Seeking Someone To Devour

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded;  be watchful. Your  adversary the devil  prowls around  like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

I have a very good friend, a strong Christian whom I greatly admire, who has for as long as I have known him referred to the devil as the roaring lion. The analogy is a very fitting one I have to agree.

How quickly can one go from all is well to being in very serious trouble.  Recently I witnessed the telling of an experience that clearly demonstrated how quickly this can happen. The young man, my son, was presented with a choice of following an order and shooting, or choosing not to shoot. To say the blink of an eye is all the time it takes might be about right. Or, that may actually be too long of an example of the duration of the time to make a decision. the situation can come upon you so quickly, and leave you just as quickly. The problem is that the after effects can be devastating for the rest of your life. They can truly be life changing. They can be truly life changing for your time here on earth. Beyond this mortal coil is another matter entirely.

We should take the counsel offered by the Apostle Peter to heart my friends.  Being of sober mind is not just a condition of not drinking alcohol or taking drugs. It is truly a state of mind in which we consistently use good judgement. We carefully and conscientiously stay connected with God in prayer and study of the Word. We practice living the will of God in our lives day-to-day, hour-to-hour, minute-to-minute, second-to-second. It is a life skill to be constantly practiced, or it can be lost, or lapse in ability to implement on a moments notice.  Satan is constantly on the prowl much like a hungry lion seeking to devour someone. We must stay in a state of constant vigilance, lest we are devoured. We must earnestly seek the wisdom of God, the love of Christ, the discernment of the Holy Spirit in all that we do. Check the words of Amos 5:12-15 "For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins--you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and  turn aside the needy  in the gate. Therefore he who is prudent will  keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time. Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,  as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the  Lord , the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph." It is truly an evil time. Some times more so than other. Keep up your guard and be constantly vigilant.

Next time, we will explore more of what is offered in 1 Peter 5 and learn how to endure the trials set before us in love.


PRAYER: Almighty and everlasting God you are the source of all wisdom. Your creation stands in stark contrast in majesty and fullness to the simple things created by mankind. Your wisdom is unquestionable and your love unshakable. Guide us Father in our daily lives. Reveal Your will to us that we live in obedience and not in variance to Your wishes. Let our lives be a tribute to Your Son. This we ask in the name of Jesus whose love for all saves all. Amen