Daily Devotionals

It's Not Supposed to Be This Way Week 3: Tuesday

"Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are." 1 Peter 5:8-9

There is a well-known military adage that I think you will find helpful if you have never heard it before: "Prior proper planning prevents poor performance." It is so true, isn't it? When we plan and prepare, we perform better and succeed. This includes the battle against sin that we face every single day. When we understand that temptation will come, we can prepare for it. When we prepare, we will be ready and successful in the fight against temptation and the enemy's tactics.

It is clear that Satan only attacks us. He certainly does not want God's best for us. He steals, kills, and destroys (John 10:10). Because of this, we need to be ready to stand against and fight against these attacks when they come. When we expect them, we can be prepared to fight well when they come. Peter encouraged followers of Christ to prepare for the attacks in 1 Peter 5. He wrote, "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are" (verses 8-9). If we want to fight against temptation effectively, we must take the enemy and his schemes seriously. We have to be ready.

The question we have to answer is, "How do I prepare?" for the enemy's temptation? We stand firm in our faith. We do this by praying consistently, reading and memorizing Scripture, and spending time with other followers of Christ who can encourage us. The enemy and his tactics are real, but we can stand against them. If we are prepared and stand firm in our faith, God will help us overcome temptations.

Moving toward action

Write down 1 Peter 5:8-9. As you write these verses down, let them remind you to be ready and prepared for times when the enemy will attack. Then, spend some time brainstorming ways to prepare to fight against the temptation to sin that the enemy throws your way.

Going Deeper

1 Peter 5:1-10 (NLT)

"And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you: 2 Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly-not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. 3 Don't lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. 4 And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.

5 In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for

"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble."

6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.

10 In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation."