That Pecking Bird!

     I LOVE to sleep in! I mean really LOVE to sleep in. I don't get to do that very often but to sleep until 8am (or later if blessed) is such a treat! My husband is so good to keep the dogs quiet and to bring me a cup of coffee when he thinks I may be awake. (God is so GOOD!) Anyhow, last year there were a few times I had the chance to sleep in but wasn't able to on account of a bird. That's right a stinking bird. It was a Northern Flicker which likes to peck on old dead trees, usually to nest in. However when they can't find a good tree, siding of a house will suffice. These birds are really pretty but not at 7am when I am trying to enjoy a "sleep-in" day and they are pecking on the siding of my house!
    As I pondered this bird for a bit, I wondered if it knew something that I didn't about my home. Was there a weak spot in the siding? Maybe some sort of insect in the wall?  Or was it just pecking to peck and disturbing my slumber for no good reason! Anyhow, this bird found a spot on the side of the house that happened to be the exterior wall of my bedroom. Go figure. It woke me up and I was a little bit more than irritated. I opened the window and yelled, but another trait of the Flicker is they are pretty brave. It stayed put and continued to peck away. By now, I am pretty frustrated. I pulled out the screen and got on the roof (my bedroom overlooks the roof of the garage). It was intent on the task at hand ... pecking! There was a pinecone on the roof and I threw it at the bird. I missed, but it did fly away ... for a very short time. And today's blog was born!
     As it turns out, the bird didn't necessarily sense anything abnormal with my home, but it still made me think of Satan and his negative nature. He senses the weaknesses (sin) that we have and he pecks away until he has a hole big enough to nest. "Google" had a few remedies for keeping this bird from pecking on my home, but I just kept throwing pinecones at it, (and missing) and filled the small hole it had started, with caulking. It eventually went somewhere else to make a nest.
     How do we deal with Satan when he has found a weak spot? Do we just keep shooing him away or do we shore up the "weakness" so that he can't get a foothold? If the Flicker bird is not removed from the situation, much damage can be done and such is the case with Satan. If we don't address the attacks he will continue to advance and much damage can be done to our lives as well as the lives of those around us. If you sense the presence of the enemy prowling around your door or pecking on your siding, I suggest that you investigate as to why he is prowling and put some tactics in place to keep him from causing damage. Prayer, time in God's Word, repentance of any known sin in your life and continual fellowship with mature Christians are just a few of the preventative actions we can take to help keep Satan, the pecking bird, from doing damage. I can tell you right now that throwing things at him probably won't get him to leave and even if it does, it won't be a long-tem fix!