1 Peter 5:8-9 Satan May Roar - Devotional Scripture

 

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.  Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.  1 Peter 5:8-9

This "lion" doesn't just want to paw at his victims and scratch them but he wants to chew them up.  Roaring is one of the lion’s strategies for catching prey - they creep up on the prey and when they are close enough they will let out a roar that confuses that animal and strikes fear into them. The prey then cannot "think" or react correctly out of fear and so is trapped and caught by the lion. You have an enemy that wants to take you down, wipe you out, make you miserable and nullify your effectiveness. He seeks to make you feel so discouraged, so defeated in your own walk that you won’t be able to effectively impact others for the kingdom. He wants to ruin your testimony.

The people who are not “devourable” are those who refuse to be intimidated by his roars because they know that the true Lion of Judah, Jesus Christ, has already come and defeated the devil and has rendered him powerless. They know that the devil cannot do anything to them because Christ resides in them and He is greater than the he who is in the world.

If you’re a believer in Christ, the Lion of Judah is in you. He redeemed you with His blood and He has given you power and authority over your adversary.  If you hear an empty lion roar off in the distance, then stand firm in your faith, resist the devil and he will flee from you and take all of his empty threats with him. You see, the “lion” doesn't dare go near the sheep that are close to the Shepherd, for the Shepherd has a big rod. When you let the devil know that you are “In Christ” and that his intimidations in your life are over, you are numbering yourself among the UN-devourable!

1 Peter 4:12 Don't think It's Strange - Devotional Scripture

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test you [that is, to test the quality of your faith], as though something strange or unusual were happening to you. 1 Peter 4:12

Our suffering is not a failure of God’s plan or God forgetting what He promised.  It is the center of God’s will for His people to suffer for what is good, for His sake. 

Peter says we shouldn’t be surprised when trials and testing come and yet we are often not only surprised, but we are tempted to give our emotions more weight and authority than they rightly deserve. We have a great ability to trouble our own troubles. We get angry and push those away that can bring us comfort. We are tempted to doubt God and so we don’t run to Him for help. So much of the agony we put ourselves through in times of trial and suffering has to do with our disregard of God's faithfulness, or of His place as Creator. He is our sovereign Creator, with the right to do with us as He pleases. Yet He is faithful, and will only do what is ultimately best for us.

God uses those moments of suffering to pry open our hands so we will let go of the things of this world that we’ve looked toward to give us rest, peace and hope so that we would rely on Him and Him alone. It’s amazing thing that God would love you so much that he would not want you to remain in your sin in any way so He is pushing you and pushing you so you abandon your self-righteousness, your wisdom, your strength and you find your rest, hope and peace in Him alone.  He pushes you to let go of the idols of everyday life that you know will never satisfy your heart so you will find satisfaction in Him.  Suffering is part of God’s grace. It builds godliness into our lives. Once Jesus is revealed in this world all the suffering we have experienced in this world will fade away in the light of His glory and grace.

1 Peter 4:1-2 Arm Yourselves! - Devotional Scripture

Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.   1 Peter 4:1-2

There is a war out there and it’s being fought on the turf of you own heart. Make no mistake about it; the conflict with your flesh is one of the most hostile wars you will fight as a believer. Your flesh is in an all-out war against your spirit. We need to arm ourselves with the same mind as Christ because the way we think determines how we act and react.

To arm ourselves with the same mindset as Christ is to think biblically about ourselves and about life. As we daily yield ourselves to God’s will, we are arming ourselves with the same attitude toward sin that Jesus had and the Holy Spirit  enables us to overcome the  sinful desires that once ruled over us.

We are in enemy territory. We cannot expect to get through it unscathed. But we can get through it victoriously. We are not to spend the rest of our lives giving way to our flesh or to our fears. We are to live in harmony with God's will. When we make the most of each opportunity God gives us then we will invest the rest of our time here on earth in things that are lasting and satisfying. In light of what Jesus did for us; suffering unjustly in our place for our sin, we should hate sin, for it was that sin that nailed Jesus to the Cross. Soon we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ so make the most of your time here on earth by doing God’s will.

1 Peter 3:14-15 Santify the Lord in Your Hearts - Devotional Scripture

 

 

But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts.   

