Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. (1 Peter 5:8-9)
Many times I encounter believers who are consumed by trouble and hard times in their lives. Their marriages are in shambles, their kids are giving them grief, and they are so consumed by problems that they have no time in their schedule to spend in the Bible or be involved in a church. After a while, they feel like throwing in the towel and giving up on any effort to make things better. For lack of a better description, they feel like they have been eaten alive. Spiritually speaking, they have – by Satan.
If you ever watch a nature show about lions or other big cats you can learn a lot about how they stalk and kill their prey. When they are cubs, they are just like kittens we raise in our homes. They are curious, playful, and ready to pounce on anything that moves. However, as lions get older, they use these skills to be lethal. When they stalk an animal for prey, they quietly and carefully pick out the animal in the herd that is younger, slower, and not as strong. They also look for prey that has wandered just a bit too far from the protection of the herd or their mother. Then, with lightning speed and cunning, they attack without warning as the others scamper for safety, only to look back in horror as the lion drags away its victim by the neck to devour it.
As Christians, we can learn a lot about how to stedfastly resist the devil in our faith. James 4:7 teaches us to “resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” To resist means to fight back when he attacks. To do this we must put on the armor of God listed in Ephesians 6:10-18. This is necessary because Satan is a fallen angel with supernatural powers that we do not naturally posses as humans (Isaiah 14:12-14). Therefore, we must use God’s supernatural power to defeat him. The armor of God has the power of God. It is more powerful than any angels, including Satan (1 John 4:1-6). However, in order to win the battle, we must also be willing to to fight. When we humbly submit ourselves before God, resist the devil, draw near to God with clean hands and pure hearts, God will protect and empower us to fight the devil and he will flee from us (James 4:7-10). Likewise, we must be active in a local church so we can rely upon our brothers and sisters in Christ to help train and encourage each other how to fight the good fight and live on to fight another day in victory (Joshua 10:25; 1 Timothy 6:6-12; 2 Timothy 4:1-8). May God bless us in having victory in Him.
