Send to KindleBe sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour… (1 Peter 5:8 – AKJV)
Sometimes Christians act as if the devil has gone on vacation, and they can let down their guard; they can breathe a sigh of relief and experience a period of freedom from the devil’s involvement in their affairs.
Of course Christians do not do this consciously; they merely slip into a state of mind in which they are not as alert to the dangers as they normally would be. It is just like a normally alert driver who gets behind the wheel after consuming a fair amount of wine. He may feel alert, perfectly able to control the vehicle through the busy streets on his way home.
The wine, however, as exerted a subtle influence on his brain; his ability to judge distances have been impaired and his response times are not as rapid as he thinks they are.
The Greek word the apostle Peter used for “sober” literally means to abstain from wine, but it may not be wine that robs us of spiritual alertness; it could merely be a state of mind we have slipped into. We may just not have been as diligent in the study of Scripture as usual. The busyness of life has caused us to neglect our devotional life and we are not walking as closely with our Lords as is our habit. Like wine, this state of mind and heart impairs our ability to navigate the dangerous situations that confront us all.
Peter tells us the devil is roaming about for just such an opportunity to catch us unawares, and his intention is not a game. He is not just out to surprise us like in a game of hide-and seek. His intention is to devour us. Like a lion devours its prey, the devil wants to remove us from the battlefield – make us of no consequence in the battle for truth, and unable to fight the good fight of faith, as the apostle Paul was able to do.
The word “vigilant” means simply to stay awake to the dangers all around us and ready to respond to the slightest indication of the enemy’s presence.
When I was in the army and on guard duty, I remember sneaking into the storeroom to steal just a few moment of sleep to relieve the boredom of the many hours of inactivity. Such behaviour could be disastrous to your walk with the Lord.
The Devil’s on the Loose
(© Sunday 10th January 2016 – by Christopher Shennan)
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour… (1 Peter 5:8 – AKJV)
The devil’s on the loose, my Lord,
And I need your free Grace to stay
Awake and alert to danger –
Lest he cause me to go astray.
My heart still hungers for you, Lord;
It seeks your mercy and Your Grace,
But at times I feel so weary
That I fear I will lose the race.
I’m not always alert to danger
From that enemy of souls,
And I’m afraid I’ll fall asleep
While he pursues his evil goals.
Like a lion he roams about,
Devouring the unwary few,
But my only hope of safety,
Is seeking my safety in You.
Keep me sober and awake, Lord,
The dangers are out and about;’
Stay close beside me always.
In You I’m going to win – no doubt.
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