Jump Start # 119

1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

  Reading Peter’s first letter a person will quickly get the idea that it is tough out there. Throughout this book he has talked about suffering that follows the believers. Persecution is strong. Peter talked about fleshly lusts which war against our souls. It’s tough out there. And now, he introduces a third threat we face, Satan. The devil, our adversary, our enemy, is seeking to devour one of us. He is likened to a roaring lion. The lion is hungry. The lion is on the prowl. You’ve seen the nature shows, whenever the lion is near, all the animals run. He is the king of the forest. He is a real threat. This is the choice God made to compare Satan with. He is like the lion.

  Peter’s words are serious. He says be sober, be alert. Those that aren’t get eaten by the lion. You ever notice on those nature shows, the lion doesn’t just walk down the middle of a field. He’s hiding in the tall grass. He creeps closer. He watches. He waits. The antelope are grazing near by. They don’t notice. The herd moves slowly and one is by himself. Careless. Indifferent. Not alert. The lion springs. He’s fast. He catches and kills the antelope. He was successful. He knew what he was doing. The antelope didn’t.

  We learn from this. By ourselves we are vulnerable. There is strength in numbers. Surrounded with righteous people, I have others who are watching and helping us be safe. Shepherds do that. Preachers do that. Parents do that. It is the alone times that I get in trouble. When I’m alone, I am not reminded of righteous people and righteous ways. Temptation is strongest when alone. Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. He was alone. The same goes for us. The lion knows. We think we can out run the lion, how foolish. We think we know where he is. Wrong. He is clever. He is cunning. He has one goal, kill us.

  Church services are times not only to praise God, but they put us in the midst of the flock. It’s our refuge, our safety. The lion is less likely to get us then. We pray, we read, we strengthen our souls, we learn more about that wicked lion. There is a connection between strong Christians and church attendance. You will find a connection between strong Christians and reading the Bible and prayer. Strong Christians stay connected with God. The lion is out there and he can wait. He has enormous patience. He’ll wait until you are tired. He’ll wait until you are having a bad day. He’s just watching and waiting. He is just finding a time when you are not watching, when you are not alert, when you have let your guard down. He’ll come fast and quick. And the result is destructive and deadly. The carnage of destroyed marriages, broken families and lights that ought to shine for God that have gone dark. A moment of indiscretion, a lapse of judgment, a sorry attitude, an invitation to do wrong and behind all these, lurking in the tall grass is the lion.

  Peter adds in the next verse, “resist him, firm in your faith.” That is how you deal with Satan. You don’t catch this lion. You don’t hunt the lion. You don’t tame the lion. You resist. James said, “resist and the devil will flee from you.”

  Someone is watching you today. You don’t see him. He’s in the tall grass. He’s hoping you’ll give him an opportunity. DON’T.

Roger