Is crow high in cholesterol? I'm curious, because I'm eating crow sandwich with egg on my face after predicting that Tampa Bay would beat the Phillies four games to two in the World Series, and I'll chase it with a slice of humble pie. Go ahead, insert your best insult here. I should've listened to the good folks at my publisher, Judson Press, which just happens to be located in Valley Forge, in the Philadelphia area. Kim Shimer, the marketing guru behind any sales my little books have done, is a huge Philly fan--her husband Rob works for the Phillies. I can only hope they'll have mercy on me. I'm still burping the kool-aid I drank that led me to predict a Tampa Bay win. I was so convinced of Tampa Bay's great power and skill, but they really went out with barely a whimper.

In any contest there is a form of psychological warfare, and one of the earliest examples can be found in the battle strategies of Alexander the Great. Once when his army was in full retreat from a larger army, he gave orders to his armorers to construct oversized breastplates and helmets that would fit men 7 or 8 feet tall. As his army would retreat, he would leave these items for the pursuing army to discover. When the enemy would find the oversized gear, they would assume that Alex's soldiers were huge giants, and they would abandon their pursuit.

Not only did I believe that Tampa Bay was a team of huge giants, this also happens spiritually in my life. I think my enemy likes to get inside my head and convince me that he is bigger than he really is. "Be self-controlled and alert," wrote Peter. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith . . . " (1 Peter 5:8-9a). Sometimes this leads me to pull back from my tasks or my calling in fear. Lately I've been studying a lot in the book of Job in preps for a message I'm preaching on Nov. 9, and when Job & his friends are finally finished demanding an answer from God for Job's terrible circumstances, God speaks, and we (along with Job) see the true greatness of God in ch. 38-41. Here's an example:

"Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone- while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?
(Job 38:4-7)

To quote lyrics from the old songwriter Gordon Jensen, God is "bigger than all my problems, bigger than all my fears; God is bigger than any mountain that I can or can not see.  He's bigger than all my questions, bigger than anything;God is bigger than any mountain that I can or can not see."

Go out this next week with courage and strength, knowing that your God is bigger than your enemy.  Don't let satan do a head game on you--he is already defeated at the cross!