1 Peter 5:8-9 “ Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being experienced by your brothers in the world.” (HCSB)

I stopped in at my current favorite coffee shop recently. My usual barrista (one of them) was behind the counter and looked somewhat perturbed. As he made me a cup of tea, he told me that he was starting to question himself again. How real was his faith? Who was he really? What purpose was he accomplishing? Was he really living his Faith? Was he in the center of God's will for his life? The doubts and self-questioning continued on and still he continued to try and explain where he was coming from. I know this guy. This is a guy who wants to serve God so badly he quit his band and stop touring just so he could work with the guys in his church. This is a guy who tries to outreach to the skater crowd. This is a guy who had plans to go into the ministry. This is a guy who as soon as things started happening for him as he threw himself into ministry, suddenly these doubts start popping up.

He was not being alert. He was not paying attention to his real reason for ministry. His sight lowered from Christ and started to rest on what he was involved in. His eyes left Jesus and started to stray towards the path he was taking. He saw the waves and started to wonder what he was doing. This is a frequent, even favorite tactic of Satan. If the prince of darkness, this illusionary angel of light, can remove our adoring gaze from God and instead focus us on anything else, suddenly we become swamped with anything, everything, that can drag our attention further. The thing is, we are not alone in this struggle. Any and every believer has and is going through these same things. Not all suffering is physical, and we can all encourage each other because of it. At some point some other believer whom we know has already been where we are and we have been where they are now. As believers we are our own support group. We as believers can encourage and aid our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in returning our sight to Christ.

I would like for you to notice something. Look in this verse, what stands out? To me the word “your” stands out. Why? Simply this. “Your adversary the devil” means that Satan is not God's adversary. There is no way Satan can stand against God, so he stands against us. Lucifer is our adversary and that is why he comes against us so hard. He is desperate to try and shake us and move us away from God's will because that is the only way he can attain any victory. The fallen one can not defeat Christ, he can not defeat death, He can not even defeat the spread of the Gospel. He can at best oppose us in our daily walk with God. If this frightens you, also remember Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” God has promised to never leave or forsake us. This does not mean that we can not fall, fail, sin, or have problems. It just means that we have continual access to the throne and - dare I say – even the very lap of our Creator, Abba Father, El Shaddai. Be alert! Satan is like a roaring lion. Roaring! How hard is it to avoid a beast that always lets you know just where it is? Satan is roaring and as long as we pay attention we will be able to avoid the traps he tries to catch us in. Be alert! Be aware! Satan is already defeated and despite our doubts, our fears, our stresses, we are children of the Most High and that will never change. We are capable – you are capable – of resisting Satan. Whatever level of Faith you have (or think you don't have) does not matter. What matters is that God has faith in you. You are His beloved, adopted Child and nothing can change that one, all-important fact.

Begone unbelief, my Savior is near,
And for my relief will surely appear:
By prayer let me wrestle, and He wilt perform,
With Christ in the vessel, I smile at the storm.