Daily Devotional for Thursday, September 22

Beware of Your Adversary

The National Geographic television shows about African predators are quite fascinating, particularly the ones about lions. These majestic animals are the apex predator on the African savanna. Lions spend a lot of their time hunting in order to feed themselves. Like a lion, Satan prowls constantly, looking for his next victim. There is another aspect to lions’ hunting from which we can learn a lesson and that is that the success rate for lions is fairly low. Far more prey animals escape from lions than are killed by them. 

Why is that so? It is quite simple. Just as the lions spend much time learning how to hunt, and are very diligent in it, their prey behaves in a similar way. Young prey animals pay attention to how they are taught to survive, and diligently do the things daily that give them the greatest chance of surviving. 

How do we resist Satan? How do we survive his hunting forays into our lives? We resist “steadfast in the faith” (verse 9). Contrary to what some teach, there is no magic formula in the name of Jesus that protects us from the devil. We resist Satan by being steadfast in the ways of the Word of God in our lives. When we live what Jesus has taught, God’s strength protects us from Satan’s ravaging. We can learn another lesson from the wild here; living among a group of like animals provides protection from predators. Living God’s Word among a body of like-minded believers protects us because “the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world” (verse 9).

JUST A THOUGHT: In a flock of sheep, the weak and stragglers get picked off by the wolves first; the safest place is in the herd, feeding with them.

Wally Fry