Opening illustration: One morning, I watched a rabbit nibble grass in my backyard. He was on the small side, with brown flecked fur and a cotton-puff tail. Suddenly, a hawk sliced through the air as fast and precise as lightning. With talons outstretched, he snatched for his prey. But the rabbit recognized the approaching danger and sped to safety, just inches ahead of the hawk.
Like the rabbit that spotted its predator and scurried away, we as Christians need to be watchful so that we can evade our enemy. “The devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5: 8). Satan wants to devour us by winning us over to his ways; he does this by toying with the truth (John 8: 44) and trying to deceive us (Genesis 3: 1).
The devil’s schemes reflect his dishonest nature, and his tricks are meant to catch us off guard. In response, Christians should be alert and clear-headed (1 Peter 5: 8). Living in this state of active readiness helps us discern false teaching (1 John 4: 1-3; 2 John 1: 7-11) and overcome temptation (Matthew 26: 41).
Today, watch out for your spiritual predator. What kind of lies is he whispering? How is he tempting you? Resist him, and he will flee (James 4: 7). (Illustration by Jennifer Benson Schuldt, Our Daily Bread)
Let us to turn to 1 Peter 5 in God’s Word and catch with the instructions for overcoming our arch enemy.
Introduction: These days that we are living in are both great and horrible at the same time. Never in history have we had such a great explosion of wisdom and understanding. On the other hand, never in history have we had the enemy of hell trying his hardest to persuade God’s people with his temptations and diverse tricks to keep our eyes off the Lord. I hope this message that God led me to write concerning overcoming the enemy will equip you to fight the devil and encourage you to know that you will have the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord.
There is indeed a battle going on, it’s raging all around us. Sometimes it seems it’s out of control. As bad as the war in Iraq is (and it is horrific), this war exceeds it because it is a war for the hearts, minds and souls of every one of us. What we see on TV, hear in our music and sense in our culture is all about getting our minds off of our Lord and on ourselves. Within this melee it is difficult to “be sober” or “think clearly.” Peter desires for us to think “soberly” which means to let no outside or evil influence sway your thinking. Satan is one contributor to our cares and problems. He is the Christian’s adversary, our enemy. The word devil means accuser and slanderer. Christ said that the devil “. . . was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies” (John 8: 44).
Recognizing the enemy and knowing his tactics (plan: deception and distraction) and weaknesses can surely help us to overcome him. The Word of God gives us some …
How to overcome our arch enemy?
1. Soberly Vigilant (v. 8a)
"Be sober" - be free from every form of mental and spiritual drunkenness; well-balanced; third warning, 1: 13 and 4: 7. Speaks of our ability to look at reality with a clear mind. It means serious, disciplined, self-control at all times; of sound moral judgment; spiritual alertness.
We must respect the fact that Satan is a dangerous enemy. Satan is a serpent. Have you ever seen a rattlesnake that can dart quickly and bite you before you know it? Satan is a deceiver and a manipulator. He often comes clothed as a harmless sheep or an angel of light, but he is anything but. Watch out! He really wants to devour you. From the beginning of time Satan has been out to destroy God’s people. Keep that in mind. Verse 8 opens with the words, “be sober,” in some translations. In this case it’s not referring to drinking but to being serious minded and alert. Our culture makes light of Satan and his work by describing him as if he were a cartoon character with red horns and a pitchfork, and with sayings like, “the devil made me do it.” We hear the word “devilish” or the phrase “oh, you little devil” used to refer to light-hearted mischief. All this is a carefully laid plan of Satan’s to keep us from taking him seriously. He is strong and clever and has an army to assist him in his tactics against us.
"Be vigilant" - always on guard; alert. Peter was well aware of this word, its meaning, and its importance. Used in Matthew 26: 41, "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Peter was inspired to speak from personal experience. "Be alert, the Christian Highway can be a dangerous road." Because Satan is so subtle at times, we must constantly “be vigilant” and always on guard. We have to be very alert at he has a tendency to slip in unaware and destroy everything. His strategy is to counterfeit whatever God does. According to the Parable of the Tares, wherever God plants a true Christian, Satan seeks to plant a counterfeit.
Mark it down that the Christian who is not alert to satanic attack is in for trouble. Don’t misunderstand ... we are not to look for a demon behind every bush. We are simply called to a continual state of spiritual alertness. It is as if we are like a sentry constantly on guard duty at the door of our mind and the gate of our eyes and ears, alert for any deceptive, seductive intruders. Keep watching and praying beloved. Satan would succeed in deceiving us were it not for the Word of God and the Spirit of God.
Always be (i) Ready to face temptation; (ii) Our vigilance must be comprehensive; (iii) Watch against little sins and (iv) Watch against our old sins.
Illustrate: Traveling in the middle-east on long stretches of road in the desert and wilderness can be boring and can cause one to doze off and by the time you wake up from the slumber you won’t know where you are or one could even then continue to sleep forever. Watchfulness in contrast to spiritual drowsiness in which one sees and responds to situations no differently than unbelievers, and God’s perspective on each event is seldom, if ever, considered.
2. Confront the Enemy (vs. 8b; 9a)
“Your Adversary” translates an opponent in a lawsuit. When this term is applied to Satan, the picture of the heavenly courtroom is brought into focus. According to Revelation 12: 10, Satan continually accuses the brethren before the Lord in heaven.