1 Peter 3:14-15

Don’t let your suffering trouble you, don’t allow your thoughts to run in all directions or start thinking about all the things that might happen to you.

God said something similar in Isaiah 8.  Israel and Syria had come against Judah. All the people of Judah were tempted to give into their fear and panic.

 

Do not say, "A conspiracy," concerning all that this people call a conspiracy, nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow; let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. He will be as a sanctuary.   Isaiah 8:12-14

We are not to be afraid of what man can do us but instead we are to be afraid of what God is going to do. Jesus said,

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.                    Matthew 10:28  

As Christians, we are faced with many crises and are tempted to give into our fears and make the wrong decisions.  Instead of giving into our fears we need to sanctify the Lord in our hearts.  To sanctify the Lord means to worship and honor Him as our Lord and Savior. We need to allow Him to be the ruler our hearts.  We need to fear displeasing Him rather than fear what men might say about us or what they might do to us.  

 And lastly, we need to remember that we will be blessed when we suffer for doing good.  Knowing that we will be blessed should be our motive to not fear persecution.

 

And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, Who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.   1 Peter 5:10

1 Peter 1:15-16 Be Holy as I am Holy Devotional Scripture

But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy. 1 Peter 1:15-16

To be holy means that all we are and all we have belong to God. Every aspect of our lives is to be shaped and directed toward God. We've been called to live a separated life. Instead of imitating the world with its fads and fashions our lives should reproduce the holy character of God.

Peter begins his letter reminding believers who they are in Christ. We have been born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are a chosen people that are loved by God.

Then Peters says, “Since this is who you are in Christ, act like it.” You are a child of the One true King! This is who you are. Therefore, the whole way you think and live; spirit, mind and body, must change. All our conduct, all our life, must be consistent with who we are in Christ.

Being Holy is an attitude of the heart. We must desire in our hearts to do what the Lord wants. It is the Holy Spirit that empowers us to walk in obedience.  He gives us the power to stand firm in the true grace of God.

1 Peter 1:20-21 My Only Hope is in You - Devotional Scripture

For He was foreordained (foreknown) before the foundation of the world, but has appeared [publicly] in these last times for your sake and through Him you believe [confidently] in God [the heavenly Father], who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are [centered and rest] in God.     

1 Peter 1:20-21 (AMP)

This was God’s plan before the foundations of the world; knowing that we would fail. Knowing that we would sin, God desired to demonstrate His love for us by sending His Son, to bear our sin, to take the responsibility of our sin and die in our place; therefore proving that God loves us. You never need to doubt the love of God. All you have to do is look at the cross of Jesus Christ and there God declared His love for you.

Jesus left His place in heaven and came down to earth to die on the cross for you.  It is through Jesus that we have come to believe in God. He is the One who has revealed the Father's heart to us.  He died on the cross so that our faith and hope would be centered and rest in God. To believe in God means that we lean on the Lord, we put all our weight upon Him. The anchor of our faith and hope is in God. It is in Him, not this world, that we live, move and have hope.

1 Thess. 5:23 Complete Santification - Devotional Scripture

 

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.   1 Thessalonians 5:23

God wants us to be set apart for Him. In Thess. chapter 4, Paul was urging the Thessalonians to walk in a manner that was pleasing to God. But here, in chapter 5, He tells them that this can only be accomplished in God's strength.  God never intended us to live a holy life, a sanctified life, in our own strength.  He is the one who completes that work in us. We are to cooperate with Him but ultimately it is God that does the sanctifying.

Complete sanctification involves the whole person – spirit, soul and body. God must be involved in every aspect of our lives. He must be in control of our entire being. Our spirit is that part which enables us to have communion with God. Our soul is our mind, will and emotions. Our body is the house in which our person dwells. His holiness should prod into all the corners of our being so that none may escape purification.  As we choose to obey, He will give us the power to perform; but He will not give us the power to perform until we make the choice to obey.

In Joshua 3, the waters of the Jordan River did not part until the priests stepped into the water. They had to physically put the soles of their sandals into the water before the water stopped flowing. God worked, but he required the people to take a step of faith, a step of obedience before they experienced His mighty work.