1 Peter 5:8 – Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. NKJV
I have found that I am not overly fond of discussing the devil because I think that even negative attention is loved by him. But today, for a few minutes, I will.
The devil, known as Satan, is our adversary! Plain and simple. Many people try not to think about or even acknowledge his utter dislike for them, but that’s exactly what he has for us. Or even better, absolute hatred!
An adversary is one’s opponent in a contest, conflict, or dispute. That certainly describes the devil. He is our opponent. Plain and simple. He is a constant threat to us and all that we hold dear because of the fact that we are special to God. Not just those of us who are born again, but mankind in general. He hates us all!
Jesus called Satan a liar, a thief, a robber, a murderer, and a destroyer! So if that is how Jesus identifies him, then we should know that he is never interested in anything but our demise.
Our adversary the liar. He tells us we’re sick, we’re dying, we’re never going to amount to anything, no one loves us, everyone is against us, God isn’t faithful, and the list goes on and on. When you hear this stuff, know it is coming from him! Don’t listen!
Our adversary the devil is a thief. “A thief is someone who steals something from someone in secret.” He comes to steal the word of God that God has spoken to us from the logos word, or through a rhema word. He comes to steal our joy, our peace, our reputation, our witness, our children, by any means necessary. He tries to wrap it up in other things like people and circumstances, but it is him!
Our adversary the devil is a robber. “A robber is not only usually seen by the victim, but also often injures or threatens to injure the victim (or use some other type of force) during the robbery.” That’s how he uses accidents, drug addiction, job loss, divorce and a number of other things. He’s bold when he does it and doesn’t care if you recognize he is the one behind it. Then he threatens you with fear, taunting and tormenting you, until you cave under the pressure! But it’s an all out attack from the devil and you don’t have to give in to it!
Our adversary is a murderer! Yes he is! Don’t ever think that pain or sickness is just that. He is trying to kill you! And if he can’t kill you, he will certainly put as much on you as he can! Don’t accept anything he throws at you as no big deal. It is a big deal!
He’s a destroyer of all that is good! He wants to destroy your witness, your home, your family, your finances, your business, your name, your peace, your relationships, and your health. I’m telling you, there is nothing in your life that is off limits to him!
So what is a person to do knowing that the adversary is constantly on the prowl looking for a way to bring on his attacks in your physical, emotional, financial, or spiritual beings? There are a couple things we can do:
1. Be sober! The Amplified Bible states it like this: “be well balanced and disciplined.” Don’t live a life that is undisciplined. A disciplined life for the believer is a life that says “no” to the things of the flesh and “yes” to the things pertaining to godliness. An undisciplined person picks and chooses when to attend church, when to pray, when to go to the club, when to sleep around…A disciplined person reads and study God’s word, prays for strength and wisdom, fellowship with believers, have people they are accountable to, lives their life to please the Father, etc.
2. Be diligent! Again, the Amplified states that we are to “be alert and cautious at all times.” This means, we should know the enemy and be mindful of how he acts. Don’t be afraid, just be alert. Years ago, I used to love to watch JAG. Rabb, a JAG lawyer had a nemesis named Palmer. In one episode, Palmer was in jail claiming to have seen the light. He promised to help the authorities to find the victims from his crimes. No strings attached, he just wanted families to have closure. Rabb didn’t buy it! He refused to believe a single thing Palmer said. Because of his diligence, he was one step ahead of Palmer when Palmer tried to escape, and bring harm to those who were with him. That has stuck with me all of these years. And it is so applicable to our lives and with dealing with the devil! We have to be watchful where he is concerned in order to enforce his defeat! He doesn’t change his goal, just his strategies. We know what he is up to and we should always be on the alert against him!
3. Know that he is “looking” for someone to devour! It doesn’t have to be you! God pointed this out to me years ago, when someone I thought was “the one to look up to spiritually” fell. I was so shaken that I made the comment that if that person fell, surely I couldn’t live for God! God told me that simply was not true. The devil will always be looking, but we didn’t have to be in a place where he could devour us! When he looks at me, all I want him to see is the Blood!
I can’t imagine anyone wanting to play with the devil and take him on in their flesh! We don’t war in the flesh with the devil! We cannot beat him at his game! But our Savior, Jesus, has already beaten him! Whipped him up, tied a noose around his neck, and made a public spectacle of him in the heavenlies! Our Savior, and Elder Brother don’t take his mess and the devil knows it! Now he needs to be made aware that neither do we!!
Don’t be scared of the devil! He’s our defeated foe! I started this blog the way I did to just make you aware of some of his tricks! God is greater than he is. Jesus saw him kicked out of heaven. I imagined he had a good laugh over that one! But needless to say, He is unruffled by what the devil throws because He has already dealt with him! Now we need to do the same in the matchless Name of Jesus! Wonderful Jesus!
Wonderful Jesus! 