It is important never to get involved in a dialog with Satan or his associates. Eve made that mistake, and the human race has been dealing with the consequences ever since. Also, never try to fight Satan in your own way. Jesus is our model for how to resist Satan most effectively.
In each temptation, Jesus answered by quoting Scripture. He used God’s Word to respond to Satan. So we must be familiar with the Bible so that we know what to say when tempted. It is a good practice to memorize verses that can come to our aid when we need them.
Our temptations or trials are “common”; that is, your brothers and sisters in Christ are faced with similar situations. Also, the Christian is never alone because God is always with us. He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13: 5).
Peter learned these instructions the hard way. He may have been recalling the night Jesus was arrested. If he had known these things then, he may not have gone to sleep in the Garden of Gethsemane, or attacked Malchus (cut off his ear), or denied Jesus. He did not take the Lord’s warning “to watch and pray lest you enter into temptation” seriously (Mark 14: 37-40); in fact, he argued with the Lord. Nor did Peter recognize Satan when the adversary inflated his ego with pride, told him he did not have to watch and pray, and then motivated him to use his sword. Had Peter listened to the Lord and resisted the enemy, he would have escaped all those failures. Both Peter and James give us the same formula for success: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4: 7). It is an important lesson God wants us to keep in mind always. Before we can stand before Satan, we must bow before Jesus. Peter resisted Jesus and ended up submitting to Satan.
Illustration: There is a story told of a remarkable account of the destruction of an ancient city. The watchmen on the walls would call out whenever they thought they saw a foe approaching. Sensing that the people had begun to resent them for giving false alarms, they decided to remain quiet. Regrettably, not long afterward the enemy actually did come. The enemy sent a small group of men to test the defenses. Because they were just a few men, the watchmen thought them to be no danger. The walls were high and the city was strong. The watchmen were not sure if they were the enemy or not. The watchmen fearing the scorn of the town gave no alarm and remained silent. Then the enemy moved his main force and attacked the city. The city that could have been saved, was assaulted and devastated, and nothing was left but smoking ruins. Later someone erected a small memorial inscribed with the following epitaph: "Here stood a town that was destroyed by silence."
Can God’s messenger afford to be silent about the sin that surrounds them? Can he be true to his calling and not preach the whole council of the Word of God and be discerning of truth and error?
3. Steadfast in Faith (v. 9b)
The foundation is essential. It makes all the difference as to whether we stand or fall. If our foundation is not on Christ and the Word of God, we will give in to Satan and will be “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” as we read in Ephesians 4:14. 1 Peter 5:10 is a wonderful promise. It gives hope, something to cling to, when you can’t see the outcome. Some years ago when Betty was going through a crisis, God gave her this verse to cling to. At the time she couldn’t see how it could ever be. But now, many years later, she sees the truth of this verse. When we submit ourselves to God during suffering and cling to His Word, resisting Satan, God will perfect us, that is, He will make us mature and complete. He will ground you securely and establish your faith on His firm foundation. What more could we hope for? What a wonderful promise! Now this is such an easy thing to say. It is far more difficult to live through. Clinging to God’s promises and resisting Satan made Christ sweat drops of blood. And it can feel as if we are gritting our teeth and that it is impossible to hold on for another minute. But our God is there and He holds on to us. He strengthens us second by second, minute by minute. No it is not easy, but it does yield worthwhile results.
When an unbeliever goes through suffering, he/she loses their hope; but for a believer, suffering should only increase their hope, if we respond to it as God directs. Francoís Fénélon, a French theologian and writer who lived between 1651 and 1715, has written, “Happy is the soul that commits itself, by a sincere self-abandonment, into the hands of its Creator, ready to do all His will, and continually crying, ‘Lord, what would You have me to do? Teach me to do your will, for You are my God!’" (Acts 9: 6; Psalm143: 10).”
In this process God builds our character. When we cooperate with Him in that process, God gets all the glory. Paul outlined this progression when he wrote in Romans 5: 3,4: “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” God builds character and brightens hope when a believer trusts Him and depends on His grace. The result is that God receives the glory forever and ever.
Result: Overcoming the enemy once does not mean he will stop his harassment of us. This is what he is, and what he does. So our posture toward him, both defensively and offensively, needs to become habitual and reflexive. We need to overcome our ignorance of the devices and plans of the enemy, toward us and others, and through dependence on the Lord overcome as frequently as necessary. As part of this process, we will also experience certain spiritual qualities and lessons that can only be revealed this way. But in all this the promise is God will perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. (v. 10)
Application: The spark may be flung in from without; but there is a magazine of gunpowder within. The match would be struck on the lid in vain if there were not a prepared surface on which it would ignite. "Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed" (James 1: 14). And it is because of the known presence of these evil tendencies within that the devil watches us so closely. As long as we are kept by the mighty power of God, we are safe. The conflict is no longer within, but without. And all hell shall expend itself in vain on the nature which is experiencing the blessed reign of the Spirit of God, which makes us free from the law of sin and death. Yield yourselves to God; receive the filling of the Holy Spirit by faith; and then march to assured victory through the power of the Son of God.
To overcome our ARCH ENEMY, are we –
• Soberly Vigilant?
• Confronting him?
• Steadfast in our Faith in Jesus Christ?
