BE CAREFUL!

I Peter 5:8-9 Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.

We must always be aware and on guard against the Devil’s attacks. Satan is always on the move, waiting to attack those who let their guard down. Satan knows where we are vulnerable and will seize every opportunity he has to exploit our weaknesses. Wisdom would teach us to be as smart as he is and recognize where we are most vulnerable to his attacks. Knowing where we are most likely to sin gives us a decided advantage over Satan.

Satan also knows when we are most vulnerable. He senses when we become lax in our relationship with the Lord and is ready to pounce on us without warning. He senses when we are going through difficult times and is ready to attack our faith. He senses when we let our guard down and is eager to attack our moral resolve.

We must take whatever measures we can to protect our vulnerabilities. We must take deliberate action to avoid circumstances that would put us in harm’s way. It makes no sense whatsoever to put ourselves in a place where we know we will be tempted to sin. We must learn how to avoid places where we might compromise our faith. No matter how difficult it may be for us to do, we must stay out of harm’s way.

We must take a firm stand against Satan and remain strong in faith. Taking a firm stand means that we will refuse to waver in our resolve to not yield to temptation. No becomes a very important word in our vocabulary. We must stubbornly resist Satan. The best way to do this is to stay grounded in the Word of God and wear out our prayer closet. We are only as strong as the time we spend with the Lord. There is no better protector of the soul than the Word of God in the mind and heart of man.

No matter how much of a spiritual battle you are facing, you are not alone. People everywhere are fighting the same battles you are and are living in victory. There is great comfort and encouragement in knowing that we are not the only ones fighting our battles. Satan wants us to believe that no one understands what we are dealing with. He wants us to believe that our situation is unique. Don’t believe his lies. There is strength in numbers and you are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who can testify there is indeed victory in Jesus.