Sound Counsel

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 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.”

I Peter 5:8,9

 

 

There are certain animals, when encountered in the wild, we are told to play dead too.

This takes away the challenge and often will cause them to leave.

The advice Peter offers in this letter, when it comes to the enemy of our souls, could not be more different.

We are not to ‘roll over and play dead’ when it comes to the devil.

Rather we are to be alert and sober minded, resisting him and standing firm in the faith.

There are probably many more who do not believe in a literal devil than confess to not believing in God.

If you do not believe in the devils existence you certainly will not resist, through prayer and spiritual warfare, the advancing of his agenda into your life.

Ignorance or denial does not change the reality.  

The temptation is often this: “If I leave him alone, he will leave me alone.”

While he delights in our believing that, it is a lie.

I am not advocating that our focus be on the enemy.

Our focus is on the Lord.

But neither should we fail to recognize that the enemy is real and he is not a cute little cartoon character with horns and a tail that we can safely let run loose one night a year.

When it comes to him:

Be alert.

Be sober minded.

Resist him.

Stand firm in the faith.

That is sound counsel!