Was going through a daily devotional today and something in it struck my mind, so I decided to share. 1st Peter 5:8-9 is one of those passages of scripture that we’re all most likely familiar with. It says: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith. I’ll lay emphasis first on the part that says he “walks about”. That means the guy no dey rest! He is single-mindedly committed to his task, 247, 365. Ephesians 6:12 is another familiar verse: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Not only is he relentless, he’s got an organized system that would make the mafia look like child’s play. He’s detailed on every level; ‘principalities’, ‘powers’, ‘rulers of the darkness’, ‘hosts of wickedness’. I’m sure on some level or the other, we all kinda understand the goal of the devil. We all know he’s up to no good, we probably think well, yeah, he hates us and wants to make us all go to hell. We know he’s all out to make our lives difficult, make our Christian walk a living hell, make us stumble, fall. All very true. But here’s another truth. He’s not just interested in frustrating us and making our lives miserable. He’s not just interested in hitting us with illness or poverty or one disappointment after another. He’s not just going to hit us with one calamity after the other, ravage our bodies with diseases, take our loved ones from us, throw all manner of temptations at us or set people against us to persecute us. H wouldn’t even stop at killing us physically! All that would just be the beginning, all that would just be setting the stage, because, like with Job, he knows that the real triumph wouldn’t be with afflicting a man’s body or taking his possessions, but with ultimately breaking his spirit, messing up his mind and then claiming his soul. His ultimate goal is to completely and totally devastate us, kill not just the body but the mind and the soul. John 10:10 says: "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. He’s not just going to steal, he’s prepared to kill, and then to destroy, bring to absolute ruin physically, spiritually, emotionally and every other “ally” you can think of. The guy is not smiling at all, as in ko w’oju uche! I’m seeing John 10:10 in a whole new light and I dunno if I’m expressing what I’m feeling properly here. My issues with being broke, school, getting a job or even broken relationships are like appetisers in the grand scheme of things! He hates me so much, he’s determined to destroy me as in DESTROY! That makes me pay better attention to 1st Peter 5:8-9. Peter wasn’t trying to take out all the fun in life when he said to be sober. He didn’t mean to go about with a sombre face, looking like Christianity is a sad and miserable way of life. I think what he meant was that in everything I do, I should always bear in mind that I’m in warfare, I should never let anything, anything at all, make me forget that truth for a moment because there isn’t room for any sloppiness. My adversary, the devil is always on top of his game, I would be a fool not to be on top of mine.
The purpose of this article is not to scare you or make you live in fear of the devil, not at all! It’s just to make us “wake up” so to speak. One thing I know without a doubt, no matter how awful my situation is at any point in time, is this: God never leaves His own. He would never leave us at the mercy of the devil to do with us as he pleases. He always takes care of us, on every level, if we let Him. We can put our trust in the truths of God’s word, in the rich promises which assure us without doubt that the adversary has been defeated by Christ and that as sons and daughters of the most High God, we are already victorious…for I know the plans I have towards you…plans to help you and not to harm you, to give you an expected end… the One who is in you is greater than he that is in the world…they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony…for thus says the LORD, even the captives of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the tyrant be rescued, for I will contend with those who contend with you.…for this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil . . . having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in the cross….all of my help comes from the Lord…Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence, He will cover you with his feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.…there is no sorcery against Jacob, no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and of Israel, ‘See what God has done!….God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change his mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfil…it goes on and on. All these wonderful promises are ours if we hold on to them, not jut out of fear of the devil, but when we genuinely have an understanding of them and the God who offers them. 1st Peter 5:9 says: Resist him, steadfast in the faith. He doesn’t ask us to resist the devil in our own capacity or with our own strength. He asks us to effectively stand against the devil by being steadfast in faith. We build our faith and remain steadfast in it when we set our eyes on God and His word which never fails us. Ephesians 6:11 tells us to put on the whole armour of God so that you can stand against all the devil’s schemes. The belt of Truth. The breastplate of righteousness. The helmet of Salvation. The shield of Faith. The sword of the Spirit. Praying in the Spirit. The gospel of Truth (Eph 6:14-18). James 4:7 says: Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Three things: Submit to God. No hanky-panky here. No short-cuts. No pretence. No sitting on the fence. No Sunday-Sunday medicine. If our lives aren’t right with God, then the whole connection gets broken from the very start. We can’t lay claims to protection from the evil one, or even the promises in scripture if we haven’t surrendered our lives to Him. Remember, the Bible isn’t just a book of wonderful promises. It is the totality of what and how our lives should be. It is the revelation of the wonderful God that made the wonderful promises. Don’t get so caught up in the promises that you forget about the One who made them. Submit to God, simple. Then and only then can we resist the devil. Resist him, steadfast in the faith. Faith that you wouldn’t have without submission anyways. Steadfast. Not blowing hot one day and cold the next. Not when it suits us or when we’re in a bad situation. Not just the easy parts or the parts that are within our comfort zones. Not just when we have people watching us. Ain’t easy. Ain’t just a piece of cake, but His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. He sure takes care of everything, doesn’t He?! You wanna be mouthed enough to resist the devil? Then live your life right. Then he’ll flee from you. Shikenah. Problem solved.
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