Resist the Enemy

1 Peter 5:6-10

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 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.”

Peter in this portion of Scripture defines our position as we look at what is going on in the world and the personal challenges that we may be encountering. Our overall stance is a position of humility. We have become so self-sufficient, especially in the west, but times are coming where we will reach the end of our sufficiency and be forced to declare our dependency on God. Either God will humble us, or we can choose to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God.

Humility is not only a position of dependency but a posture of submission. We can’t just cry out to God to meet our need, but we must begin to walk in full obedience to His word and His will. As the world rebels against God and comes out from under His protection, we must come more and more under God’s authority to walk in His protection and blessings. It is in the position of submission and trust that we can cast our cares upon Him and walk in freedom and peace even when the storm rages around us.

But being submitted and dependent on God does not absolve us of personal responsibility. We cannot stick our heads in the sand and pray and trust that the storm goes away. We must be sober, or self-controlled, and vigilant. We must be in control of our mind, will, and emotions so that we are not swept away with the tide of opinion and circumstances that surround us. We are to be observant and alert to what the enemy is doing and what God is doing, so that we don’t just react to situations but respond in the godly and Biblical manner by the power of the Spirit.

I am reminded of when Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. He carefully examined the challenge, sought God’s counsel, and devised a God plan. He didn’t try to do it all himself but divided portions of the wall according to families. They worked with one hand and had a weapon in the other. They were constantly alert to the enemy but not so caught up with the threat that they abandoned the work. When a threat or deception came, Nehemiah did not react but sought the councel of the Lord and responded according to the word of the Lord and continued building.

The last thing is that we must resist the enemy steadfastly in faith. We have to persevere and be consistent in what the Lord has told us to do. Don’t give up. Keep pushing back against the enemy, but don’t become so preoccupied with the problems that you fail to do what God has called you to do. Take your tool in one hand, weapon in the other and stick with the job until it is done.

Andy Clark