Karl's Blog

Devotional 9.18.24

Dear Faith Family, 

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

There was a glitch in the matrix.  An aberration in the landscape.  Behind the birdfeeder in the backyard, I noticed an abnormality in the trunk of one of the pine trees.  It warranted a second look and even a third.  What in the world was I looking at?  Was it a swollen root structure at ground level?  A structure that I just hadn’t taken notice of before? 

And then the glitch took shape.  The form?  A cat!  Hiding behind a rather large pine tree, the cat was focused on the birds merrily dining at the feeder and on the ground below.  Visions of drumsticks I’m sure danced in the cat’s head! 

There it was in living color.  A sermon sac.  A vivid illustration of 1 Peter 5:8. Our enemy offers a delicious meal.  He offers us a comfortable place to merrily indulge in self-gratification.  And he waits.  Unnoticed.  Hidden.  Camouflaged.  And he waits.  His desire?  To devour.  To consume.  The word literally means to drink down.  He wants to swallow you!  That’s not a pleasant thought, is it? 

Ok.  So, there’s that!  Thanks for that word picture!  What do you want us to do with that?  So glad you asked.  Peter gives us a couple of weapons to deal with such adversity.  There’s a key word, “us”.  It’s plural.  We’re in this together.  So, the weapons are for us to both wield and to share. 

Pay attention.  That’s the first weapon.  Peter said it like this: be sober-minded; be watchful.  Think clearly.  Don’t be distracted.  Better yet, don’t be intoxicated with unimportant stuff.  Are you thinking clearly about who’s you are?  Are you consciously aware that you are involved in a spiritual battle?  Are you focused on the victorious Christ, Jesus, and His strength? 

Second weapon.  Resist.  The idea is that of standing against.  It is easier to stand against the enemy and his schemes when we are thinking clearly.  Thinking clearly about our Savior.  Thinking clearly about what God is up to.  Thinking clearly about the enemy’s end game. 

The birds feeding at the feeder were no match for their adversary.  What they didn’t know is that they had someone watching over them who was more than a match for said adversary! 

Firm in your faith, (1 Peter 5:9) is an invitation to turn and focus on the object of your faith, namely Jesus.  He is more than a match for His enemy.  In fact, He’s already defeated the enemy.  Past tense.  Pay attention and resist by calling upon the One who has all authority and all power to not only withstand but to overcome the roaring lion! 

What are you thinking about? 
Pastor Karl