The Hunter’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare

I was eight or nine the first time my dad set me alone in the woods before dawn.
It was pitch black. Cold. Quiet. The kind of quiet where every crack of a twig makes your heartbeat thump in your ears.

The night before, my dad and uncles had been swapping stories about bears and mountain lions—because of course they did. So when the growling started behind me, I was sure this was it. Something big. Something deadly.

I was frozen, too afraid to move. The growl got louder. Closer.
When the sun finally crept over the ridge, I could just make out a shape moving in the shadows. I braced myself for the attack.

It wasn’t a bear. It wasn’t a lion.
It was a cow.
Snoring.

That morning taught me something: sometimes the thing you fear turns out to be nothing.
But the opposite is just as true—sometimes the thing you think is harmless is the one that kills you.

The devil doesn’t need to roar in your face to ruin you.
He just needs to fool you.
He’ll dress temptation up as opportunity. He’ll put the bait right where you’re looking. And if you’re not watchful, you’ll step into his snare without even knowing it.

Peter warned us about this:

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

That lion imagery isn’t cute. It’s not Sunday school flannelgraph. My friend Dr. Jimmy Sites has heard lions roar in the wild. He says it isn’t anything to laugh about. Your hair stands on end. Your heart rate spikes. You know you’re not at the top of the food chain anymore.

Men, here’s the truth: you’re in that situation every single day.
Satan is prowling. He’s patient. He’s deadly. And he’s looking for openings.

Principle #1: Learn the Land

Hunters study the terrain. They know where the deer bed down, where they feed, how the wind carries scent. In spiritual life, that means knowing your environment—where you’re vulnerable, what temptations you face, what “decoys” Satan has used to snag you in the past.

If you don’t know the land, you’re not hunting—you’re wandering.

Principle #2: Spot the Decoys

In duck hunting, a decoy looks real enough to lure birds within range. Satan’s tactics are no different. The promise of easy money. The woman at work who “just understands you.” The self-pity that excuses your laziness. They’re all painted plastic.

If you can’t tell the difference between the real and the fake, you’ll get shot out of the sky.

Principle #3: Stay in the Stand

Patience separates the hunter from the hiker. Too many men abandon their post too soon. They stop leading their home because it’s “not working.” They drop out of church because someone offended them. They quit pursuing holiness because temptation didn’t vanish overnight.

Hold your position. Stay on mission.

Principle #4: Pull the Trigger

When the moment comes, act. In the woods, hesitation means a missed shot. In life, hesitation often means sin takes root. You know the conversation you need to have with your wife. The apology you need to make to your kids. The repentance you’ve been putting off. Take the shot.

Principle #5: Hunt With a Brother

Solo hunts have their place, but you’re safer with another man in the field. In the Christian life, that means brothers who will watch your back, point out the tracks you missed, and call you out when you drift toward the decoys.

Men, the devil is hunting you.
So hunt back.

Be watchful. Be disciplined. Be ready to act. And above all, walk close to the Lion of Judah, who has already crushed the serpent’s head.

Build. Fight. Protect. Lead.