“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, Who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To Him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Pet. 5:8-11
Devotional Thought For The Day
The devil is no friend – he has been a liar and murderer from the very beginning, and has inflicted immeasurable suffering on humanity. He remains our adversary – and the worst poison even for those who have joined up with him. His goal is to devour as many people as he can – corrupting them with sin, destroying their knowledge of God, infecting them with unbelief and misbelief, recruiting them to his team to promote his agenda, and finally delighting in their utter demise under the judgment of God. Misery loves company, and sadly, the devil has a lot of company in fallen, impenitent, deluded, and incorrigible human beings. He uses these members of his team to tempt, plague, and afflict Christians, sending some of them to infiltrate and pervert the church and others to persecute and demoralize the church. Lord, have mercy!
Fortunately, we are able to resist him – not only when it comes to sinful behavior, but also when he brings greater temptations to despair when we recognize our sin and are repenting of it, and when he offers us sops of misbelief and false hope. We resist him by remaining “firm in faith,” the faith once and for all delivered to the saints in Holy Scripture [Jude 1:3]. We are able to do this successfully because “greater is He Who is in you than he who is in the world.” [1 Jn. 4:4] As we remain firm in our faith in God’s gracious mercy, forgiveness, and love in Christ Jesus, we also resist the devil and “he will flee from you.” [James 4:7] This is the Word and promise of God! Thanks and praise be to God!
We are warned that difficult things will be part and parcel of our lives as followers of Jesus, His disciples. Therefore it is imperative that we be “sober-minded” and “watchful.” We cannot afford to be careless; rather, we must continue in the Word of Jesus, heeding the encouragement and instruction of the Holy Spirit of God [Who has provided us with the Holy Scriptures, which are complete and sufficient for true faith and every good work – 2 Tim. 3:14-17]. We prefer to live life in a relaxed and carefree manner – as if there is little evil or danger in the world, and we especially would like to think of the church as a safe-haven where we can let our guard down. However, the Scripture is clear that the devil is lurking everywhere “seeking whom he may devour,” and that we must beware and vigilant. Our rest will come soon enough, when we leave this world to be with the Lord Jesus in heaven. Until then, we must be on high alert.
All will be well for us if we endure the demonic attacks “firm in faith,” for God’s own Word assures us that “the God of all grace, Who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” God has called us to His eternal glory, and His gifts and calling are irrevocable [Rom. 11:29]. He Himself will “restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” – through His Word, by the power of His Holy Spirit, as we continue in the Word of Jesus, Holy Scripture. He has the power, dominion, rule, and authority forever and ever. No one, no thing, can ever separate us from His love for us in Christ Jesus [Rom. 8:31-39]. So let us remain firm and resolute in faith and in resisting the devil and all his wicked servants – living in eager expectation of victory and the rich blessings of God Himself!
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, many are the temptations and inducements to evil and unbelief, and the devil is in them all, seeking to rip us from faith and life and to devour us in death. Thank You for Your calling, and for the power of Your Spirit within us, for delivering us from all evil. Continue to strengthen and confirm us in faith, and lead us through the trials and tribulations of this life to Your eternal glory. Amen.