Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5.8
The devil is constantly on the prowl, looking to disrupt, harm and destroy the church. Peter wrote this verse as a warning to the early church and to us. We need to be aware and awake. Peter writes this warning to the early church, and to us, as a man who walked through failure in this area. On the night of Jesus’ betrayal, He told the Peter, James and John to watch and pray (Matthew 26:36-36) yet they fell asleep. When you stop to think about Peter’s life, you can see why he was so passionate to warn us and challenge us.
The night of his betrayal, Jesus told Peter that Satan asked to sift Peter as wheat. Jesus told Peter that He had prayed for him that his faith would not fail. Peter’s response was to tell Jesus that he was ready to go to both prison and death for Jesus’ sake. Peter was confident in himself, trusting that he would not fail. He did not take Jesus’ warning seriously enough. Peter was not sober-minded or watchful. He was distracted and deceived into thinking he could rely on his own strength. This self-reliance made him spiritually weak and feeble, open for Satan’s attack. Satan is at work in this world, and we need be on alert. Peter knew what it was like to stumble in this very area. This makes these next verses even more encouraging:
Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you. 1 Peter 5:9, 10
We need to be vigilant and sober-minded but not because we are doomed. We need to watch and pray because we can and will be victorious. We need to be on guard because we can resist the spiritual attacks we face. This victory comes not through our effort or strength but through faith in Christ. This is what Peter learned and is sharing with us. When he trusted in his own strength and ability, he denied Christ. Jesus has won the victory, and we resist and withstand spiritual attack through faith in Christ and His work. We will all face suffering of different kinds; this is something all believers share in common. However, instead of letting suffering distract us or derail us, we need to rest in Christ. We need to remember that the God of all grace is the One who has called us to His family. When we turn to Him, He will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish us. Peter knew this better than anyone. Jesus took time to restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish Peter (John 21:15-23). Peter denied Jesus three times, but that was not the end of his story. He found forgiveness, restoration, and strength in Christ. May we take Peter’s admonitions to heart. Let us be vigilant, resist the devil and his schemes, and find peace, strength, and a firm foundation in Christ.
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