I walked into the garage, looking in my handbag for my sunglasses and then I felt something brush past my face. I glanced down, and there it was- a huge huntsman spider had dropped from the ceiling and landed right at my feet! That hairy arachnid would have landed right on my head if I had been half a step ahead! 😳
Needless to say, I shrieked and shuddered as I jumped into the car and slammed the door shut as if that spider would attempt to climb in with me. Where had it gone?
Fast forward to another day. Again, my mind was focused elsewhere as I opened the garage door, then the car door, and got in.
It was then that I spotted this clinging visitor.
Perhaps I drove a little faster than usual, trying to get that thing to fly off into the wind? But somehow, it clung on and then crawled into the gap surrounding the mirror.
You’ll be glad to know I summoned the courage to open the door when I reached my destination. Yes, I may have leapt out the door and shut it on the flying leap past that mirror, but I did it!
What has all this to do with lurking lies?
These spider encounters reminded me of how the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he might devour (1 Peter 5:8). I felt like that spider had been lurking in the garage, just waiting for its opportunity to “get” me. Yes, there’s a big difference between a lion and a spider, yet I couldn’t help thinking of how the devil, the father of lies, lurks in ambush for whom he might “get” not by necessarily tearing from limb to limb, but by entrapping with lies and deceit.
The devil’s lurking lies come in all shapes and forms and often start with raising questions in our minds. The devil is not very creative and has been using the same tactic since the Garden of Eden. His lurking lies are questions like these, but I’m sure you can think of more from your own experience!
“If God loves you, then why are you going through this?”
“Is that truly what God meant when He said that?”
“Do you really think God can forgive you?”
“Whose going to know?”
“Did God let you down again?”
If we listen long enough then lurking lies have the potential to ensnare our thoughts like a fly in a cobweb. But Jesus is the Truth. His Word is truth, and He said “You shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free.” (John 8:32)
We can take the truth of God’s Word to the rafters of our mind and regularly give everything a good sweep clean!
Needless to say, I’m quite cautious entering and exiting our garage these days.
©2023. Quietly Roaring. All Rights Reserved.
Quietly Roaring 
I love it, Jo! Those Huntsman spider are huge! I like spiders, but these big guys freak me out, too. 😳
As you said, the devil (and his demon friends) know human nature well and tempt us to doubt God with their “question bombs.” But God also asks great questions, like this one: “Where are you?” That’s what he said when he came looking for Adam and Eve after the fall. Drawing near to God, through prayer, fellowship, and Bible study always “cleans out the rafters” of our hearts and minds.
Great post! God Bless.
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Apparently they’re hairily harmless but still a big no thanks from me too David!
You’ve highlighted a wonderful question God asked Adam and Eve and still asks every day as He waits for us each to spend time in communion with Him. Very good point!
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I long suspected the devil transmuted such spiders from tapeworms. I also think only Michael the Archangel can effectively deal with such devil spawns.
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Ha ha yes, indeed! 😂
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GW sounds like Shakespeare—talking about spiders!
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Jo this is such a wonderfully encouraging, relatable post. Lying is core in everything about the devil. He only speaks lies, even when it sounds like truth. But Jesus speaks truth and only truth. I love how you say we can sweep the rafters of our minds with the truth to defeat Satan’s attacks. Blessings to you, Jo. Thanks for such good words today.
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Thanks Benita! Have a wonderful day and praise God for the truth we have in Christ. Amen!
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That is one huge spider! 😬
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It’s actually not the biggest huntsman I’ve ever seen but yes…big enough! Thanks for reading Pauline 🙂
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Jo, you wove a beautiful devotional highlighting truth from your encounter with the lurking “huntsman” which is also a fitting synonym for the enemy of our souls. He hunts and entraps us with his lies.
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Thanks Manette and I’m glad to say that the garage has had a clean since then!
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Great analogy Jo! We have tarantulas here that are big like you’re spider. I like studying them from a distance but wouldn’t want them going for a ride to Walmart either. Lol
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Hi Marla I agree, spiders at a distance are okay, but no hitching rides on me or with me!
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Cute! 😆 🤣 😂
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Jo, your story and Biblical connection made me think of the children’s nursery rhyme “Little Miss Muffet.” Isn’t it just like the enemy to be lurking around in the exact place where the Lord has called us to minister trying to scare us off. I read this aloud to my girls. My older declared she would never go into the garage again. My younger said “How cool.” We did a little internet search to learn more of about the Hunstman spider and I have to say I’m glad they don’t live in our neck of the woods.
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Hi Beth I hadn’t thought of it that way, but how true! The enemy sure does lurk around where the Lord wants us to minister, seeing if he can deter us. Where I’m working now is a good example of that and maybe a story I can tell another day. I’m glad you were able to springboard some homeschool research out of this and blessings to you and your girls!
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Caution! That’s a good strategy to live by when it comes to the devil and his cohorts. We can avoid trouble if we stay alert, ready to defend ourselves with the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:18). (That’s what you need, Jo, against those pesky spiders: a sword! A Nerf one should do the job! 😁)
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Ha ha yes Nancy I like that idea of a Nerf sword!
Your opening word Caution! sums it up so well what our approach to the devil and his cohorts needs to be….not looking in every corner in hypervigilance, but not blase either. Simply aware, and cautious.
Have a blessed day Nancy!
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