Read
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8
Reflect
Jerome lived close to Daytona Beach, and he loved swimming in the ocean at night. He also loved filet mignon. So, one day he decided, why not combine two of his favorite things? He set about making a suit out of beef tenderloin and crafted it to his exact size. And one night, he put on his meat suit and went for a midnight swim. After all, what could go wrong?
Clearly, no one is this foolish. We know that there are man-eating sharks swimming in our oceans, and we know that they love meat. We’re made of meat, but dressing ourselves in a suit of raw steak would absolutely turn ourselves into bait. But how does this fit with today’s scripture?
Peter reminded us that we have a spiritual enemy who is constantly roaming the world in search of his prey, just as a lion prowls the safari looking for his next zebra dinner. And because we live in a sinful world, there are also human lions and sharks roaming our streets looking for their next victims. Peter’s admonition was to be “sober-minded” and “watchful.” Another way of saying that is, “be wise.”
If we’re wise and if we’re looking out for spiritual and physical predators, we will avoid situations where we could become their prey. We won’t place ourselves in situations that are inherently dangerous, and we’ll avoid the obvious pitfalls that would place us in harm’s way. On a childlike level, if we don’t want to get hit by a car, we won’t play in the middle of the highway. On an adult level, if we’re struggling with alcohol we won’t spend our time in bars and liquor stores. If you want to remember it from Jerome’s level, “If you don’t want to get eaten by a shark, don’t go swimming in a meat suit.”
Today, pray that the Lord will protect you from both spiritual and physical predators. Pray also that He will help you to be sober-minded and watchful, and that He will give you the wisdom to sense potentially dangerous situations and that He will enable you stay close to Him and to steer clear of the pitfalls.
Reflection copyright © 2021 Doug DeBolt.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
