1 Peter 5:8-10
8 Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring in fierce hunger, seeking someone to seize upon and devour.
9 Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset–rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same sufferings are appointed to the whole body of Christians throughout the world.
10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace [Who imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His own eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you.
I would like to begin this study by digging a bit deeper into a few word meanings. We will look at the original Greek meanings.
Vigilant in verse 8 means, to watch, mindful of threatening dangers, alert in mind, take heed, beware, to guard.
Seeking, also in verse 8, means, seek after, look for, strive to find, earnestly try to find, to hunt.
Withstand in verse 9 means, to stand firm against, resist–whether in deed or word, to forbid, hinder, withstand.
Firm from verse 9 means, stable, solid, strong, immovable, and firm. I have read these verses countless times and I always understood what they were saying. However, when I looked up those words it really came alive to me in a new way.
Let’s break it down one verse at a time. 🙂
8 Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring in fierce hunger, seeking someone to seize upon and devour.
We need to realize that there IS an enemy out there and he IS out to get us. I mean he is not the reason for ALL of our problems…LOL…we do have another enemy…our flesh. However, that is another devotion. 😉
Anyway, the devil HATES God’s children with a passion. His entire existence revolves around destroying us and keeping us from God’s perfect plan for our lives.
He will look for any and every opportunity he can to trip us, put doubt in our minds, and steer us in the wrong direction. We need to be well balanced.
Meaning, we need to KNOW God’s Word and who we are in Christ. How? READ and STUDY His Word. If we are in the Word daily and in prayer often we will be aware of the worms tactics. We will also have the ears to hear God’s still soft voice of warnings and direction for our lives. If we do not live balanced, the lion WILL come and he WILL devour us. We will be defeated, worn out, confused, and living fleshly lives that are flesh controlled.
9 Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset–rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same sufferings are appointed to the whole body of Christians throughout the world.
When we are grounded in the Word, we will have the strength to withstand his attacks. We will be strong, immovable, stable, and firm warriors that cannot be thrown about by every gust of wind we encounter in life.
10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace [Who imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His own eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you.
This is so AWESOME! You see, when we live a balanced life with God in the center…When we study and KNOW God’s Word…When we live by the spirit and not by the flesh…When we stand firm against them enemy and forbid him from wreaking havoc in our lives…
GOD…our God…the God of grace blesses us, and helps us to be all that He created us to be. He grounds us and secures us in His love. He gives us the strength and peace.
He stands WITH us and we are able to be effective for HIS Kingdom and HIS Purpose in our lives. We were created to be so much more than we are. The only thing that God wants from us is relationship.
When we seek friendship and communion with Him, we are not only blessed, we are strong, secure, in His Will, and a force to be reckoned with!
Let’s Pray;
Daddy God, thank You for Your Word and the victory it gives me. Thank You for loving me and guiding me. Help me to know You better. Help me to know who You created me to be. Help me to live my life for you and a light for this dark world. Help me to recognize the enemy when he comes. Give me strength to resist. Show Truth in Your Word as seek You. Thank You for hearing my prayers. I love you Lord. In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen!
Your Homework:
If you are not 100% CERTAIN of who you are in Christ and ALL that He died then I want you to write…NOT type…write out the following Scriptures and tape them where you will see them every day.
I want you to read them OUT LOUD as often as you need them and NO LESS than once a day until you KNOW them inside and out.
Isaiah 54:17 (protected)
Romans 8:37 (more than conquerers)
1 Peter 2:9 (Royalty)
Psalm 23:4 (with us)
Proverbs 3:26 (confidence)
If you have clarity and pretty much think you DO know who you are in Christ, let me ask you the following questions…
1. Do you have angry outbursts? If yes, do the assignment.
2. Do read God’s Word at least 5 times a week…NOT including Church? If no, do the assignment.
3. Do you live in worry, fear, or without peace? If yes to any of these, do the assignment.
4. Do you think that you already know all this stuff and it does not apply to you? That’s pride. 🙂 Do the assignment!
I think we all get the point. 🙂 NONE of us have “arrived.” We can ALL…including me can use a refresher!
For Further Study and Armor:
Proverbs 3:5-6
Isaiah 42:16
Deuteronomy 13:4 1
Thessalonians 5:8
Matthew 26:41
1 Corinthians 10:13
James 3:17
Hebrews 12:9
Have a Week of Victory!
Copyright © Lara Velez
Note: The Strong’s Concordance, Complete Word Study for the New Testament, Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus were used for reference in this study. Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com
Lara Velez is a Christian wife and homeschooling Mother of two. She is a published writer, web designer (designedbylara.com), and Mom of Faith (momsoffaith.com). She enjoys cooking, writing, scrapbooking, and web design.
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