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I once happened upon a situation where a person was extremely angry with their dogs. They yelled and hollered, then chased after them in a threatening manner. They were trying to get the animals to move from one area to another. The dogs were terrified and had scattered in different directions, desperately trying to flee from the bully’s path.

One of the frightened creatures, spotting me, ran to my side and huddled against my leg. Having seen where their owner wanted them to go, I spoke quietly to the little canine and began walking toward the designated area. The pup followed. As I approached the assigned area, I called the other dogs over and spoke to them in a positive voice. All the dogs responded and were soon safely out of the bully’s way.

Fear kept these dogs from hearing their owner’s loud, angry voice. Dogs respond to tone and attitude more than words. When the right tone and attitude were introduced, their ears were alert, and they could listen and obey.

Just as this person’s dogs scattered and ran in fear, our Enemy, known in the Word as Satan or the Devil, also seeks to put us on the run by bullying us with fear tactics. Satan wants us to doubt God and His truth (1 Peter 5:8-9). He wants us to rebel against God, just as he did. He seeks to sow doubt in our lives regarding our faith, often when we are most vulnerable.

When sickness, sorrow, economic crisis, natural disasters, relational difficulties, and the like assault us, the Enemy of our souls roars in with his lies, seeking to steal the truth from our hearts. He desires to crush our view of God, bombarding us with doubts and fears concerning our situation. Amidst his rampage and our resultant fear, it becomes hard for us to hear our Lord’s calm voice. He seeks to remind us of His ability to use all things for our good and grant us strength and wisdom to endure amidst them.

Let us therefore learn to recognize the Enemy and his tactics by studying the Word and committing it to heart. Then, on the day of attack, amidst the lion’s roaring, we can tune our ear to God’s still quiet voice of assurance and hope. He can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine through His power at work within us.