“First Peter 5:8-11”

Monday, September 18, 2017

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

---End of Scripture verses---

Peter wrote this letter to Christians who were suffering loss and pain at the hands of worldly people. But the apostle makes it perfectly clear at the end of his first epistle that it is “the devil” (verse 8) who is ultimately behind all the persecution, temptation and suffering that exists in the world. Satan is mankind’s greatest “adversary”. He means only to do us great harm and his desire is that we cave in to the pressures of persecution and temptation and suffer the eternal punishment of Hell alongside of him.

The devil (slanderer) is depicted as a cunning and crafty deceiver (2 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 6:11); a great, red beast of a dragon (Revelation 12:3); and here he is described as a “roaring lion” prowling around “seeking to devour” his prey. Our adversary is very powerful but his strength is no match for that of “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Revelation 5:5). If we steadfastly “resist him, firm in” our “faith” (verse 9) he will flee from us (James 4:7), and the Lord will ultimately “crush him under” our “feet” (Romans 16:19).

Life is not all gloom and doom but it isn’t all fun and games either. Life is a serious undertaking, faith in Christ Jesus is demanding, and it takes great effort to put up a strong resistance against the temptation to sin and to abandon our Lord when we suffer for following Him. To be successful we must spend much time in prayer, Bible study, worship, and fellowship with likeminded people possessing a shared faith and common eternal goals. You have no chance to win the battle against the devil on your own. You need the strength of the Lord, His defenses and armaments, and His legion of fellow soldiers who share “the same experiences of suffering.”

We have been called to and are eagerly awaiting God’s “eternal glory in Christ” (verse 10). If we resist the devil firmly and place or faith and trust completely in the Lord and His promises, He pledges to “perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish” us as we fight the good fight of faith.

Please read 1 Peter 5:12-14 for tomorrow.

Have a great day!

-Louie Taylor

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