Monday: Crucibles of Satan
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8, NKJV).
Read the above verse. What’s the message there for us? Ask yourself, “How seriously do I take these words?” What things do you do in your life that show whether you take them seriously?
Image © Kevin Carden at Goodsalt.com
Have you ever watched a hungry lion? It’s awesome because you know it can catch and eat just about anything it wants. Peter says that Satan is prowling around in the same way. When we look around, we can see the consequences of his desire to kill. Death, suffering, and the twisting and perverting of morals and values are everywhere. We cannot escape seeing the work of Satan.
Read 1 Peter 5:8-11. How should Christians react to Satan’s prowling?
What does God promise to do for those who are suffering? 1 Peter 5:10.
Peter writes these words in the context of responding to Satan’s attacks on Christian faith. But as we have mentioned, Satan is at work in many different ways. And although we must be aware of the reality and the power of our enemy, we must never be discouraged, for we must always remember that Jesus has beaten Satan, that Satan is a defeated foe, and that as long as we stay connected with Jesus, as long as we cling to Him in faith, we can never be defeated, either. Because of the cross, Christ’s victory is our victory.
| Think about the other ways that Satan causes pain. How could reading 1 Peter 5:8-11 help us to deal with the anguish that we experience because of our fate in living in a sinful world in which Satan wreaks havoc? |
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Why did Peter include the description of a roaring lion rather than just mention a lion on the prowl seeking to devour? Lions roar for a range of reasons - one of which is to intimidate. I suspect this is what Peter may have had in mind. While Satan is a defeated foe, he can portray himself in a way that can lead us to feel otherwise in the moment - especially if we are caught off-guard and therefore feeling even more vulnerable. Exploiting our vulnerabilities is something Satan excels at - in harmony with his nature and character of maleficence/evil.
Being mindful of this, Peter emphasises the need to be vigilant and be aware. If you are not expecting a loud noise, you will be startled far more than if you were expecting that noise. By being vigilant and aware, we are less likely to be caught off-guard and therefore better able to resist or counter the threat of intimidation and, in turn, stand firm in faith.
How do we stand firm in faith? By recalling the basis of our faith. We can do this by recalling/praying memorised scriptures such as 1 Corinthians 10:13, Matthew 6:33, Proverbs 3:5-6, etc. We can also recall how God has led faithfully in the past. And we can gain further additional benefit by reminding ourselves of others who have gone through similar in the past or are going through similar right now - and praying for them too.
The lesson proposes that "...although we must be aware of the reality and the power of our enemy, we must never be discouraged..." Though I understand what the lesson is trying to say, the way it says it can be interpreted by someone who does experience discouragement as though they have failed. Elijah is one bible character who comes to mind as having experienced deep discouragement right after an amazing display of God's power. Thus, it would be more realistic to say "at times when we do find ourselves sliding into discouragement..."
There is a lot of roaring going on in the world at present - generating a lot of fear and discouragement amongst believers and non-believer's alike. I personally believe things are going to get worse, maybe sooner, maybe later. I also believe that God is giving us an opportunity to have our faith grown now in preparation for things getting worse. Perhaps now is the time to diligently be daily practicing Peter's advice (1 Peter 5:6-9), seeking strength and guidance from God to do so?
I am encouraged by Elijah's experience because his discouragement wasn't necessarily a sin, it just was where his faith was. I also think when Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane before His crucifixion, his emotional struggle never led Him to sin. Jonah is also mentioned in the Hebrews chapter of faith (ch 11) and he was even ANGRY that God had forgiven the Assyrians, who he had been called to witness to.
So, I am convinced discouragement comes as part of a Christian's experience. I would love to hear a testimony where they were never discouraged!
Thanks Phil. This is very encouraging.
I'm so glad you wrote this, for though there may be many reasons lions roar, when they are hunting they do not usually roar. In order to catch the prey, they are as quiet as possible as to not scare the prey off. This is a big difference between a lion and our enemy. Satan is roaring to strike fear, to make self-aware and self-protective.
