1Peter 5:8 – 9 “Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.”
I have horrible news! THERE IS AN ENEMY OUT THERE AND WE ARE ALL TARGETS! To make matters even worse, we were born as targets, targets for attacks by Satan.
Jesus told his disciples that he saw Satan fall from heaven “like lightning.” What caused Satan to be cast out of heaven? Pride! Arrogance! Believing that he was equal with God when he wasn’t. What opens us up to Satanic attacks? Pride, arrogance, and believing that we can be our own gods.
All this time that Peter has been stressing on humility, he has been aiming toward this one point. If we humble ourselves and follow the Lord, He will protect us. But we must realize that Satan is out there just waiting to catch us off – guard.
Several years ago, we were friends with a pastor who was kind, loving, an excellent teacher, and a caring shepherd of his members. But one day while cruising the internet, our friend accidentally landed on a pornographic web site. Instead of putting controls on his computer and getting out of that website as fast as possible, our frined stayed and watched…..and eventually found himself addicted to online pornography. Through the love and care and support of his family, he was eventually able to beat this horrible addiction, but in the meantime, he had developed the cancer that eventually killed him. One question that cannot be answered is this: did the addiction to online pornography weaken our friend’s immune system so that he was more susceptible to developing cancer? St. John wrote in 3John 1:2 “Beloved, I pray that in every way you may prosper and enjoy good health, as your soul also prospers.”
We need humility to protect ourselves! Sometimes our very virtues can become failings if we are not careful or if we trust ourselves too much. Remember that Peter told Jesus that he, Peter, would never desert Jesus; yet, only a few hours later, he denied knowing Jesus three times. If we trust in ourselves and pride ourselves on certain virtues, those are the very things that may trip us up.
When Peter advises us to be watchful, he means that we should watch ourselves, not others. Many people are more than ready to correct others while they are blind to their own failings and shortcomings. And sometimes priding yourself on how humble you are can also become an inverted form of self – worship that leaves you open to spiritual attack.
How can we resist the devil? First of all, if you find yourself in a place of temptation, LEAVE! Temptations are not to be played with. Second, when the temptation is mental, the best thing to do is to call on the Name of Jesus and ask Jesus for help. The hymn “What a friend we have in Jesus” puts it well: Have we trials and temptations, cumbered with a load of care? Jesus knows our every weakness. Take it to the Lord in prayer.” There is power in the Name of Jesus. When we believe in Jesus and trust Jesus, we have access to that power. When we are tempted or assaulted, we can call on the Name of Jesus and He will help us.
We must realize that our brothers throughout the world are also suffering and that many of them are suffering far more than we are. Temptations and trials should cause us to have pity on others and to pray for them, not just to focus on our own problems. Praying for others not only puts things in perspective but also helps lift our burdens.
Finally, we must realize who Jesus really is. Jesus is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Lord of everything. Jesus is the Supreme Commander of the Angel Host, the Lion of Judah. We are not calling on some wimpy stained glass image but on the One who holds the keys to hell, death, the grave, and eternity. Call on the Name of Jesus. He will never disappoint or fail you.
And finally, this is my prayer for all who are reading this devotional:
Jude 24 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy— 25to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all time, and now, and for all eternity.” Amen!
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