Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. 1 Peter 5:8-10 NLT
Halloween is the perfect time to be reminded that we have a real enemy who prowls around looking for someone to devour, and to expose our enemy for who he is. Peter tells us to stay alert and to watch out for him. If you are a nature enthusiast and you’ve ever watched footage of a lion sneaking up on its prey, you understand the danger Peter is referring to. The lion is stealth, and when he finds someone to devour he wastes no time. He steadily but quietly sneaks closer and closer, and if the prey is not alert and watching out for him, he goes in for the kill. I’m including a visual here because it’s important to fully grasp the analogy that is being presented in this passage. If you’re sensitive to this type of graphic footage, then read on without watching.
Click here to watch: Lion Kills Baby Buffalo
We are far more equipped to stand firm against Satan’s attacks when we are aware of them. If you are a Christian you can assume an attack is pending, the Bible makes that clear. The difficulty comes in recognizing it. To protect ourselves, we must learn to identify an attack of Satan for what it is. Peter talks about believers all over the world going through similar “suffering.” Many circumstances can bring about suffering, but quite often our suffering is a direct result of Satan’s attack against us. When we fail to recognize that, we tend to blame other people, and we put all our energy into battling them, instead of standing firm against the real enemy. Meanwhile, Satan leads us farther and farther off track. We feel hurt, confused and angry. We want to stand firm, and be strong in our faith, but our suffering is real, and it’s painful.
Peter gives us some really good advice. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. It’s always wise to remember you are part of a family of believers, and that Satan isn’t just out to destroy you, his goal is to destroy all believers. If you are suffering an attack, Satan wants to destroy you and every other Christian involved with the circumstance. If you watched the lion killing the baby buffalo, you must have noticed that the buffalo was alone. We are always more vulnerable to attack when we isolate ourselves from the network of believers God has placed around us.
If Satan is attacking your marriage, remember that your spouse is not the enemy. Satan wants to destroy your spouse as much as he wants to destroy you, and if you are angry with each other, he is winning the battle. Set your emotions aside and determine that you and your spouse are going to join forces against the enemy, not against each other! Or maybe Satan is attacking your relationship with your parents. You feel they just don’t understand and you are hurt by their decisions. C’mon Christian teenager, be smarter than that. God has placed your parents in your life for a reason. Satan wants nothing more than to keep you angry with them so you can justify disobeying their rules. Don’t let him win that battle. Submit to them and when the time is right, respectfully make the extra effort to help them understand your perspective. If Satan is attacking you at church, set your emotions aside and begin to recognize Satan’s hand in the situation. He is the master of causing misunderstandings! That Christian brother or sister, who sits in the pew next to you is not the enemy. If Satan can keep you angry with each other, neither one of you will be focused on reaching the lost! Or maybe Satan’s attack is focused on your feelings toward your pastor or other church leadership. You’ll save yourself a whole lot of pain if you simply accept Hebrews 13:17, Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you. (NASB). God has put them in charge for a reason. If he wanted your opinion to trump theirs’, he would have given you the authority. It’s hard to win the war, when you can’t identify the enemy! Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
Let the last part of this passage encourage you. In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. God’s calling on your life means you win! You are not destined to end up like the baby buffalo! If Satan has knocked you off your game and you feel like you’re on shaky ground, don’t lose hope. God will again place you on a firm foundation. You will regain your footing as you begin to recognize that your struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the enemy of your soul. God will restore, support and strengthen you. He will cause all of your struggles to work together for your good.
I’ve been told by some, and believe to be true, that Satan’s attacks are all the stronger during the Halloween season. If you’ve had a tough week, take some time to evaluate your circumstances in light of this passage and ask the Lord to help you recognize Satan’s involvement so you can stand firm against him.