As you’ve probably already seen in my profile, raising ducks has become one of my absolute favorite hobbies over the past two years. When I first started out, people made fun of me because of the elaborate measures I went through to protect my birds from predators without themselves realizing how sneaky those devilish foxes and raccoons can really be. Here’s a sample of a few precautions that I took:

First of all, as you can see in my photo, I purchased a large dog kennel and wrapped the lower three feet of it with chicken wire. I also found several large pieces of scrap wood with which I lined the inside of the pen to further protect against a raccoon reaching in and catching a sleeping duck by surprise.

Chicken wire was stretched across the top of the kennel to protect against climbing/aerial predators, with any gaps being sealed off with plastic wire-ties. A tarp was also added for additional protection.

The ground surrounding the enclosure was meticulously covered with larger, more durable wire to keep away any dogs and foxes which might otherwise try and dig their way inside.

And last, but not least, a small radio is left on 24 hours a day to give local woodland creatures the idea that somebody must be in the area.

Since all of these features have been implemented, my duckyard has not suffered so much as one fatality. In fact, just yesterday I watched a fox within about 50 feet of their enclosure pass by without even attempting to find a way in! Perhaps it seems silly to go through so much trouble just to protect a flock of pet ducks, but it’s often surprising to see what a person will do in order to protect what’s important to them.

That’s why Jesus reminded us in Matthew 16:26 that there is absolutely nothing on this earth more important than our souls.

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

               -Proverbs 4:23

What measures are you taking to protect your heart and soul from the evils of this present age? Is your heart wrapped in the love of God, and your mind dwelling on those things which are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report (Philippians 4:8). Is the Sword of the Spirit firmly in hand and the helmet of salvation securely in place (Ephesians 6:17)? These are just some of the things that protect us from our greatest adversary, the devil, who goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (Ephesians 6:11; I Peter 5:8). He spends his night and day looking for ways to defeat us and, unless we are just as vigilant in our work as he is in his, we will suffer both miserable and inevitable defeat. Are you protected?