Be on Guard!

In the book of Job we read, "Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it" (2:1-2, KJV). It is interesting to note that like a child who is up to no good and is confronted by a parent, Satan did not say what he was doing in his coming and going and the LORD did not pursue it. However, we are not left ignorant because under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, Peter exposed him when he wrote, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).

That Satan is up to no good is a recurring theme in the Scriptures. Jesus said of him, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy" (John 10:10). To put it bluntly, he is not our friend! He is not someone we want to befriend, nor is he someone that we want to entertain. As our adversary he not only opposes us in his best interests, but is also opposed to us and what we represent. Because he does not play fair, he will use every weapon in his arsenal. Some of his favorite weapons are fear, doubt, depression, insecurities, distractions, among others, because he knows that if he can get God's people distracted and discouraged, he can keep them from taking advantage of God's grace, His favor, and His provisions.

It is no wonder that Peter encouraged us to be sober and be vigilant! In other words, be constantly alert and on guard. As he walks about, Satan is studying our every move. He knows our feelings and our tendencies, and informs himself of all our circumstances; only God can know more and do more than he. But we have God on our side, and because of that we do not have to be intimidated by the lion's roar.

As we go about our day to day business, let us be diligent and be aware of how Satan works. If we inform ourselves of his strategies, we will be in a much better position to handle the distractions when they come.