10/04/2026
🐴 Stable Thoughts - My Weekly Devotional
Dusk was falling here at Amazing Grace Stables when I was headed down the path in search of Dolly, Cutter, and Reina. Usually, they were back up, waiting at the gate by this time. But aside from Dixie, happily munching in the barn, my herd was out of sight. It was feeding time, and I was just slightly worried by their tardiness. So, I decided to go searching for them. The hum of crickets and the whisper of the breeze in the grasses was periodically broken by the howl of coyotes. Their yaps, barks, and cries sounded louder than normal tonight, I thought to myself as I climbed over the gate and set off into the pasture. Coyote howls usually do sound like they're right outside your window when they're actually miles away. Nevertheless, I snagged a long stick that I used as a walking stick. In the slippery patches of mud, it came in handy to maintain my balance. A coyote howled in the distance, and another answered - now that one really did sound close. Way closer than I would've liked. Nervousness crept up on me. I tried to push it away. It was just a coyote after all; no need for panic. Finally, I saw the three girls. There they stood grazing at that far end of the field, about 30 yards ahead. They looked up as I approached like, "Oh, is it that time already?" As I covered half of that distance, Cutter lifted her head and began ambling toward me. That's when I saw it. Moving so smoothly through the night-touched pasture that I first thought it was a shadow. Until it detached itself from the taller grasses and crossed the path in front of me. A coyote. Likely the one I'd been hearing and telling myself wasn't possibly that close. I swung my stick out in front of me like a sword. But it was not coming my way. It was walking between my horses.
"Reina! That is not a friend!" I yelled out.
(Those of you who have animals that try to befriend anything will understand why those were the first words out of my mouth in this situation). Yet before I could get more than ten or fifteen feet closer, it was gone. Disappearing into the next pasture, pointed toward the woods beyond that. But I wasn't looking at the coyote any more; I was looking at my horses. Cutter hadn't paused her step. Reina had continued grabbing huge mouthfuls of grass. And Dolly - good ole', bombproof, rock-solid Dolly - had not even spared it a glance. Apparently I was the only one concerned. The horses couldn't care less about this small predator, in spite of the fact that they were prey animals. Why? They knew that they not only had it outnumbered, but also out-muscled. They were confident in these truths.
Sometimes we live in fear of evil. We see it all around us. Moving in the darkness. Creeping. Screaming. Setting us on edge and stealing our peace. The Bible tells us that we, as Christians, are indeed engaged in spiritual warfare. And honestly, that's kind of scary. The devil is our enemy. Throughout the ages, he has never stopped looking for ways to destroy us, to attack us in any way possible. So we try to do what the scriptures tell us - stay in prayer (Romans 12:12), put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18), and stay alert (Luke 21:36). But if we are doing any of this in our own strength, our spiritual battle will look a lot like me in the mud, brandishing a stick as a weapon while jumping in fear. We're definitely not impressing anyone. But what if we could stand our ground like my horses did tonight? What if our faith was so strong that satan was up at night trying to figure out how to get to us? What if we actually realized that as children of the King, we will always have the enemy outclassed? The prophet Elisha was living like this, in an actual battle where an army seeking his life had trapped him in a walled city. But Elisha didn't panic. And when his servant did, I can imagine him smiling as he asked God to reveal to his servant how protected they were. By any earthly standards, they were doomed. By heaven's standards, they had already won. Not because of their own power, but because of Who was with them. Because Elisha knew the power of God far outweighed anything that satan could ever throw at them. And that, my friend, is how we should live. We haven't been given a spirit of fear, but of power. Power imparted to us from an Almighty God. Power backed by all of the armies of Heaven. This is where our confidence is. This is where our peace is found. Not because we ignore our spiritual battle, but because we know the Power that stands beside us, where evil is outnumbered and outmuscled every single time.
"For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." 2 Timothy 1:7
"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to his own glory and excellence." 1 Peter 1:3
"Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." 2 Kings 6:17
