confronted with a choice about something that opposes our belief system. “You want me to bake a cake for an LGBTQ couple and put 2 men on the top? NO That would be dangerous-for my spiritual life”. Begin standing out-do not blend in.
The praying mantis is a carnivore, as are we. We however are not cannibals-they are! They will eat another praying mantis if it is convenient for them. Even their own mate. The lesson here is obvious…eat the meat, do not devour fellow believers and pre-believers. We are often quick to judge and criticize our own brothers and sisters. Wrong-O! Learn from the praying mantis that this is a nasty, unattractive and profoundly sinful habit we need to ask forgiveness for-then STOP. ‘If you can’t say anything nice….’
This seemingly gentle creature has large eyes and looks so innocent. It’s look is deceptive. The pray-ing mantis should be called the prey-ing mantis. It can turn it’s head 180degrees to find it’s prey. Praying mantis is the only insect who can do this. When he does, he will stalk the pray, and ambush it, lunging at it in a millisecond. Once the pray is captured, the spines on it’s legs hold it and make it impossible for the victim to get loose.
Are you seeing anything that might remind you of your enemy? Just like in the insect world, we must always have on our full armor to be protected against the enemy of our soul. He is stalking, since he is prince of the air, he is everywhere. He pounces in a millisecond, and once we are in the clutches of sin, whatever it may be, it is almost impossible to get out from his spiny claws. But God!
The praying mantis DOES however, have an enemy as does OUR enemy. It cannot stand against these enemies and falls, (looses its life) every time. That does not stop it from trying. Bats, hornets, spiders, lizards and some frogs will make a quick lunch on a praying mantis. Likewise in our own lives, our enemy does NOT have the last say. He does NOT have the power to stand up against the all powerful, all knowing God of the Universe. That enemy can still look good, sound good, have some convincing, answers and even smell good, but he lies in wait to ambush , ensnare, steal, kill and destroy. Just like that little insect, praying mantis, will always be just as he always was- a predator! So our enemy named satan will always be our predator as well! But, God has the final say, and He wins the war and takes His spoils (us) to be with Him in Heaven forever.
Beware of the enemy. But, don’t be too hard on the praying mantis. For us, they keep a lot of bugs in control as they eat them for lunch. Just be sure that YOU are not lunch for your enemy.
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