Jump Start # 629

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.”

Peter’s warnings here do not age nor grow obsolete. Be sober…be alert—be careful. Peter likens Satan to a hungry lion who is on the prowl. A sleeping lion is dangerous, but not a huge threat. A dead lion is no threat at all. But a prowling lion—look out. Peter uses two words for Satan.

First, “adversary.” This is the word that would describe the opponent in a lawsuit. He is your adversary. He is trying to win. He is trying to defeat you. It is not a win-win situation. Someone will lose. Satan wants it to be you. He is your adversary—your opponent. He is against you. He is against what you believe. He is against what you are trying to accomplish. He is against where you want to go. He is against you.

The other word Peter uses here is “devil.” This is often used as his name. He is called “Devil” because that’s what he is. Devil means to accuse or slander. Together, adversary and devil, these words bring the idea of someone who is against us and falsely accuses or challenges us.

The devil doesn’t play fair. He doesn’t go by the rules. Much like a crooked attorney who wants to win his case, he may misuse, misapply, and speak things that aren’t true to twist things in your mind. You have to be sharp. You have to be ready. You must be sober and alert as Peter puts it.

The lion is to be feared. Few, if any can out run a lion. Few can kill a lion. David did. Daniel was thrown into a den of lions. The young prophet was killed by a lion when he disobeyed God. The lion has a strategy. He knows what to do. He’s smart. He’s fast. He’s cunning. He’s able to hide where few see him.

The nature shows help us understand lions. Rarely do they leap in the middle of a herd. The antelopes would scatter and the lion would fall in the dust. Instead, he waits. He’s patient. He looks for the one lone antelope. The one that is careless and wanders from the pack. He watches for the young or the old—those he can kill quickly. He watches. He waits. When the careless antelope wanders too far from the herd and too close to danger, the lion springs into action. Within seconds he is on the antelope and quickly brings it down and kills it. By the time the antelope saw the lion, it was too late. He panicked in fear. He was too far from safety to be helped. He became the lion’s lunch because he was not alert nor was he careful.

Peter doesn’t want that to happen spiritually. It can and it does. Too close to the edge of wrong. Hanging out with people who take us away from Christ. Tired. Lonely. Feeling neglected or cheated. The lion waits. He watches. He attacked Jesus in the wilderness when the Lord was alone and hungry. He sits by your computer monitor waiting. He’s in the back seat of your car watching. He’s under your bed. He’s in the closet. He’s in the backyard. He’s in your i-phone. He’s at work. There is no place that you can escape to that he’s not there. He’s waiting for you on vacation. He’s already checked into the hotel room on your business trip. He’s sitting in the church building. He’s there. He’s waiting. He’s watching. He takes no vacations. He observes no holidays. He never retires. He is always there. Waiting and watching you.

He knows your greatest weapon is the word of God. Jesus used that. It worked. He knows if he can separate you from that word then he has a chance. Too tired to read the Bible today? The lion sees that. Too stressed for the Bible. He’s watching. Too worried. Too busy. He waits. It won’t be long. He’s getting closer and you don’t see it. He’s getting your scent. He’s about ready to spring upon you.

Alert and sober—those are Peter’s words. Do you see why? The watchful eye scans for the lion. The sober spirit pays attention. He notices movement in the tall grass. He sees birds suddenly fly away. Danger is near. To Bible class goes the sober and alert. To worship services are the sober and alert. Before the day begins, the sober goes to God in prayer. Before the day ends the alert spends a few moments with the word of God. Stronger and stronger the sober and alert becomes. Watching. Ready. Alert. Careful. The lion is near and the alert knows it. The lion has been spotted and the sober is ready.

Some have said, “I never saw this coming…” They must have been asleep at the wheel. Others proclaim, “How did this happen?” Could it be that they were not alert? The lion will eat. He always does. Will it be you?

Sober and alert—simple words. Both contain five letters. Both mean survival. Both mean a tomorrow when there is a lion in the area.

Roger