Thursday Devo
Scripture:
1 Peter 5
8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.
8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.
Commentary:
5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Christians need to be spiritually vigilant, watching for attacks from the devil, their great enemy and opponent. Peter uses the graphic image of a lion to describe Satan’s destructive threat: he prowls around … seeking someone to devour, hoping that believers will be terrified in their hardship and persecutions, or that they will be deceived and fall into sin. Though the devil may threaten to “devour” Christians, they nonetheless have assurance that they will be guarded by God’s power (1:5).
5:9 Resist him. Christians need not fear the devil, for the Lord has given them power to stand against him by being firm in your faith (cf. Eph. 6:12–18). Trusting in God’s promises, believers know that suffering is not the final word and that ultimately they will be exalted (cf. James 4:7). The suffering experienced by the believers in northern Asia Minor is not unique to them, for it is the portion of believers everywhere (your brotherhood throughout the world). Hence, they can take courage that they are not alone. Though “throughout the world” does not indicate an empire-wide decree against Christians in Peter’s day (see Introduction: Purpose, Occasion, and Background), Christians who suffer in any age can be assured that they are not alone in their distress.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2413.
5:9 Resist him. Christians need not fear the devil, for the Lord has given them power to stand against him by being firm in your faith (cf. Eph. 6:12–18). Trusting in God’s promises, believers know that suffering is not the final word and that ultimately they will be exalted (cf. James 4:7). The suffering experienced by the believers in northern Asia Minor is not unique to them, for it is the portion of believers everywhere (your brotherhood throughout the world). Hence, they can take courage that they are not alone. Though “throughout the world” does not indicate an empire-wide decree against Christians in Peter’s day (see Introduction: Purpose, Occasion, and Background), Christians who suffer in any age can be assured that they are not alone in their distress.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2413.
Questions:
- In verse 9, Peter tells us to STAND FIRM against the devil and be strong in our faith. We would be wrong to ignore the devil's existence, but it would also be wrong to cower in fear. The phrase "be strong in your faith" implies a confidence that God will intervene and give you victory. One major weapon we have is to stand firm in right THEOLOGY. We should follow Jesus' example, who resisted every temptation from Satan by quoting Scripture. We need to know our Bibles! How concerned are you that you are believing the right things about what Scripture says? Have you dug in and studied things on your own, or do you just believe things from the past that someone told you? How much time do you devote to studying the Bible?
- Knowing the truth of God's Word will help us know our true IDENTITY (who we are because of the gospel) and His AUTHORITY. You are who HE says you are, and in the end you will win because you're with Him. Do you struggle seeing yourself as God does (fully redeemed and clothed in the righteousness of Christ)? How much confidence should you have knowing that your Heavenly Father has already won?
Pray:
- That God would give you a newfound passion for His Word.
- That you could see yourself the way God does and the way Scripture teaches.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
7. How can I trust that the Bible is still God’s Word today? I trust the Bible is still God’s Word today because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He was God and said His words would never pass away. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the writing of the Scripture, determined the canon of Scripture and protected the copying of Scripture so that we might know Him and worship Him to this day.
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
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