Vigilant
- drbuddyyoung
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
the 365 Journey
Outline Week 51
1 Peter 5:8
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Satan is our adversary. Although he can't steal our salvation, he can stall our sanctification and squelch our joy.
Here Peter challenges to to be aware of the schemes of the devil and be attentive to his aim to deceive us, defeat us and ultimately to devour us. Those who are vigilant will find victory over his advances.
As Believers we must seek to keep him at bay by considering
The Attentiveness to our Adversary
Be sober-minded; be watchful.
It is the attentive watchmen that wins the battle. Recognizing the approach of the adversary can ward off his advances. Being aware of his schemes and strategy will help us to stand against him (Eph 6:11). Be armored and attentive. Keep watch, because he is watching you.
The Astuteness of our Adversary
the devil prowls around like a roaring lion,
The literal Gk term uses here is to freely walk about. Satan is a cleaver student of behavior. Being unseen, he can freely move about without your knowledge, watching and listen to all you do and say. There are no secrets from Satan. He sees and hears everything. He learns your greatest struggles with sin and is astutely aware of your most vulnerable moments. (Matt 4:2).
Like a prowling lion lurking in the shadows waiting to pounce on its prey, Satan seeks out the most opportune time to attack the unbeknownst believer (Luke 4:13).
The Aim of our Adversary
seeking someone to devour.
The Devil's desire is not to simply debilitate you, but to devour you. In his wake are the carcasses of mediocre saints who had fallen victim to his deception and devices. His goal is to move your focus from godliness to gain, from holiness to happiness, from commands to culture, from faithfulness to fun, and from passion to pleasures. If he can turn your heart and mind from delighting in the Lord to the desires of this life, then he has you.
The lion has caught his prey. The devoted disciple becomes devoured.
More often then not the slip from faithfulness to fallen, is a gradual movement away from the things of God. Your time in the word begins to diminish. Your church involvement slowly decreases. Prayer ceases. Your moral foundation becomes fractured. The pleasures of this life become your pursuit. The ways of the world become your ways.
This is your adversary's agenda. Don't let your transgression tendencies triumph. As Paul says, "Finally, Be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might" (Eph6:10). Trust in the Lord to turn away the advances of your adversary the devil.
For Further Study
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