There is a lion outside! ∙

There is a lion outside! ∙

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

1 Peter 5:6-9

 6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.

 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

 8 Stay alert! Watch out for your adversary, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

 9 resist him and be strong in your faith.

During World War II, the enemies of the Western allies were well-known. Imagine what it would be like on D-Day, June 6, 1944. You are a paratrooper, and you are dropped behind enemy lines and must fight for your life to achieve your objectives. Many brave soldiers lost their lives in just that way.

For children of the King, spiritual warfare is much the same. Our enemy is well-known, and this world is his territory, his kingdom. He is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). We have been dropped behind enemy lines and must fight for our lives to achieve our Father’s objectives.  

Our enemy is the commander of a large force of wicked, evil-minded, wicked spirits. He is a brilliant strategist with great power. His goal is to control, dominate, and render children of the King ineffective. We need to become aware of his strategy and be vigilant and prepared to resist

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour.

The devil has different poses. Sometimes he comes like a snake, seeking to lure people into moral corruption. Sometimes he disguises himself as an angel of light, attempting to deceive people in the spiritual realm. Here, as a roaring lion, he is bent on terrorizing God’s people . . . (MacDonald). The word devil means the accuser, the slanderer, the word Satan means adversary, and the word Lucifer means bringer of light.

We must never forget that we are in a spiritual war. Regardless of how well things may seem to be going for us, we live in a perpetual war zone. How many casualties occur because we think we live in a time of peace (Stanley)?

REFLECT & PRAY

Sadly, we often think that our struggles and sufferings are unique. We see ourselves as alone and misunderstood. This is a lie and a delusion! The Lord Jesus has been through it all.

Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

Father I am so ignorant of the enemy’s ploys and devices. I wonder how often he takes advantage of me. I struggle with incorrect thinking, unnecessary fears, and isolation. Help me to be alert, aware, and learn to resist. I am in the fight of my life.

INSIGHT

Our enemy is subtle and clever. It is as though he has some type of vast intelligence network to spy out our weaknesses, vulnerabilities, and fears. He then strikes where we are most susceptible.

Often his attacks are in the area of our emotions. He cleverly uses anger, bitterness, and the desire to get even. These negative emotions give him a beachhead to do more destruction.

Ephesians 4:26-27

 26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry,

 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

Apparently, he is capable of projecting erroneous thoughts into our consciousness. That is why we are encouraged to examine our thinking and make sure it aligns with the Father’s truth as revealed in His word.

2 Corinthians 10:4 We tear down arguments and every arrogant obstacle that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obey Christ.

Although we should not worry, we must be sober and vigilant because we have a powerful adversary, the devil. To be sober means to be serious-minded, to take a realistic approach to life, and to be intelligent concerning the stratagems of Satan (MacDonald).

His strategy is to counterfeit whatever God does. According to the Parable of the Tares, wherever the father plants a child of the King, Satan seeks to plant a counterfeit (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43). He would deceive us were it not for the Word of God and the Spirit of God (1 John 2:18-27). The better we know God’s Word, the keener our spiritual senses will be to detect Satan at work. We must be able to “try the spirits” and know the true from the false (1 John 4:1-6) (Wiersbe).

1 John 4:1-6

 1 Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.

 2 This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God.

 3 But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.

 4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.

 5 Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them.

 6 But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.

The Devil is loose in the world today and never tires or sleeps.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 5-07-2

© Dr. H 2022