I Peter 5:8-11
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
I Peter 5:8-11 NKJV
We do not live in a benign and gentle world. The evil one and his demons are constantly at work, trying to tempt, distract, and destroy us. Every serious-minded child of God identifies with Peter's struggle for spiritual consistency. Bold to declare his allegiance to Jesus, Peter was also quick to sell out his commitment under pressure.
God can give you the strength you need to keep going forward. He can establish your life and make it solid again. This is the essence of the God of all grace. He will give you the grace you need in the moment and carry you through to other side if you will resist the devil and stand firm in the faith.
Paul describes our dilemma, "Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me." The truth is that where the Lord works, Satan "prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." Jesus announces free forgiveness, yet Satan makes us question whether we are worth saving.
No surprise that we receive such a stern and vital warning against worry and anxiety and such a strong admonition to be spiritually alert, sober-minded, vigilant, and watchful knowing that the devil is an evil adversary who prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking an opportunity to devour us.
When truth is declared, Satan questions the Bible's reliability. Satan is committed to derailing God's work. So we are called to "be alert and of sober mind." How? First of all, we need to learn God’s truth. We must accept God's Word, take it into our hearts, and obey its commands.
We must also listen to advice. By seeking the guidance of trusted, seasoned believers, we learn from the experience of others and tap into their God given wisdom and insight.
Also we must live in prayer. We daily humble ourselves before God, confessing our sins and seeking His guidance, satan is on the prowl. Now even the most vigilant among us are going to stub their toe once in a while because we are human, therefore sinners and fall short of the Glory of God.
Therefore we can take comfort in knowing that all of our brothers and sisters in Christ have similar experiences and suffer at one time or another from failure to stay on watch at all times. Even though we will all fall short at one time or another throughout our life, it is important to heed Peter's words and always try to "Be sober-minded; be watchful".
Satan is no play or pretend thing. He and his power are real and intended to harm. But rather than spending our time worrying about him, let's resist him when we are tempted and focus on Jesus. He's the one who won the big showdown at Calvary, triumphing over Satan. He took Satan's greatest tool and disarmed it. Now we can resist and Satan will flee.
Our next fall could be closer than we think. But we need not fear. God's grace equips us to be vigilant and to stand firm in Jesus!!!
Father thank you for this day and for waking us up and setting us on our journey through it. Lord open the storehouses of heaven and pour out Your abundant blessings upon my friend and family today. Lord we know that we are Your children but are often assaulted by the evil one. Lord protect us from temptation and write Your truth on our hearts. Lord make us more aware of the schemes of your enemy. Lord we Invite you to grant us the faith to resist and for the courage to place all our hope in You. Lord use my friend to love others as You love them.
Father, we love You amen. !
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