When we are focused on self it is harder to walk in Christ's shoes utilizing His strength and love. May God keep are minds/hearts in/on Him.
Study Title:
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8, NKJV)
Study asks the question:
A committed Born from Above Christian, walking in the light of God's Word, has more power and guidance from the Holy Spirit, over satan's temptations and the carnal world, then those who walk in the dark !
Romans 16:19-20 (CSB)
19 The report of your obedience has reached everyone. Therefore I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise about what is good, and yet innocent about what is evil.
20 The God of peace will soon crush #Satan under your feet#
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
1Peter5:9 - ”Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” Does this mean that we, the believers, suffer just like the non-believers? I think so - but we have been shown a way out of the lion’s den – faith in that God’s Word can be trusted!
When all is said and done, we will find that the crucible(s) of satan are enfolded in the ultimate crucible which is the Father's Will – demonstrated by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Ultimately, it will be heaven which judges the world and all that is in it.
1John1:7 -”.. but if we walk in the Light as He himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” I understand this verse to say that when we live our life by faith in the Light which the Father provided, shown and taught by Jesus, we have been given the power to overcome - just like Jesus has overcome the world.
Dear Brethen,
There is so much discouragement nowadays; it seems like it's a normal thing, like it is a part of every day life. This is what our enemy wants us to think, or fell like; it's another form of intimidation. Thank you Brother Phil, for reminding us of that.
I have been dwelling in my own discouragement for a few weeks now. You think that the discouragement in your secular life is bad, it's 5 times worst when the discouragement is from your Christian family. I feel like we, Christians, say that we want to feed the hungry, visit the sick, provide for the needy, etc, etc, "to the least of these". But when it's time to actually do the work of Christ, some of us Christians are like those "a clanging cymbal" in 1 Corinthians 13 (I'm not perfect either, I don't already show Love.); we have every excuse as to why you can't be there or do this and that: "I have plans with my family", "I'm busy doing my weekend stuff", "I'm out of town". I wonder what these same people would say or think if God give those excuses? You think that we would have learned something from this worldwide Pandemic, about being too busy. Now that we are coming (somewhat) out of this Pandemic, we should be ready and willing to get out there and spread the Word of God, and "minister to His lost sheep".
It's easy for me to get discouraged in my crucible; thoughts of quitting keep popping in my head. But then I remember what Jesus went through with the people he ministered to, and sometimes, even with His own disciples. His disciples were not always the "encouraging" type. I also remember what Job went through. How he lost everything, all of his children, all of his properties, and his health; and all he had left was his "bickering wife", that told he "to curse God and die"; talk about discouraging.
So, in light of Jesus and Job went through, in their crucibles (Jesus' crucible was 100 times worst than Job), I think I can endure for a while longer, as long as it takes, because "is with me" ("Thou are with me"). And as I told my Pastor last week, "I'm going to 'encourage' myself".
One a lighter note, here's my short testimony: God always brings a little sunshine into your dark paths. We had a Worker Bee Day at my church on this past Sunday, not my fault it was on a holiday weekend. I was already in discouragement, so I didn't expect anyone to come out to clean-out the church. I was sick the night before, and I even contemplated not going to the church on the next morning. But I said to myself, "no, if I have to drag my limp body into the church, I'm going". Well, I got there, and was working by myself for awhile, then out of the blue, God sent me help. I didn't expect this Dear Sister to come to help me, but we were able to get more accomplished then I could by myself, and I am grateful. Praises be to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ for sending her my way; for He knew I need the encouragement at that time.
I'm going to continue on, to "press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus", Philippians 3:14, whether thru encouragement or discouragement.
God's Blessings to you All. And thank you for letting me vent here.
When trials come to use, we need to remember that God cares for us and that if we stay humble with Him, He will get us through it!
When troubles come our way, we often let our emotions take control, but 1 Peter 4:8 (MSG) reminds us we need to "Keep a cool head. Stay alert."
It says " When we are at the least with ourselves. It's then that HE is at HIS most with us.