Repellent

I have eight black-eyed Susan plants near my side porch.
They were planted this spring.
I enjoy the whimsy of them as they bloom.
They are next to daisies and day lilies, forming a sea of yellow, white, and orange.

Five of the eight plants are growing beautifully.
Some have already flowered.
But three plants are so much smaller than the others.

I can water my black-eyed Susan plants from my porch.
The size discrepancy was particularly noticeable from that angle.
It couldn’t be deer; they tend to eat plants in the winter, when food is scarce.
I concluded that it must be a rabbit that is feasting on my three plants.

Peter Rabbit and Mr. McGregor’s garden came to mind.
I almost expected to see a little jacket and shoes left behind.
I called the woman that does our lawn fertilizing.
I wanted to know if there was anything I could do to deter the rabbits from my garden.

I appreciate this woman because everything she uses is organic.
She loves animals, so I knew she would help me keep them away without harming them.

She said that I could shake hot cayenne pepper on my plants, powdered cloves, or garlic powder…all of which I have in my kitchen.

Everyday spices that I have in my cabinet will deter the rabbits from eating my plants.
She told me that I could even mix all of this together and shake it over the plants.
I can do that!

She told me of a natural product called Rabbit Scram that also works well.
The name made me laugh…and then made me think.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a repellent for the enemy of our souls?
Just shake it about and deter him from trying to wreak havoc on our lives.

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Come near to God and He will come near to you. (James 4:7,8)

Devil Scram.

Jesus used it when He was tempted in the desert for forty days.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” Then the devil took Him to the holy city and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning You, and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” Again, the devil took Him to  a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give You,” he said, “if You will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from Me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’ ” Then the devil left Him, and angels came and attended Him. (Matthew 4:1-11)

Did you notice that the devil had no choice but to flee?
God’s Word, the Sword of the Spirit, was Jesus’ weapon.
It was the only repellent He needed.

It is no different for us.
God’s Word, the Sword of the Spirit, is our weapon as well.
Temptation comes knocking at our door.
We can answer unprepared, or we can have the repellent close by.

It is written.
The Word of God needs to be hidden in our heart!
The Word of God was the same repellent Jesus used against the devil.

The devil tried to use that repellent as well.
The devil said, It is written...but he didn’t follow the directions!
He quoted the Word of God, but he quoted it WRONG!

The devil used Psalm 91: 11,12 as his repellent.
He forgot one important part of the verse.
The devil never said: to guard You in all Your ways.

When the devil speaks, it is ineffective!
The devil knows the Word of God, but he misquotes it…he twists it…for his own purpose.

When Jesus speaks, He speaks with AUTHORITY!
He must be listened to!

God’s Word is the only enemy repellent we will ever need.
Know it.
Study it.
Follow the directions.

The enemy of our souls will have to flee.

 

2 responses to “Repellent”

1. What a wonderful post. I wish it was as easy as sprinkling some herbs and spices around to keep him away 🙂 Although there is an undeniable comfort that comes with learning and knowing scripture 🙂

   Reply

   • Melissa,
     I agree!
     But the more we know His Word…and hide it in our heart…the more prepared we are to fight our enemy!
     Remember…We are VICTORIOUS in Christ!
     Gina

     Reply