Watch Out

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings – 1 Peter 5:8-9

The enemy knows us and understands our weaknesses. He throws out just the right bait to attract us and get us in trouble. Just when we are flying around as free as a bird, whistling and singing, we can get tempted and trapped by the enemy’s well-crafted schemes. No matter how spiritual we are, we can all be trapped by the Devil. The question is not whether we will be tempted; the question is if we can recognize the temptation early enough to avoid being trapped.

How does the enemy trap us? He watches us carefully. He notices when we are lackadaisical about our time in God’s presence. He knows when we drop our guard and assume the “business as usual” position. The minute he recognizes that we are wide open, he strikes! It is only through continuous prayer and communion with God can we have the spirit of discernment to recognize the Devil’s schemes.

How do we resist the enemy? The only way we can resist his temptations is by standing firm in our faith. When we know and understand that the Devil does not really want us to serve and follow God, it makes it easier to walk away from all the temporal rewards that he flaunts at us. When we are focused on what God has promised us as our eternal inheritance, we find it easy to stay strong as believers. Being a Christian is not meant to be an easy endeavor – the Holy Spirit that resides in us makes us an attractive target for the enemy. He will try to do all that he can to make us stop our walk with God and follow the ways of the world. It is important that we pray on a daily basis and be vigilant of all that is happening in and around us.