The Roaring Lion

Many of us easily forget just how sly and cunning Satan can be. Now, I don't want to be misunderstood to think that I am somehow making Satan out to be more powerful than God. On the contrary! I want us to remember today what the Bible says about Satan and how we ought to never allow ourselves to provide an easy entry for him to get in and reek havoc on our lives.

Looking at the scriptures we can read an easy comprehensible illustration of one way that he looks to attack.  

1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

Now just for a second let's think about a lion. Lion's are beautiful, large, intimidating ferocious creatures. They are REALLY huge! If you've ever had the opportunity to visit your local zoo and have one fall asleep next to the observation glass, you realize how massive these animals are. Especially the male lions! 

So in contrast, the Bible says that Satan is like a roaring lion that prowls around looking for someone to devour. Next, let's look at two words here prowl and devour. According to Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary,  the words prowl means, to move about or wander stealthily. Devour - to eat up greedily or ravenously. to seize upon and destroy, or appropriate greedily or wantonly; to waste; to annihilate. to prey upon; as, to be devoured by fear. to take in eagerly by the senses or the mind. 

Now understanding some of the words in the verse let us read it once again. 

"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert.Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." -1 Peter 5:8

Imagine now that you are getting ready to head out the door to the store and you are all in a rush grabbing bags, kids, keys etc and as you swing open the front door there standing in your yard looking at you with eyes that could pierce through steel is a lion just waiting. I don't know about you but, I would move so fast to close the door and get back inside that the wind would have been shocked at my speed!

This is how we ought to view Satan. He sits there at the doors of our hearts waiting for the moment when the shields come down and the protection is turned off. He wants nothing more than to destroy every aspect of our being and he will do it any way that he can. We would be naive to think that the devil is not clever. He is not all-powerful by any means, but, that doesn't mean he isn't smart. It's sad to say but, Satan probably knows scripture better than some of us! That's why he is able to twist it in so many different directions. 

My hope would be that this would encourage you all to guard your hearts and your minds at all times. Be aware of what Peter tells us, he is prowling and waiting for any signs of a weak un-attentive person to come along so that he can destroy them. He hates us with everything he is, and with a hate that strong, its alarming to think of the damage that could be done by carelessness on our part of not guarding ourselves.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God." - Ephesians 6:12-17