NOVEMBER 17, 2014
Defeated
Adversary
Read: Ephesians 6:10-18
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks
about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. —1 Peter 5:8
The roaring lion is the legendary “king of the
jungle.” But the only lions many of us see are the lethargic felines that
reside in zoos. Their days are filled with lots of rest, and their dinner is
served to them without the lions having to lift a single paw.
In their natural habitat, however, lions
aren’t always living a laid-back life. Their hunger tells them to go hunting,
and in doing so they seek the young, weak, sick, or injured. Crouching in tall
grasses, they slowly creep forward. Then with a sudden pounce, they clamp their
jaws to the body of their victim.
Peter used “a roaring lion” as a metaphor for
Satan. He is a confident predator, looking for easy prey to devour (1 Peter
5:8). In dealing with this adversary, God’s children must be vigilant at
putting “on the whole armor of God” and thus they can “be strong in the Lord
and in the power of His might” (Eph. 6:10-11).
The good news is that Satan is a defeated
adversary. While he is a powerful foe, those who are protected by salvation,
prayer, and the Word of God need not be paralyzed in fear at this roaring lion.
We are “kept by the power of God” (1 Peter 1:5). James 4:7 assures us: “Resist
the devil and he will flee from you.”
Lord, we
know that our enemy seeks to devour us.
Please
protect us from him. We believe Your
Word
that He who is in us is greater than he
who is
in the world.
No
evil can penetrate the armor of God.
Insight
The church at Ephesus, to whom the letter of
Ephesians was written, was begun by the apostle Paul after he visited the city
(Acts 18:18-21). Paul’s work there was followed by that of Apollos (vv.24-26),
a man who had great passion but an incomplete understanding of the way of
Christ. This prompted two of Paul’s colleagues, Aquila and Priscilla (v.26), to
take Apollos under their wing and mentor him. This collaboration in ministry reveals
how the work of the early church, so often focused on Paul’s work, was a true
team effort.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
