1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour”
Simon Peter, the apostle of Jesus, wrote this letter to the believers, who are chosen and predestined by God, who intends to save them. Peter wrote this to warn them and to urge them to remain self-controlled and vigilant in order to protect themselves from the heaven’s enemy.
As believers, we recognize that the devil’s plan is to devour us from God’s kingdom. But are we aware how crucial it is for us to know his tricks and traits? Peter describes the devil as a roaring lion. Let us try to imagine how a lion looks for its prey.
The lions mostly look to attack sick, young, or straggling animals. They prefer prey that is alone and unaware. What are the distractions that keep you unaware from paying attention? Are you lonely, depressed, sick, weak, fearful, angry, bitter, addicted to social media, in toxic relationships that drain your time, talent, and treasure, helpless, and cut off from God’s church? Then watch out for your adversary, the devil, who is trying to devour you!
You are not the only one who goes through this; the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of anguish and temptation. How can we overcome this? Peter says we should resist him, standing firm in the faith. It’s the ability to say no to an urge or desire that would be bad for you or someone else. We may think that we don’t have a lot of self-control because we can’t resist temptation. It’s not the case. Our Lord Jesus continuously resisted the devil by speaking the word of God. It was a matter of obedience to the Father and submitting to His will in all things. He will give us the strength to overcome and save us from the enemy. Stay self-controlled and be on alert!
