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 choose 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 exists 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 upon. The second type of roar found with lions deals with their 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…” The devour spoken of in today's text is not about consuming you as some suggestion. The roar is to deter you from obtaining all that God has in store for you by getting you to detour from your divine destiny. This is why you must be sober and vigilant. 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!