Watch Out for the Roaring Lion
He wants to devour you.
One of the reasons that lions roar is to intimidate others.
Peter warned Christians:
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 devil is not your friend. He is your adversary - your enemy.
The devil walking around “like a roaring lion” may reference Psalm 22:13 - a prophecy of Jesus’ crucifixion.
They gape at Me with their mouths, like a raging and roaring lion. (Psalm 22:13)
Peter warned the Christians to “be sober,” which means to think clearly. He also warned them to “be vigilant,” which means to remain on guard.
Because the enemy is roaming around looking to consume Christians, they must remain on high alert.
Thankfully, we are not at the mercy of the devil - we can resist him.
Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. (1 Peter 5:9)
Resisting the devil is connected to remaining steadfast in the faith. The only way we will be able to resist the devil is if we are walking with God. We have little hope of resisting Satan if we leave God’s side.
Let us not become prideful and think we can resist the devil on our own - let’s remember to continue walking in the light with God.
This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:5-7)
The enemy is out there - and he is looking for souls to consume.
Let’s remain on guard and continue walking with our Shepherd, who watches over us and protects us (Psalm 23).