Friday 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:
- The big idea from Sunday was that we need to WAKE UP to the WAR! Two lions are waging a war for your soul. The lion here in 1 Peter, the devil, seeks to devour you by feeding your pride, fleshly desires, addictions, self indulgence and self centeredness, resulting in a wasted and meaningless life. He preys on your anxiety, your apathy, your ignorance of the Word of Truth and your lack of trust in the sovereignty of God. But the devil is Scar in this story. He's a second-rate lion! A Walmart lion. A K-Mart lion. A Dollar Store lion! But Jesus is the lion that fights for us, and Peter says all power belongs to HIM. What needs to change in your life in light of these truths?
- The bottom line is, we all need to be aware of the unseen world around us. Satan wants to take us out, but God is on our side. We should be aware and prepared, but not scared. What is God speaking to you through His Word this week? How prepared are you?
Pray:
- That you would live like you're on the winning side.
- That you would stay prepared for and aware of the battles of the unseen world.
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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