"Awww, what's wrong with mommy's baby?" I asked in my most sympathetic voice. That's when my husband Kenya shot his eyes over in my direction and snickered a little. He always tells me I'm such a sucker when it comes to our children.
He's right.
I am.
I smirked at Kenya and turned my attention back toward Kaleb, who didn't say much of anything. He just whined and seemed lethargic. I thought he might be getting sick or something. "Do you want to stay in mommy and daddy's room for a while?" I asked while feeling his head to see if he had a fever. He didn't. He felt perfectly cool.
"Uh huh," Kaleb responded, still sulking, just before he announced that he needed to use the bathroom first, but was afraid to go out into the dark hallway. Kenya volunteered to turn the hallway light on for him and shortly thereafter, dear old dad returned to the room cracking up laughing.
"What's so funny?" I asked.
"As soon as Kaleb got into the hallway, he started skipping," Kenya demonstrated, bouncing around the room laughing. "That boy straightened his shoulders up and was completely happy," he continued, sarcastically placing his thumb and pointer finger on his forehead in the shape of an "L."
I had to laugh. Once Kaleb got his ultimate wish, which was to hang out in our room and be pampered, that "spirit of heaviness" suddenly lifted off of him. Kaleb preyed on my soft spot and played me like a fiddle. *Shaking my head*
Although in this case, being "played" was harmless and quite funny, there are more serious situations that have dire consequences, and that's no laughing matter. This is why it's important to fortify your spirit with prayer and the word of God, so the enemy cannot take advantage of your vulnerabilities, manipulate you, and essentially play you.
Be on the lookout, because if you leave yourself open, you better believe he'll jump at the opportunity to entrap you. The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." If you don't keep your guard up, you'll inevitably fall prey to the many tricks, traps, and snares of the enemy. The word of God also says, "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes" (Ephesians 6:11).
He's always scheming, so you have to always be prayed up, girded up, and looking up to God for help. That way, you won't be caught off guard, weakened, and defeated.
Don't get played.
Keep your heart open to God. Allow Him to reveal and fortify those areas of weakness in your life, so you won't be manipulated or deceived.
Listen. God doesn't want to see any of us robbed of our bright future and destiny, and as long as we are willing to continually seek after Christ, the way, the truth, and the life (John 4:6), He will give us the strength we need to remain steadfast in His will.
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may you be empowered to prosper!
Dianna Hobbs