Advance!

During the Civil War a young officer went to his superior and said, “I can’t get my men to come to the line of battle and engage the enemy.”

“Never mind,” said the general, “let them stay where they are. The enemy will advance soon and engage them.”

Peter gives us a frightening picture of our adversary, the devil. He portrays him as “a roaring lion, prowling about, seeking for someone to devour.” The picture that Peter uses here suggests that the devil is looking for Christians who are young or abandoned, alone or asleep. He would have us to be very aware of dangers we face through the temptations of the devil.

There are always times in our lives when we are especially vulnerable to his attack. He knows when we are lonely and discouraged, frightened and isolated from friends and loved ones.

Again Peter advises us to “resist him!” God will give us the power to resist him if we stand firm in our faith.

When Jesus was tempted by the devil He did not argue or reason. He turned to the promises of His heavenly Father and used them to reject the power of the evil one. Trusting in His Word and using it to fight the temptations of Satan will assure our victory over him.

No matter how powerful the temptation may be we can overcome it. God will always provide us with a way out. When we are faced with temptation, we must turn our eyes to Jesus, our minds to Scripture and our hearts over to God.

Prayer: Father, comfort us with the assurance of Your faithfulness, fortify us with Your Word, and fill us with Your Spirit that we may overcome temptation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.