BEWARE THE ENEMY – BE SOBER, BE VIGILANT

Life would be directionless, and a certain mess, if one does not have proper instructions to guide the person in the right direction, and towards the right destination. This is precisely what Peter is doing, when he was writing to the Christians of the early Church through, 1 Peter 5:6-11.
– “6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” – 1 Peter 5:6-11

For our study this morning, let us look at verse 8, and see, what can we learn from it. The Word of God is an inexhaustible gold mine. Let us dig some gold for ourselves.
– “8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8

Peter is talking about our eternal adversary, the Devil, Lucifer and Satan. A very important lesson to learn, for the young Christians, in the early Church. Nay, to any Christian, seasoned or a novice, at all times. The apostle warns us, not to be ignorant, nor be negligent of our adversary, who is extremely cunning, absolutely cold, and heartlessly cruel. Hasn’t the LORD Jesus, already teach us about Satan’s sole purpose?
– “10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…” – John 10:10a
Therefore, the words of Peter take utmost significance for our walk on the Narrow Path. There are four lessons for us, from 1 Peter 5:8.

1- BE SOBER, BE VIGILANT
Being sober and vigilant are the first words, indicating to our attitude, and our preparedness, while facing our adversary. We are called to be alert, and to be awake, at all times, so that, we can be better prepared to face the darts of our enemy. Therefore let us be “SOBER” – Clear-headed, and “VIGILANT” – Watchful, as we walk our journey, as the disciple of the LORD Jesus.

2- BECAUSE YOUR ADVERSARY THE DEVIL
We are called to be SOBER and VIGILANT, because our adversary is Devil, the eternal enemy and permanent enemy. The LORD, through Peter His servant, wants us to know who our enemy is. He wants us to know well, and remember always, who our true enemy is. This is very important matter to know on our Christian journey. When we are at war, it is a question of life and death, to know, who our enemy is.

“YOUR ADVERSARY” is the “DEVIL” – let this point never be forgotten. Knowing our enemy is half the victory won. Many times, people simply don’t know who their enemy is. This leads to chaos and confusion. When we know who we are up against, we will be “SOBER” -clear headed, and “VIGILANT” – alert and watchful.

3- WALKS ABOUT LIKE A ROARING LION
Peter goes on to describe the enemy, for our greater clarity, and gives us an insight, into who our enemy is. This knowledge is critical for our survival, and ultimately, our success, as a Christian. We are not only to know our enemy, but to know him thoroughly. 

WALKS ABOUT – Lucifer is restlessly walking about. He is not idle and unproductive. He is alert and active. He knows his purpose, and is actively pursuing his goals – to seek and destroy us.

LIKE A ROARING LION – A lion roars to scare the prey, and to bring it out, into the open, from its hiding. Satan wants to scare us into submission. He wants us to doubt God, and His able protection, so that, we would become easy prey to him.

4- SEEKING WHOM HE MAY DEVOUR
Peter is trying to educate any ignorant and naive Christian, that our enemy is not only real, but is walking about and roaring like a lion, with the sole purpose to destroy us – “SEEKING WHOM HE MAY DEVOUR.” 

Satan is not simply trying to scare us into submission, and beat us into pulp. Yes, he does, but his true intention is our utter and total destruction. The sooner we learn this, the better it is for us, our welfare, and our ultimate success, as we walk this perilous narrow path, that our Good Shepherd has called us to.

The LORD who called us is faithful, and He will never leave us, nor forsake us. The Good Shepherd will lead us the good path, and will protect us from every harm and danger. Let us have no second thoughts about this. However, it is important as the sheep, to walk with the Shepherd, and not wander into the enemy territory, and into our enemy’s arms. Such an error is not desirable, and not helpful. Therefore, let us be wise and “BE AWARE OF OUR ENEMY, and ever BE SOBER, and ever BE VIGILANT.” Even so, the LORD help us.