Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour. 9. Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brothers that are in the world."
In some circles, one cannot be sophisticated if he, or she, believes in the devil. Of course the devil is cheering this sort of sophistication, for it makes his job easy. He wants us to believe that he either does not exist, or that he is a cute little red thing with a pitchfork. Given the direction of the world, it seems that it is working. But Peter wants to call us away from this illusion. Here is what Peter tells us about the devil: He reveals to us that the devil is real and that he is at work in this world carrying out his devilish work. First, he tells us that we should be sober, or self controlled. We need to keep our eyes and minds open and that we should be serious about the devil's temptations. Second, he tells us to be vigilant, or alert. The devil is always up to tricks. He calls us away from the humility that Peter admonished us about, and just "do our own thing." We need to keep our guard up. The desire to "be cool" is one of the devil's main tricks. We should be sober and vigilant in our battle against the devil because he is like "a roaring lion, walking about seeking whom he may devour." The devil is not shown here as a cute little red fellow with a pitchfork, but that he is described as a roaring lion. You know what a lion does: He wanders about the wilderness seeking some helpless animal to devour. The devil wants us to be like those helpless animals. The devil hates us - period. He wants our lives to be controlled by him in order for him to welcome us to hell. That is not sophisticated by the world's measure, but it is the truth. Peter tells us how we can overcome this "roaring lion." We must "resist him steadfast in the faith." We are not defenseless in our bouts with the devil. We have our faith in Christ that can keep us from being devoured by the devil. Defeating the devil is not a "self-help project." First, Jesus defeated the devil in his temptations in the wilderness, and every day in his life on this earth. Second, Jesus went to the cross and died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. Third, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to give us the power that we need to live for Him and not for Satan. Jesus is the answer for our winning over the devil. Fourth, Jesus will forgive us when we fail in our bout with Satan, and will cleanse us. 1John 1:9 tells us that: "If we confess our sins, He (Jesus) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and will cleanse us from all unrighteousness." You are not helpless in your bout with the devil. Be sure of this, the devil is at work in your life and wants to devour you for his own devilish purposes. He wants to destroy your life and your eternity. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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September 2021
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