Like a Roaring Lion

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7

 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

1 Peter 5:8-9

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:11-12

My husband and I recently got the Ring video doorbell and alarm system. It has an app that you can use to enable and disable the alarm, receive notices when someone is at your front door, and even talk to people at the front door. It’s pretty nifty and I’m glad that we got it. But it also has this pesky feature in which I get notifications of “nearby incidents”—vehicle thefts and break-ins, home burglaries, gunshots (that last incident turned out to be fireworks but still), and the like—anything within a 2.5-mile radius of my home in Stone Oak. I didn’t realize all of the things that are happening way too close to my home – too close for comfort—but now I do. I don’t think I want to know, to be honest—ignorance truly was bliss. Oh, I knew that crime happened, and I’m not naïve enough to think it couldn’t happen within the Stone Oak area, but to know that a vehicle was stolen not too far from my neighborhood last week and that a couple of houses were broken into is unsettling. I reckon I could turn off these notifications, but I don’t think I will. They provide valuable information—information that I can use to increase awareness of my surroundings and mitigate my risk of being a victim. Forewarned is forearmed, as they say.

This same concept applies to the work of the enemy. Peter tells us to be alert and of sober mind, for the devil prowls like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. We cannot ignore the threat of his presence by either denying his existence, or by attempting to live our lives under the proverbial radar, hoping to slip past his gaze, not daring to call attention to ourselves. No! I’m sorry if I am the one to tell you but he is real, he is deceptive and a liar. We play right into his hands, also, if we live our lives in such a non-threatening way that we aren’t even a blip on his radar. We cannot, if we are truly children of the living King, compromise on our duty to share the gospel with the unbelieving world.  

James, Peter, and Paul provide us the knowledge we need with respect to the enemy. James tells us to submit ourselves to God, and to resist the enemy and he will flee from us. Peter tells us to resist him and stand firm in the faith. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians equips us with the tools we need in the full armor of God: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the readiness of peace, shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We needn’t be afraid of the enemy, for “he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” We just need to be aware of his existence, and walk with the Lord, holding on to His hand for assurance. The enemy may try to do his worst, and it won’t be pleasant, but we need to remember that he is limited by our God. The enemy cannot take away your salvation or the love of the Father. So walk proudly into this broken world and share the gospel, fearing no one. The Lord’s plans will not be hindered by what the enemy does. 

Prayer Requests

·      Gratitude for all that the Lord has done for us

·      Blessings on Ray, Wayne, George, and Carlos

·      Healing for the who are sick, in accordance to His will, peace for those concerned about Coronavirus, and strength for those treating the sick and infirm

·      For us to be the church wherever we are

Friends, don’t we serve an absolutely awesome God? He will never leave us or forsake us. He wants us to be bold and know of His presence always.

 Quotes

 “When God designed the plan for your life, it wasn’t dependent on you being perfect. Your mistakes are not a surprise to Him.”

“If you’re breathing, you matter, because you matter to the One who gave you breath.”