At all Times!

At all Times!

1 Peter 5:8 AMP

[8] Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour.

Peter had a personal experience of what he was speaking on in the verse above. Here was a man that was given to emotional outbursts, and was seen as someone who was weak, or easily swayed, or malleable. That was his past but this looked nothing like his future. This is where an encounter with Jesus becomes very important. A few years later, this same Simon had betrayed Jesus, had gone back to his old trade of fishing, had been restored, given the name Peter, had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, had been involved in the mission activity of the early church, and was used by God to touch several lives. Indeed, it matters where you have been, and who you have been with. 

That encounter is the start of anything that will make impact. Peter had one, and it made him a blessing to his audience, as well as a blessing to the church of God till today. Check out the introduction to this letter: he called himself an apostle of Jesus Christ, sent to the people referred to as the elect, living as exiles and scattered across the nations at the time. There had to be something of value keeping people focused on Christ. You do not stay in a system that demands sacrifice from you, if there were no benefits and blessings to be earned from that experience. 

Check out the brief insight into what we gain by our encounter with Christ. We are chosen by the foreknowledge of God the Father, and by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with His blood. That is not something to be taken with levity. You would also assume that these special access and endowments should be sufficient to keep us away from nasty or unpalatable experiences. Well, it appears that this is not the usual way God works. I take hold of eternal when I surrendered my life to Jesus, but the devil will also not keep quiet and watch me succeed in my walk of faith. He will do all he can to distract me. This is the word of caution that is the focus of the verse above. The verse above admonishes me to be sober, alert and cautious at all times.

It is not an attempt to stop me from enjoying this life, but to do so with a consciousness of the temporal nature of all that I see today. I keep an eye open on current events, but I also keep an eye shut in prayer as I seek God's direction for reaction and response to all that I see or hear. I cannot afford to ever switch off, as the devil never rests. He is described as a roaring lion, fiercely hungry and seeking available lives to devour. I must also clearly know that I will not defeat the devil by human schemes. Labour and striving will end up going into the wind; only the One who has defeated the devil permanently is able to hold, keep and preserve me in His will, and guarantee a good end.  Have you met this God? God's time of favour is here.