In 1900, a man named Allen Hasselborg moved to Alaska to become a professional hunter. His job was to supply as many bearskin robes to the civilized world as he could. These were not just ordinary bearskin robes, but those of giant Kodiak bears roaming the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska. He built a cabin and docked a skiff nearby for transportation from island to island. Allen Hasselborg very successfully went to work killing bears.

He had a special way of anchoring his skiff so it was always in safe water during low or high tide. We as Christians need to anchor ourselves to our God through low times and the high times.

To prepare for the hunt, he first checked his belt, his knife and the small amount of provisions he would carry with him. Then he checked his rifle. He put a fresh cartridge in the chamber. Now, Hasselborg was prepared and on guard for whatever he might face.

We as God’s people can stay prepared and on guard for what we may face by using the tools of prayer, fasting, Bible study and meditation. In fact, we are admonished to put on the whole armor of God in Ephesians 6:11-17.

No room for error

Shortly after beginning his hunt one day, Hasselborg found by far the largest Kodiak brown bear track he had ever seen. He stopped and once again checked his rifle to make sure it was right, then proceeded. He spotted the bear across a small lake and began to move in. As he continued, he temporarily lost sight of the bear. When he looked over the beaver dam from which he was hiding, the bear had moved much closer than he had expected. It was only 20 yards away, so close he could hear the grinding of the bear’s teeth as it fed. He was thrown a curve! The bear sensed something wasn’t right as it stood up to have a look. Hasselborg moved two steps closer for a better position and to be sure of a fast kill. There could be no room for error.

Sometimes, as we find ourselves facing a difficult trial, there is also no room for error. However, we’re all human, and we may be thrown a curve. Or we may make a wrong decision resulting in an even more difficult trial. Thankfully, God says He will never leave us nor forsake us. He even promises to rescue us if it becomes more than we can endure.

As Hasselborg took his last step, just before making the shot, a small willow branch he was standing on released, making a loud snap and splashing water and mud into the air. At that, the bear began to charge. The crack of the rifle was deafening as it rang out.

As the smoke cleared, Hasselborg saw that the bear had been hit and its forward motion began to slow. Then the giant beast was down. He first thanked his rifle for performing so well. Next, he patted himself on the back for a job well done and smiled at his accomplishment. He then turned his back on the bear and put down his best defense, leaning his rifle against a tree several feet away.

Have you ever noticed that when things are going well, we have a tendency to drop our best defense? Remember, we never know when a trial might come back to bite us. It is important never to become too self-satisfied or complacent.

“God! God! This is it!”

Suddenly, a huge shadow appeared over Hasselborg. He thought that heavy clouds may be rolling in, but as he turned, he was staring into the belly button of the injured Kodiak. He knew that outrunning a bear was impossible, his rifle was too far away, and the knife in his hand was useless. He dropped his knife as the bear made its attempt to gather him in. Hasselborg made one leap and landed face down in a small ditch-like depression that was slick and muddy. He locked his fingers behind his head for protection.

As the bear began to claw him with those six-inch claws, he screamed, “God! God! This is it!” We, as Christians, may have been in a situation where we have said or thought those very words to our Father in heaven.

“Where’s the bear and if I move, will he come and attack again?”

The bear ripped his clothing and his boots completely off but couldn’t flip him over on his back because he had anchored himself by digging his hands and arms as deeply into the mud as he could. The bear bit his left shoulder, ripping flesh from his back and breaking bones.

When he came to, it was dark, and he had no idea how long he had been there. But his first thought was, “Where’s the bear and if I move, will he come and attack again?”

One thing we can always be sure of as God’s people is that “the bear” will be back to maul us again! Maybe not today or tomorrow, but he will be back. See 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

Crawling naked and in critical condition, he made it to his boat sometime the next day. He slipped in and out of consciousness. Finally, with one last effort, he cut the anchor chain with an axe and found his way to help in an Indian village.

A warning from God

We should know our enemy, never underestimate his desire to destroy us and always be well aware of the danger he presents in our daily lives.

God has stern warnings for His people about becoming complacent. Consider the Laodicean church’s lukewarm attitude that they were in need of nothing (Revelation 3:15-17). Christ warned that they were in danger of being left out of His Kingdom.

In Proverbs 1:24-33 we read, “Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, because you have disdained all my counsel, and would have none of my rebuke, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, when your terror comes like a storm, and your destruction comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, they would have none of my counsel and despised my every rebuke. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies. For the turning away of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.”

When Hasselborg realized that he was in trouble, he cried out to God and relied on the foundation and knowledge that he had come to depend on and live by. He survived the attack but suffered with a left arm and shoulder that never hung right or moved properly again. This was the price he paid for complacency!

We should learn from Hasselborg’s story, in that we should know our enemy, never underestimate his desire to destroy us and always be well aware of the danger he presents in our daily lives. Satan is relentless and never sleeps. Never forget that Satan wants to maul us, maim us and kill us spiritually.