Withstand Satan’s Roar and Fear No More
“It’s a jungle out there”! That was my second daddy’s way of warning me how it would be in the “real world” once I graduated from high school. Well, soon after I got out there and was on my own, the reality set in. Slim was right: “It was going to be tough to ‘make a go of it’ in a world that was crisscrossed with confusion.
It still is a jungle out there - in the sense that our world is “in a mess” of the kind we have not seen since WWII – the difference being that, this time, Christians are once again on the list of those being targeted by evil would-be empires.
That these forces operate under the guise of “religion” should be no more surprising to Christians today than it was to the apostle Peter in the 1st Century, when he spoke of Satan as “a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”.
If you’re “Lucifer”, cast out of heaven for attempting to “ascend above God”, who better to “latch onto” than extremists of false religions that are “hell bent” on destroying anyone and everyone even remotely related to the Son of God - whether by natural birth (the Jews) or rebirth (the Christians)!
The targeting of Christianity started with the birth of Jesus . . . was met head on by Him in the wilderness . . . gained momentum when He came under attack by the Sanhedrin . . . came to a head in the mock trial before Pilate . . . was thought to have accomplished its goal with the death and burial of Jesus . . . was reignited by His Resurrection . . . regained momentum with the preaching of the apostles - all of whom except John were targeted to the death by forces of evil, BUT not before the revealed Word of God had been preached, heard, recorded and preserved for time and eternity.
Because “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” then died on the Cross for our sins, then was raised from the dead for our justification, all who believe in, and commit themselves to, Jesus Christ Son of God have what it takes to withstand Satan’s roar and fear no more. We have The Word, the Power of God unto victory!
Peter, the first dynamic preacher of the Gospel, reassured believers that salvation was made secure by the blood of Christ and that hope of eternal life was made sure by the resurrection. Therefore, from here on, come what may - sunshine or shadow, good times or bad, even if the bad happens to good people – victory is assured!
Even so, be alert! Satan is like a roaring lion, never snoozes, is constantly on the prowl to seize every weak moment to damage if not destroy your faith in God.
Satan knows that the “weakest link” in the human psyche is pride – that old bugaboo that rears its ugly head now and then. We see it play out - more and more wars . . . broken homes . . . heart-breaking disappointments. How do we deal with it? We gotta withstand Satan’s roar and fear no more - I Peter 5:6-11 . . .
“How can you remain calm when things around you are falling apart?” Perhaps you have been asked that question by folks who were inspired by the way you handled frustrations and devastations in life – and they aspired to be like you.
If you could chart your “ups and downs” alongside Peter’s, I suspect you’d see little difference in the magnitude of yours and his . . . you’d find that you are handling your adversities in a way expected of seasoned Christians - victoriously!
If I may use baseball terminology, it seems to me that there are four bases you need to touch in order to withstand dire situations and difficult circumstances victoriously:
The first is humility – which literally means “leveling a mountain or a hill” – a concept which fits to a “t” my observation through the years of people thought to be “humble” – they considered themselves to be on the same level with everyone else; there was no illusion by them of being on a “pedestal” above everyone else. Isn’t it the “contrite” heart which sees oneself as “a sinner in need of forgiveness”?
If you’ve worked with young children, you understand why Jesus used the phrase “little” children to teach big lessons – for example: “Unless you become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven, and, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Why?
Little children depend on the mighty adult to do for them what they cannot do for themselves . . . help them . . . demonstrate to them how to do what they are capable of doing on their own – if taught. Dependence . . . Discipline . . . Direction!
Christians are forevermore to be God’s humble “children”! In humility we submit to His Will – which means do right in His sight, reverence His Name, never forget the reason our hope is sure, resolve to remain true to our faith in Christ all the days of our lives, and hold on to that reassuring thought, “I am ready”!
The second is serenity. There is no question about it among mental health professionals that excessive worry exacerbates pain and suffering but changes nothing for the better. Yet, we tend to spend a lot of time and expend way too much energy ruminating about things over which we have little or no control.
To deal with this problematic situation, with us older adults in particular, my take on it is that a part of casting our cares on the Lord is to entrust ourselves to the care of health professionals to whom God has granted intelligence, understanding and expertise for empowering you to live victoriously in a state of serenity. Let the Lord lead you to someone (a caregiver) who epitomizes God’s active involvement in removing suffering and restoring you to the serenity God desires for all His children. A good place to begin would be The Serenity Prayer by St. Francis!
The third is sanity. In order to keep your sanity, it is important to be aware of certain things inasmuch as certainty is always better than uncertainty.
Know who your adversary is . . . and take that knowledge seriously by acting upon it . . . Resist that which you know is not in your best interests. Hold on to that which you know is good for you. And,
One of those “good for you” opportunities for helping to keep your sanity is the support of fellow believers - such as a “Grief Share” group – not a “pity party” but reality therapy.
Peter understood this dynamic of the need to know you’re not alone - by his mention of “the same thing happening to fellow believers throughout the world.”
Folks, there’s so much we have in common that it would be a shame to keep our frustrations bottled up inside and never talk to a caring fellow believer about it.
We need to learn from each other, so it is important to listen to each other. The Awesome Power of the Listening Ear by John Drakeford is one of the best books I know of on the topic of Christian counseling by listening. Why do you suppose God gave us two ears and only one mouth?
The dynamic at work in this motif of sharing one another’s burdens is not that “misery loves company” but that misery needs someone to “hear” with their “inner ear” - who “has a heart” and will “take it to heart” while, at the same time, the listener reaps the benefit of a blessing received. So many times I have come away from mutual sharing encounters convinced that I received a far greater blessing than I gave.
The fourth base we touch is sovereignty. Our Heavenly Home Base is the place where Satan has no standing whatsoever and the Lord God reigns forever! The Roaring Lion has already heard the Umpire shout “You’re out!” The meek and lowly of heart have heard the voice of the Umpire say, “Whoever comes to me I will never cast out!”
As we touch all three bases – humility, serenity, and sanity – we maintain our focus on the sovereignty of the Lord God because we have a hope that is sure! Upon arrival Home, as children of God, we will be “safe in the arms of Jesus”!
Our Christian journey began when the “God of all grace” called us out of sin into salvation. Since then, we have sought to live as Christians should; we have fought the good fight as best we could; so, what we have to “look forward to” is: “eternal glory” promised to “believers in Christ” by the “God of all grace”!
When John Newton experienced God’s grace in his life, his immediate response was, “Amazing”! “Tis grace that brought us safe thus far and grace will lead us home.” Amen.
