Be Sober & Vigilant

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world." 

1 Peter 5:8-9

Making the decision to follow Christ doesn’t mean that your life will be an easy road from that point forward. As a matter of fact, when you choice to follow Christ you should come to understand that the battles in your life will only intensify… The sooner we grasp this important fact the more clearer these words penned in today’s focus verses will become to us. Even in the protective arms of Jesus we are reminded today that we must “Be sober, be vigilant…” You have to stay on guard as a child of God… The minute you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior is the same minute that the enemy ramps up His attack towards you. The problem in the lives of many Christians isn’t that they are confused as to their calling but that they have become unaware of their surroundings… We accept Christ as our Savior and forget that the sin we lived in before knowing Him still exist and will try to serve as a stumbling block or hindrance in our advancement in the ministry that He has for us… 

The fact that Peter calls the devil a “roaring lion” should shine light on the fact that he isn’t as hard to spot as we try to portray him to be… In reviewing the history and makeup of the lion I came across some very interesting facts regarding this animal as it relates to his roar. The first thing is that the roar of a lion can be a sign of territorial dominance; this means that the lion is staking his claim to the area his paws land. The second type of roar found with lions deals with his food. A lion will roar to intimidate or scare off other predators while he enjoys his meal… Each roar of the lion lays claim to something in one way or another… The message that we must obtain today is that the enemy is laying claim to certain things and/or aspects of your life. When you go against the grain and dare to upset the status quo he will roar “seeking whom he may devour…” You are guaranteed to go through trials and tribulations; you are assured to deal with hardships and obstacles and you are called not to pray for their removal but for a sober and vigilant mind so that you can overcome and be victorious… So many of us fall and become victim to the enemy because we are praying for the wrong things and seeking the wrong answers… As a child of God pray for a (n) understanding mind and spirit so that you can realize the storm that you are facing and are going to face to prepare for it. This is the way we defeat the attack of the enemy before he even begins his invasion; this is how we turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones and reach the heights that God has designed for us… 

Every man or woman, boy or girl will go through times of adversity. Your trial may seem bigger than my trial but we all go through trials none the less… The difference isn’t the trials that we face necessarily but the spirit with which we are under as we face them… This very reason is why Peter goes on to say, “Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world." This race we are running isn’t won by the fastest person but the one who can remain steadfast. You must hold to God’s unchanging hand, you must trust that His way is not only the right way but that it’s the ONLY way… Sure you will have days where the enemy appears to be winning, you will have days when times may appear too hard to handle and you want to give up; however, you are called to look through your problems with the eye of Christ. You are called to be sober in your thinking because the enemy wants you to throw in the towel while God is preparing you through the storm to take you to another level. There are so many things in this world that if we are not careful will lead us astray from our calling. This is why we are reminded today to be sober and vigilant. God has great things in store for your life and the enemy doesn’t want you to believe that. I believe Paul said it best in his letter to the church of Philippi, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!