"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."
Peter reminds every born-again believer to stay alert clear-headed so we'll know when we see the enemy at work.
He identifies our enemy as "the devil"--the one who was thrown out from
heaven--the one who was and is angry with God for creating us out of
love (his creation was for function--the singing angel)--the one who has
determined within himself to destroy all of mankind, by any means
possible and he's succeeding--at least with those who are not paying attention.
The devil prowls--stalking those who seem befuddled and who stumble at the least bit of adversity and are not operating with a clear mind.
The devil roars--making enough noise to drown out a person's ability to hear God clearly and what God is saying and unfortunately, many are listening to the roar that drowns the still, small voice of Holy Spirit, who is trying to protect us, but we do not hear.
The devil devours--with some people, he simply swallows them up whole--those who have never believed God, the work on the cross, or in the Risen Savior. With others, he eats hungrily, ravenously, because he
can't get enough of the gullible and fearful and every time he devours
someone, he is strengthened in his resolve to have us all for either
breakfast, lunch or dinner. He seeks a weakness in our character and speaks to our minds, influencing thoughts and what
we continue to think about we will eventually act upon and then once he
has convinced us to live outside the safety net of those who are
preaching and teaching The Word in Truth, he pounces--blinding
eyes from seeing Truth and Light, and stopping up ears from hearing
truth, tearing us from limb to limb and then he sits--only for a moment,
licking his chops, enjoying the havoc and chaos, he's created and when he has fully digested us, he moves onto the next person.
And this is why we--Born-Again Believers--must always be suited up, ready for battle--with our heads and hearts protected
from the onslaught of negativity and rebellion fueled by the devil.
Now, we've already been told what to look for so we can recognize the devil at work: he lies, steals, kills, destroys, and is a master of deception. When we know The Word, have an intimate Relationship with the Father and Hear Holy Spirit when He speaks, we will never be food on the devil's dinner table--we are neither breakfast, lunch nor dinner, for we are fully persuaded and convinced, no weapon (none of the devil's attempts to cause us to fall) formed against us shall ever prosper!
Remember--the
weapons we use are not carnal--man's creation, but spiritual and they
are more than capable of bringing down strongholds and overthrowing
wickedness in high places. Stand tall, in full armor, with the shield of
faith and The Word as sword--at the ready and move forward--knowing the battle is not ours; it is the Lord's and we win--victory in Jesus!
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