Resist The Prowling Lion

“Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, and be firm in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.”

1 Peter 5:8-9

We must take our faith seriously. It is not a joke. The enemy is sneaking around in the shadows, deceiving people into sin and distracting us away from God. He wants us as far from God as he can get us until we completely walk away from the faith. We must stand firm in the faith.

Standing Firm

“For now we live, if you stand firm in the Lord.” 1Thessalonians  3:8

“Be alert, stand firm in the faith, act like a man/woman; be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13

“So then, my brothers and sisters, you are dearly loved and longed for—– my joy and crown. In this manner, stand firm in the Lord, dear friends.” Philippians 4:1

How do we stand firm?

First, we must know that Jesus is our foundation. He won’t fall or crumble. He must be number one in our lives. To make Him number one, we have to read His word daily. Read His word first thing in the day if you can. Filling yourself with truth will strengthen your faith and help you to stand firm.

That will also help because if you know God’s word, the enemy cannot trick you. He will try to twist the word to get you to fall. He even tried this with Jesus and utterly failed. If we soak in the word and meditate on it day and night as we are supposed to, we can cause the devil to fail just as Jesus did.

Second is prayer. Pray everyday. Pray all day. Prayer is key to living a life in closeness with God. If you don’t pray, then you don’t have a close relationship with Jesus. There is a difference between knowing that Jesus died for you and existed, and knowing who Jesus is. Knowing him personally and spiritually is what will cause your faith to skyrocket. It is that simple. Prayer is so important! If God is for you who can be against you? You definitely want God on your team.

Lastly, be filled with His presence everyday! Don’t let the enemy in. He will try to find a little crack in the door so he can come in. Don’t leave any room for him, not even for his foot. All it takes to make someone stumble is a foot in the way. Make sure your door is sealed shut! He will cause distractions to pull you away from God. He will cause you to stumble so he can squeeze through the door. One little look at porn. One little lie. It doesn’t take much to let him in. He is prowling around like a roaring lion. He is planning and seeking to destroy you! If someone was planning something mean against you, wouldn’t you want to stop them before it happens? I would. So don’t let the enemy destroy you. Rebuke him. You can resist him. He will flee from you! Fill your mind with God. The enemy will try to get into your thoughts and trick you. He is a liar and he will lose because of God’s everlasting power.

Written by Olivia Mancini