Wiley E. Coyote

Have you ever had one of those experiences where understanding suddenly popped into your head like someone turned on a light in a dark room?  Like the time awhile back when I was given the responsibility of doing the yearly budget/targets for the Milling Shop in our division of Agilent Technologies.  We were using a brand new program that year that combined all the various aspects of the department’s projections for the coming fiscal period.  To be rather blunt about it, I was quite in the dark concerning not only how the new program worked but also with the process of gathering and calculating all the required data.  It was something that I had never done before!

I prayed continually over it and spent countless long hours working on the project.  I even took it home for several nights as I worked at making sense out of it.  Then one day as I sat concentrating at my desk at work with the program opened up on my computer, it all suddenly came together in an instant.  All of a sudden it made sense!  The light went on and I was able to complete the task with a new-found comprehension and handle on the process and the program.  I was even able to help other supervisors on the floor who were working on the project for their departments!

Well, I had that same experience this morning as I read from the book of Ephesians. After reading about living the life of love in the same manner of Christ in chapter five, I looked over at the next page to Ephesians 6:11 where I had been reading from all week.  Here it encourages us to: “Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the WILES of the devil.”  (MKJV)

Following a hunch, I looked up the original Greek for the word “wiles” and that’s when the light went on!  Strong’s defines it as “trickery” and/or “travesty” which Webster illustrates as, “Having an unusual dress; disguised by dress so as to be ridiculous.”  He went on to say: “Travesty may be intended to ridicule absurdity, or to convert a grave performance into a humorous one.”

Recently I was talking to my wife during one of our two daily walks, about how absurd the various accusations that were made against me were when it came to her initial care.  In that they were so off base, the information on which the judgments were founded so totally out of touch with reality, that it was actually funny!  And it continues to happen in current conversations with the same individuals.  It’s like you want to burst out laughing when the incidents come up ‘cause you know that they must be joking, and then have to swallow hard when you realize that they are serious!

Have you ever had that happen to you?  Well, what you see demonstrated before you is one of those “wiles” of the devil!  The problem with them is that many times your first reaction is to be totally surprised because you didn’t see that coming or expect it from the source from which it came and are deeply hurt when you realize the intent of the attack.  And that’s exactly what the enemy of our souls wants!  He wants us angry, wounded and unforgiving!

It all reminded me this morning of the cartoon character Wiley E. Coyote!  The situations that he got himself into were always so absurd and ridiculous that they made you laugh!  The bible tells us that laughter is a good medicine! (Proverbs 17:22)  So I would suggest to you this morning that the best response to these surprise and absurd attacks is to not try and figure them out and/or stew over them, but to laugh them off!  I didn’t do that at first, but I am now.  I initially found myself getting very angry and then had to deal with all the revengeful thoughts that kept popping into my head!  I finally discovered that God is the only one that can show these individuals the folly of their ways.

They sure aren’t going to listen to me, but the reality of God’s truth that continues to prevail and visibly come to light over time, is setting the record straight, and as far as I can see, the relationship has not been hurt.  God still has a foothold!  So next time the absurd attacks of the enemy come upon you through sources you would not expect, don’t get angry but LAUGH, and let Him prevail in the situation!  Know that the words and actions don’t originate from them but from the evil one.  Love them, pray for them and LAUGH at the devil!  Have a great and laughable Labor Day Holiday!  Stay in tune to His Word and keep asking yourself… What am I expecting to LAUGH at today?