Purify Your Mind Series (Part 3) by Joe KirbyNäide

Know Your Enemy

"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. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 5:8–11)

Sometimes the Devil sneaks up on us craftily and silent like a snake. As the Puritan once said, “Satan rocks the cradle when we sleep at our devotions.”* But at other times, the Evil One takes another form like a lion and will boldly roar in our faces to try to terrify us. Lions are unpredictable and may attack suddenly for no reason; likewise, the Devil will roar a temptation in our face when we are least expecting it. Know your enemy! A huge mistake we make in modern-day Christianity is to spell devil with a small “d.” The Devil is a real person, and when you realize you are dealing with an intelligent adversary, you take your Christian battle more seriously. The lion is prowling around day after day with his pride of demons, looking for Christians to rip to pieces.

The Devil shows no mercy. He wants to devour you; he never gives you a day off and will assault you day after day with the same temptation, but you must resist him. If you spot the lion in the distance, you have a much better chance of escaping than if he pounces on you while you are asleep. That’s why we, as believers, must be alert!

I enjoy daily morning prayer walks in the fields near my house. In the springtime, the local farmer puts some young bulls in the field, too. I’m no farmer, but it’s my understanding they are too young to attack or be aggressive—but that doesn’t stop me looking over my shoulder and keeping a close eye on them as I’m walking through the fields. (I’ve seen them run, and if they charged at me, I’d befinished!) We must also be vigilant and look over our shoulder because I can assure you of one thing—if the Devil was a bull he wouldn't think twice about charging at us!

* Tryon Edwards, C.N. Catrevas, Jonathan Edwards, The New Dictionary of Thoughts (n.c.: Ravenio Books, 2015).