1 Peter 5:8
A few years ago, roughly around the end 2005 a family in North Dakota invited some friends over dinner. After Dinner the adults sat in the living room talking and watching TV while the kids (a four year old, three year old, and two toddlers) all played together on the kitchen floor.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary as the dad who owned the home went to the kitchen to for something to drink That was when he happened to glance at the sliding glass door in the kitchen which led to their outdoor patio and noticed something out of the ordinary
To his shock something sat staring through the glass at the children as they played on the kitchen floor, silent, motionless, and in particular it seemed to be watching the smallest child
The father called the children away from the door and quickly snapped this picture. He retrieved his pistol from their lockbox in the bedroom and with the help of his friend scared the mountain lion away
This story is actually a modern day illustration of what Peter warned of in his epistle concerning Satan: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. ~ 1 Peter 5:8
It entreats us to remember with great soberness the danger of our enemy It causes us to reflect upon who we are to God And it demonstrates to us that when confronted our enemy will flee.
Remembering Our Enemy
Peter compares Satan to a lion because both use similar tactics of attack. Lions stalk their prey and move in when the timing is right to attack In most cases an animal is not aware of the lion at all until it is upon them.
Satan s tactics are identical, he stalks you, in many cases with you being unaware and when the moment of weakness, when you are the most vulnerable he attacks However, unlike a lion Satan will not discriminate who he targets, and will attack anyone even Christ Himself
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread. But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. ~ Matthew 4:1-4
He knows where you are the most vulnerable at any particular time. He makes committing that particular sin seem easy, or justified.
He caused Eve to believe that God was petty, jealous, and didn t really mean what he said (Genesis 3:1-6) He gave Judas Iscariot the extra push he needed to betray Christ (Luke 22:3-5) He wants you to believe his lies (Acts 5:3)
You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. ~ John 8:44
Understanding who the devil is to us becomes of the utmost importance when we understand WHO WE ARE TO GOD
Who We Are To the Father
In God s eyes we are children Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them and said, Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. ~ Matthew 18:2-3
We may call God Father because we are His children: The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. ~ Romans 8:16
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. ~ I John 3:2
This means that when God looks at us, the people to whom He sacrificed His Son upon a cross, that he sees you like this
AND LIKE THIS
Made in His image and possessing His attributes Dependent upon Him Loving Him Provided strength and security Yearning for His protection
When Confronted Satan Will Flee
Imagine what would have happened on the cold snowy night if one of those little children would have seen that lion and decided to open the door and let the big kitty inside from the cold! That didn t happen thanks to a loving father who called his children away from danger and then ran off the lion
We have the same thing! We have a Father who calls us away from the dangers of Satan through Christ (2 Timothy 1:8-9) And then protects us from the spiritual lion that stalks us.
Without Christ we do not posses the weapons needed to confront Satan and run Him off. We will be lacking in strength, resolve, and even be unaware that we are continually being stalked by the most dangerous predator mankind has ever known.
In Christ we allow God to give us the strength we need to resist devil: Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ~ James 4:7
To shield off Satan's attacks Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. ~ Ephesians 6:16
Cause Satan to give up and leave Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. ~ Matthew 4:11
The devil is lurking stalking and ready to attack each and every one of us. If we understand our enemy Understand how important we are to God as His Children Then With God s help we too can scare away the Lion who lies in wait to get us.
Tonight Will You Come To God Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all. ~ Psalm 34:19 And Find Comfort In Him?