“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8
Sea anemones, like the flowers they are named after, are very beautiful in their bright colors. However, these are not flowers; they are marine animals, although they lack most features of animals we are familiar with. Sea anemones can move slowly but usually attach themselves to a rock or other surface on the ocean floor.
The “flower petals” are actually tentacles that usually stand up to make the colorful display, but in some species they hang down or spread out flat. The tentacles grow from the anemone’s main body and wave about gently in the water to attract small fish. These tentacles are pretty, but they contain stinging cells that shoot out tiny poisoned threads that paralyze a fish touching one. The tentacle then drags the victim into the anemone’s mouth.
Descriptive names have been given to many of the anemones. The aggregated anemone is common along the Pacific coast, and large numbers attach close together on bottom rocks. They look like a beautiful garden with their many colors.
Another, the snakelocks, is colored either pinkish brown or apple green. Its snaky tentacles spread out in every direction. Since it prefers shallow water, it is often exposed to the air at low tide.
A deep-water variety is called the dahlia. It has a round, golden base and short, white tentacles, similar to the dahlia flower. Some varieties have a brown base and brilliant red tentacles. Either way, they are very pretty. There are many more varieties, and illustrations of many are available in most libraries.
In spite of the beauty of sea anemones, they remind us of Satan, the enemy of every boy and girl, as well as grown-ups. He takes pleasure in deceiving people with attractive temptations (like the anemone’s beautiful tentacles luring fish), but these only lead those who are deceived by him into sadness and trouble in this world.
The Bible speaks of this danger in many places, as in our opening verse, and warns us that Satan and his followers pretend to speak truth, but they are really false and deceitful. We are warned that at times he can even make himself appear to be “an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). To resist Satan, we are instructed in Ephesians 6:1111Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11) to “put on the whole armor of God.” The first, most-important part of that armor is “the shield of faith”—faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Protector when we commit our way to Him. The second is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God [the Bible]” (Ephesians 6:1717And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (Ephesians 6:17)).
When this armor is used, Satan cannot have his way with us. Have you learned to use the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit?
ML-05/18/2014