Foxes have taken to the big city. In fact, some 5,000 urban foxes now live in London and roam the streets, usually at night. They have visited Downing Street, Buckingham Palace Gardens and the House of Lords. Yes, one fox even wandered into the lobby of the House of Lords in February as they discussed overturning a ban on fox hunting with hounds.

The enemy, Satan, and his demons are much smarter and more clever than foxes. If you had spiritual eyes to see them, you might even see one in the lobby as God's people gather in the House of the Lord.

—Los Angeles Times, July 23, 2001, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and: Dave Beckwith

1 Peter 5:8 NIV. "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

In NBC's new series, "God the Devil and Bob," God is cast in man's image. He is a hip-talking, lite-beer-drinking, sunglass-wearing, cool-dude who hangs out in a neighborhood bar with someone who appears to be His peer, the devil.

Unfortunately we are not vigilant against those things we trivialize. Satan is not God's "buddy," he is His enemy, and ours. But also remember, Satan is not God's evil equal-he is not a fallen god! He is a fallen angel who is at war with God and His children.

"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8, NASB)

It was hot and we were thirsty so we stopped walking the streets of the small tourist town on the Eastern Slope of Colorado to grab something to drink. My son bought a "Snapple" and started fiddling with the cap as he drank the diet peach drink. When he noticed the words on the label that said, "You can win; 1st Prize $1,000," he turned the cap over to see what he won. Here is what he found. "Fill cap with water, put in freezer, and open a skating rink for fleas." Not exactly the grand prize!

In all fairness to the "Snapple" company, they gave the odds of 1 in 50 million for winning first prize.

Satan is not so forth coming. He makes promises that he never delivers, not even 1 in 50 million.

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Lucas Sibanda, a South African was walking along a remote path, minding his own business when a python slithered out from behind some shrubs. Sibanda froze. Within a few seconds the snake had wrapped itself around him and began constricting.

Pythons, are large snakes that suffocate its victims before swallowing them whole.

Sibanda was trapped. He didn't know how he would escape. "I decided the only way to save myself from this monster was to bite it just below the head," Sibanda told the Star newspaper. He bit, he kicked and he punched the snake until it released him. Sibanda killed the reptile with a stick, took it home and skinned it.

Ever since the garden of Eden, the snake is linked to Satan. Like the snake, Satan surprises its victims and tries to squeeze the life out of them. Like Sibanda, we should bite, kick and punch our way to freedom. We must do everything we can to avoid giving Satan a foothold that he can use to "put the squeeze" on us.

—http://newsroom.compuserve.com/nr/story.asp?BTM=odd&art=..\..\rt\Odd\Odd_3.HTM Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

The next time I complain about my job, I'm going to think about Greg Long and be grateful for the nice office I work in and the comfortable chair I sit in most days. Long wrestles alligators for a living.

Long has a great attitude about his work and recently shared some of his insights of survival. "Most gators, once they bite you, they'll shake about four or five times." Long said, "As long as you don't put up any resistance, they'll usually let you go."

—http://www.cnn.com/2000/CAREER/trends/12/11/gatorman/ Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

A lack of resistance may be the secret to surviving an alligator attack, but it isn't the way to deal with Satan's attacks. We are to submit to God, but resist the devil.

James 4:7 KJV "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

Timothy Sickles, a 28-year-old New Jersey man, got closer to his 8-foot snake than he ever wanted. When he opened the top of the python's tank to tend to the reptile, the snake lunged at him. The python attached itself to Sickle's face, and wrapped itself around his neck and began to constrict.

Sickles' sister got a butcher knife and cut off its head, rescuing Sickle from sure death.

1 Peter 5:8 NASB "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

With the recent headlines about people being maimed or killed by shark attack, you'd think people would exercise great care in waters that are known to harbor sharks, but in Australia, a group of sightseers petted the snouts of sharks during a feeding frenzy on a whale carcass.

One of the daredevil tourists was even holding a baby with one hand while touching the sharks with the other. Officials are saying they may need to pass new laws "to protect people too stupid to protect themselves."

—http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/auspac/07/25/australia.shark/index.html Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

Sharks are not pets, they are vicious animals that shouldn't be toyed with. Yet as appalling as this story may be, some people are as cavalier in their attitude toward the demonic. They toy with things like horoscopes, astrology, and tarot cards, thinking they are harmless games, when in fact, they are invitations for the demonic to take up strongholds in their lives.

1 Peter 5:8-9 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: [9] Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world."

Art historians working to restore artwork in the Basilica dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi have discovered a previously unknown component in one of series of famous frescos painted by Giotto during the 13th century. As they worked to restore the clouds in the top of fresco number 20 in the cycle depicting the life and death of St. Francis, historians discovered the figure of a devil carefully hidden among the clouds. The figure is difficult to see from the floor of the basilica, but clear in close-up photography. The evil figure has a hooked nose, a sly smile, and dark horns, which merge, into the clouds.

