8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. ~ 1 Peter 5:8-9
Today, we return to our study of 1 Peter 5 where the Apostle Peter directs our attention to the real battle that over shadows all other battles that we as followers of Christ encounter. Since we tend to make mountains out of our mole hills, it is good to get an eternal perspective to our daily lives. It has been said that "Eighty percent of life is how we respond to the twenty percent that happens to us."
In v.8 of today's passage we read, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."
Here, the devil is described as a roaring lion that prowls around seeking to devour the followers of the Lord Jesus. His posture reveals that he is limited and we must not allow him to become greater in our lives than he is. In fact, when we give in to him and his culture, we allow him greater status in our lives.
The word "devil" means one who attacks another by slander which is making a false verbal statement that damages someone’s reputation. It is a term that is used 35 times in Scripture. The devil is referred to as "Satan" 54 times in the Bible; another 5 times he is called "the evil one"; another 8 times he is called "the wicked one." He's also called "the destroyer," and "Lucifer." All of these names or titles reveal his true character and when we give in to him, we invite the very fires of hell into our existence.
In today's passage the devil is called the intimidating lion who wants to devour us. We would think this lion would sneak up on us instead of walking about and roaring. Contrary to his approach in the Garden of Eden when he was subtle and slithery, here he is a dangerous lion with a loud sound. He thinks that if he can intimidate us with his roar, we will think that he has the upper hand on us. This is not true, unless, like Adam in the Garden, we yield up the authority God has given us to battle him.
The word "devour" means to gulp down. The devil's ultimate goal is to see you and me burn in hell forever. In John 10 the Lord Jesus said, "The thief comes for no other reason except to steal, to kill, to destroy." Hell was not made for people; it was made "for the devil and his angels." But misery loves company and the devil wants to get as many people in hell with him, and he wants humanity to burn in hell forever.
In v.9 of today's passage we read, "Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings."
In v.9 of today's passage we read, "Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings."
Satan has access to the entire world geographically, but his focus of attack is on believers specifically. Three times the Lord Jesus referred to Satan as "the ruler of this world." Paul refers to him as the "god of this world" in 2 Corinthians 4.
The hardest thing about suffering is not that it sneaks up on us, the hardest thing about suffering is that it can overwhelm our faith with fear and pain. And that's exactly what Satan wants to do in our lives through suffering. The devil, that roaring lion, wants to derail our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is exactly why Peter commands us to resist the lion. This means we must be careful to not give him a foothold in our lives by feeding the flesh. And the flesh shows up in our lives as complaining, hatred, discord, and envy just to name a few. When we are being defined by the flesh, we will lack faith that the God of the Bible is doing a great work in our lives, even when we are encountering suffering and pain.
The name "devil" means slanderer. In Revelation 12, he is called "the accuser of the brethren." One of the ways he tries to attack us is by accusation. He accuses us before God, our brothers and sisters in Christ, always trying to divide us. This is why we must resist talking badly about others behind their backs, even though what we may be saying is true.
The hardest thing about suffering is not that it sneaks up on us, the hardest thing about suffering is that it can overwhelm our faith with fear and pain. And that's exactly what Satan wants to do in our lives through suffering. The devil, that roaring lion, wants to derail our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is exactly why Peter commands us to resist the lion. This means we must be careful to not give him a foothold in our lives by feeding the flesh. And the flesh shows up in our lives as complaining, hatred, discord, and envy just to name a few. When we are being defined by the flesh, we will lack faith that the God of the Bible is doing a great work in our lives, even when we are encountering suffering and pain.
The name "devil" means slanderer. In Revelation 12, he is called "the accuser of the brethren." One of the ways he tries to attack us is by accusation. He accuses us before God, our brothers and sisters in Christ, always trying to divide us. This is why we must resist talking badly about others behind their backs, even though what we may be saying is true.
The Apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 12:7, tells us the "thorn in the flesh" was given to him to keep him humble. Yet, he called it a "messenger of Satan." If God is sovereign over all things, including Satan, which He is, then God has control over the designs of Satan. God's design is holiness or wholeness in our lives, and He even uses the ill intentions of the enemy to accomplish His good work in and through us.
We "resist" the devil when we "stand firm in the faith." The devil is presented here as a vicious lion, but he is only a second-rate lion. He roars a lot and he sounds intimating, but he's a second-rate lion. In the book of the Revelation, the Lord Jesus Christ is called the "Lion of the tribe of Judah." When the Lord Jesus came the first time to this earth, He came as a Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. As the Lamb of God, while on the cross, He cried out with a loud voice, "It is finished!" That meant that all sin that had ever been committed and every sin that will ever be committed was judged in His body on that tree. And, everyone who trusts in Christ's finished work on the cross will live for eternity away from sin and death.
We "resist" the devil when we "stand firm in the faith." The devil is presented here as a vicious lion, but he is only a second-rate lion. He roars a lot and he sounds intimating, but he's a second-rate lion. In the book of the Revelation, the Lord Jesus Christ is called the "Lion of the tribe of Judah." When the Lord Jesus came the first time to this earth, He came as a Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. As the Lamb of God, while on the cross, He cried out with a loud voice, "It is finished!" That meant that all sin that had ever been committed and every sin that will ever be committed was judged in His body on that tree. And, everyone who trusts in Christ's finished work on the cross will live for eternity away from sin and death.
One day soon, the Lord Jesus will return as the Lion of Judah. And, "Out of His mouth will go a sharp sword. With it He will strike the nations." This will happen at the end the battle of Armageddon. Afterwards, "He Himself will rule all the nations with a rod of iron." This means the Lord Jesus Christ will come back to this earth, and He will rule and reign in righteousness.
Finally, this earth will be a place that we will want to be in. And, as never before justice will be done. This will be so significant because just before the Lord returns a second time, the devil and his followers will ransack this old world and good will be called bad and bad will be called good. We can see this beginning to happen throughout this world today, and it will get so bad that for those longing for the appearing of the Lord's return at the end, it will be the most welcomed appearance.
