The Christian’s Enemy

1 Peter 5:8

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

The Devil is the believer’s enemy, and if we ever forget this, we will quickly fall to the fiery darts he constantly throws at us. Sadly, too many believers have gotten too comfortable with the Devil only to find out the hurt his fiery darts cause in our lives and relationships. If you will be successful in living the Christian life your entire life, you must adopt several mindsets towards the Devil.

First, remember the Devil is not your friend. The Devil may try to show himself friendly towards you, but his friendliness is a disguise to make you comfortable so that he can hurt you. You must remember that once you got saved, you became a target of the Devil because you are now a child of God. Any child of God is a target, and we must never forget that the Devil is our enemy and will never be our friend.

Second, be serious about serving the Lord. God says that one way the believer will overcome the Devil’s tactics is to be sober in your Christian walk. To be sober is to be serious about what you are doing. The Christian life is not a weekend gig but a daily battle against Satan as we fight to win the lost to Christ. The moment you lose the seriousness of this battle is when Satan will do his greatest harm to your life. We must be sober because it is a real battle. Always be serious about serving God and realize that at any moment Satan will attack you to defeat you in this battle.

Third, be alert at all times. Jesus warned Peter about the importance of being alert, but Peter did not listen. Jesus said in Luke 22:31, …Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: Satan didn't just want to injure Peter, but sift him as wheat. You must be alert because Satan’s whole goal is to so destroy your faith into powder that you have no courage or confidence to get back up. Satan wants to do more than just injure you, but he wants to sift you as wheat. Therefore, be alert at all times because he will attack you at any moment’s notice.

Fourth, remember the Devil has no rules in this battle. The Devil will attack you, your loved ones, or anything dear to you just to destroy you. It is critical that you not get angry at those the Devil uses to get at you, but get angry at him and the sin he uses to attack you. It is easier to get angry at people, but always remember he uses people to hurt you in this spiritual battle.

Fifth, you must resist. Resistance is refusing to comply. The best way to resist is to draw nigh to God in service. Always remember the closer you draw to God, the more victorious you will be in this battle. Always remember that our victory will never be found in our own abilities or strength, but it will only be found through God. Get busy serving God and show resistance toward the Devil; this is the only way to win every battle that you face.

Sixth, remember you will never defeat the Devil. This battle is a lifelong battle. The reason we must resist is because this battle will not end until the end times. The mistake many make is they have a great victory and let up, but the Devil never lets up. The Devil will wage another great attack after your great victory. Therefore, you must immediately beware of the attack after great victories so that Satan never gains ground in the spiritual warfare that you are in against him.