Since the devilish figure appears in the scene depicted the death of St. Francis, historians say they are not sure if Giotto wanted it seen, or if he had other purposes in mind. Sergio Fusetti, the chief restorer of the basilica speculated about the discovery on the convent’s website. He suggested the master painter might have painted the devil into the fresco to spite someone he knew by portraying that person as a devil in the painting. Fusetti said that he thought Giotto probably never wanted the image of the devil to be a main part of the artwork and may have painted it among the clouds “to have a bit of fun.”

--Devil found in detail of Giotto in Italy’s Assisi, http://ca.news.yahoo.com/devil-found-detail-giotto-fresco-italys-assisi-152346096.html ; November 7, 2011, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

James 4:7-8 (CEV) “Surrender to God! Resist the devil, and he will run from you. (8) Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Clean up your lives, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you people who can't make up your mind.”

E-commerce makes passwords necessary to prevent identity theft. Since there are hackers lurking to crack user’s passwords and steal their resources you would think that internet users would be alert to the dangers.

But that isn’t the case. The top 2012 passwords are the same three from a year ago - "password," "123456," and "12345678." The newcomer to the list for this year is "password1," which is a weak attempt at pleasing providers who require a number in your password somewhere.

The 25 most popular passwords of 2012 by Ben Waldron, http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2012/10/top-25-worst-passwords-revealed/ (Accessed 10-31-12)

Being alert on the internet is one thing, taking care to avoid Satan’s snares is another one all together. .—Jim L. Wilson and Kelvin Akins

1 Peter 5:8 (HCSB) Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.

SATAN

When Ohio State University student Abdul Razak Ali Artan drove a car onto the sidewalk on the OSU campus he hit multiple pedestrians and later stabbed several more with a knife. Another student, Armand Ghazi said, “He seemed like he was there for one reason—to do as much damage as he could.”

What a perfect description of Satan himself. Peter pictures him as a lion, roaming around to see whom he might destroy. The best protection against that kind of evil is to stay spiritually strong.–--Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

1 Peter 5:8 (HCSB) “Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.”

Rugby player Scott Baldwin missed the match between the Ospreys and the Cheetahs after being bitten by a Lion. While the Ospreys and Cheetahs are team mascots, the Lion wasn’t. As it turns out, Baldwin stuck his hand through a fence at a game park in South Africa in an attempt to pet the animal. The lion did what lions do, it bit Baldwin. —Jim L. Wilson

1 Peter 5:8 (CSB) “Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.”

Michael Halpert encountered a four-foot rattlesnake while doing some yard work over Memorial Day 2018. He had a shovel handy and used it to kill the snake. Unfortunately, he sat the shovel down too soon. When he reached down to pick up the head of the dead snake, it struck him, requiring a trip on an emergency helicopter and 26 vials of antivenom.

Leslie Boyer, antivenom doctor and founding Director of the University of Arizona VIPER Institute said, “The head end of a cut-up rattlesnake can continue to function, including the venom glands, for a long time afterward . . .”

Good to know about snakes, but it is also good to know about the Christian life. In the garden, the serpent was not harmless at all, but contributed to Eve’s fall. Having read the final pages of the Bible, we know that Satan is doomed, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t still deadly.—Jim L. Wilson

Twenty-two year old Niels Jenson encountered a 15’ crocodile in a wildlife park in Northern Australia, but didn’t run away. Instead, he waited for the reptile to finish eating and straddled the animal so he could get a photo riding the crocodile. —Jim L. Wilson

https://news.sky.com/story/reckless-tourist-filmed-sitting-on-5m-long-crocodile-in-australia-11508454

Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.

Will Carroll, the drummer for thrash metal band Death Angel, spent twelve days in a medically induced coma after being diagnosed with the Covid-19 virus and experienced strong visions.

Will said he “saw himself leave his body and plummet down to hell, where Satan punished him for the deadly sin of sloth. I woke up on the hospital bed with tubes coming in and out of me, and there was a nurse right there and my first words were, ‘Am I still in hell?’”

After waking up, Will said his faith has changed. He says that he feels prayers from his family and friends helped him pull through. He said, “As far as for my personal life and my experience of what I went through, I don’t think Satan’s quite as cool as I used to.”

Well, thinking Satan isn’t quite as cool is a starting place. Satan is not just “not cool” he is downright evil. He is trying to consume Will and all the rest of us. Never give him an opportunity in your life. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

According to Snopes, it is not true that Nike partnered with Lil Nas X to create ‘Satan Shoes,’ but it is true that Lil Nas X worked with MSCHF to design a limited edition of 666 pairs of Nike Air Max 97s shoes that they claim has a drop of human blood mixed with the ink they used in the sole. The design also includes an inverted cross and a pentagram.

“The pair of shoes are expected to be sold at $1,018, a reference to the Bible's Luke 10:18 reads, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.’”

“And it makes everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark: the beast’s name or the number of its name.

This calls for wisdom: Let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, because it is the number of a person. Its number is 666.”