Sometimes the most innocent-looking birds can be the craftiest.

Take the Killdeer, for instance.

This bird, a type of plover, has cheery horizontal stripes across its front in bold black and white. The rest of its body is decked out in gentle brown and buff colours. It has what look to me like honest, kind eyes.

It seems like a bird that has nothing to hide.

But looks can be deceiving.

The killdeer isn’t above pulling a fast one on you.

If you or a predator gets too close to its nest, which is invariably on the ground, the killdeer puts on an act worthy of an Oscar-winner.

It pretends to be injured, holding its wing out at an awkward angle while emitting plaintive cries of distress.

This “broken-wing act” distracts the predator and lures it away from the bird’s eggs or chicks in the nest.

So if you want to take a peek at the killdeer’s nest, you have to look beyond the deception. You have to realize there’s something the bird doesn’t want you to see; hence the hullabaloo.

You have to have the discipline to not let yourself be distracted by the bird’s conniving song and dance.

I think sometimes Satan works a bit like the killdeer.

There are things he doesn’t want us to see or realize.

So he deceives us.

Scripture tells us that oftentimes the real source of our problems isn’t a human being at all.

“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

But Satan doesn’t want us to realize that.

He wants us to keep battling against the person who we feel is to blame for our difficulties: maybe our spouse, a co-worker, or a relative.

Satan wants to keep the real culprit (himself) hidden from us so we waste our energies and fight a fruitless battle.

He distracts us, deceives us, and keeps us busy charging after the wrong target.

So how do we counteract his schemes and trickery?

By looking beyond his deceptions.

By realizing there’s something Satan doesn’t want us to see.

By having the discipline to not let ourselves be distracted by his ruses.

By keeping in mind what Scripture says about who our real enemy is.

Only then will we be able to formulate our prayers correctly, when we realize that we’re in a spiritual battle, not a physical one.

Being fooled by a killdeer isn’t much of a problem.

But being fooled by Satan can cost you dearly. Don’t let him hoodwink you!

© 2022 Lori J. Cartmell. All rights reserved.