The Devil & the Zoo

The zoo is a great place to go every once in a while. If you have kids, you probably make it to a zoo at least once a year. If you live in a city with a zoo, or region with a well known one-maybe more than that. Nothing like looking at a chimp with a 3 inch glass barrier in front of you, or see a hyena look at you and imagine that it is laughing at you, and you want to laugh at it. Being caged has got to be pretty bad...lame, let's be honest it probably sucks. For those who have spent time behind bars-I know you concur. In II Timothy 2:26 Paul is writing to Timothy, as Tim has a few people in his church that "were taken captive by the him (the devil) at his will." That phrase 'taken captive' is a Gk word zoogreo- which means to take an animal alive (notice the first few letters of that Gk word). Put an image in your mind of the hunters that are aggressively hunting down animals to place in zoos. Now imagine the devil, the hunter, hunting you-the prey- down, and putting you in a cage. That is what happens when we let the devil get a stronghold in our life. The word here is simple- people can simply let negative behaviors into their life-bitterness, resentment, strife, you name a sin and insert here _____, etc... and then the devil seizes that in this person's life and stokes it, and cages them in this ungodly behavior. The Bible tells us that the devil has schemes, and we must put on the Armor of God to protect us from these schemes. This message written by Paul to Timothy was to make sure those Christ following believers would not let their heart and head be taken captive to cause disruption to the local church leadership. The devil is all about putting a wedge between people. Don't let that wedge drive you to the point where you too are a part of the zoo exhibit. Dare not to be caged by the devil, and before you accuse someone of something-get the facts, think forgiveness, and find a friend who will be straight up with you. The zoo is a fun place to observe, but a terrible place to be locked up-the devil will do what he can to get you in the zoo. If you have something bothering you that needs to be said to someone-maybe a major issue-think about a conversation or perhaps, slow down get some perspective and really hash out what is bothering you-1 to 2 years from now it may not be a big deal. But, I say it again-don't get put in the zoo, because the devil had his way with you. The zoo, a great place for animals, but not you!