When the Enemy Prowls: Tomatoes Take Two

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.—1 Peter 5:8-9

 

I fumbled for my house keys in the dark, as I stepped over my tomato plants, which were spilling onto the sidewalk. Why didn’t someone leave the light on? I thought, as I made my way onto the back deck. Suddenly, a flash of black and white caught my eye.  I turned to my side and faced a furry creature with its fluffy tail lifted in my direction.  My breath caught in my throat.  Oh, no! One wrong move and I’ll be doused with eau de skunk!  My heart beat harder than Ringo Starr, and my fingers shook like Elvis as I struggled to unlock the door to escape the perilous situation. The door flung open and I flew in, slamming it hard behind me. Whew, that was close!

But that wasn’t the end of our escapades with the skunk. The next evening my son-in-law Ricky experienced his own close call with the nighttime visitor on the deck. And the following night we saw him again. As our car pulled into the driveway, the headlights illuminated the deck, revealing our caller scavenging from the cat food dish.  Ricky blew the horn, while Emma and I protested, fearing the retaliation of our frightened guest. To our surprise, the scavenger scampered off the deck right down into the crawlspace opening. Now what?

“The tomato plants have to go!” Ricky said the next day, summarizing what he researched. “This place is the perfect habitat for skunks—all the things they love—tomatoes, cat food, and a home beneath a deck.”

“Well, I can bring the cat food inside, but I’m not pulling up the plants!” I stood firm. “They’re laden with so many tomatoes—I’m not losing them!”

“You can try warding off the skunk with ammonia.”

Without hesitation I soaked two cloths in ammonia and strategically placed one on the deck and the other over the opening to the crawlspace.  We haven’t spied the sneak since.

I remembered my former blog post in which I likened my towering tomato plants to missionaries, servants who usher a fruitful harvest to their eternal home. But harvesting doesn’t happen without a cost—and neither is it without trouble.  Missionaries face hardship and opposition—and even threats on their lives.

The One Who calls Christians to serve has warned, “In this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33) Jesus experienced His own trouble here on earth. 

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.”—Hebrews 4:15

When Jesus retreated to the wilderness to prepare for ministry, Satan showed up to trip Him up.  Pulling Scripture from his bag of tricks, he twisted it to tempt Jesus to disobey God, yet Jesus did not succumb (Matthew 4:1-11).  Correctly wielding the sword of the Spirit, Jesus made quick work of banishing the enemy, "Away from me, Satan!" (v. 10) Then the devil left him (v. 11).

You can bet whenever you prepare for or are productive in your ministry, Satan will show up.  Recently I heard about an itinerant missionary who had experienced troubles of his own.  And when he was asked why he was going back to the field, he said, “I didn’t want to leave.”

Like him, let us not be shaken.  Let us not pull up the tomato plants but keep our feet firmly planted and “put on the full armor of God, so that we can take our stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:11)

In order for my family to outsmart our visitor, we had to become familiar with his ways.  We had to do some research. The same is true for our spiritual battle—we must become familiar with Satan’s scheming ways. “So that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.”—2 Corinthians 2:11

The best place to research is the word of God.  In John 10:10, Jesus explains Satan’s designs, his modus operandi: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”

And what he likes to steal best is the salvation message. “When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.”—Matthew 13:19

Therefore, let us “be alert and of sober mind (1 Peter 5:8)” and “give no opportunity to the devil (Ephesians 4:27)” to snatch any tomatoes. And as my family warded off a stinky enemy with the overpowering odor of ammonia, let us ward off the devil with one of his own weapons of warfare, the word of God—but let us wield it as a worker, who correctly handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). Then Satan will surely flee (James 4:7)—quicker than a black-and-white fluffy-tailed foe.

Dear Lord, thank You for Your light which exposes the enemy and for showing me how to use Your word to withstand his evil wiles. Thank You for giving me peace in my heart so I will not be shaken, for I know that You have overcome the world. Amen.