Be Self-Controlled & Alert

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." 1 Peter 5:8-9

For awhile now, these verses have been in my journal, where I started to "re-wallpaper my heart & mind with truth," since once again there is another command to be self-controlled. But these verses also offer us another angle to our struggle that I'd like to talk about. First, though, I must give credit where credit is due: I just started a new Bible study (in addition to my own readings & study) called "When Godly People Do Ungodly Things" by Beth Moore. Here are some things I've learned thus far:

After starting the study and reading these verses, I believe the devil is after us, God's children, for several reasons. For one, we worship God alone and refuse to bow down to Satan. Beth Moore (2003) gives two other reasons for our struggle with the devil: 1) he is trying to exact revenge on God by wreaking havoc on His children and 2) he is trying to incapacitate the believer's God-given ability to overcome him. (Revelation 12:11 says "They overcame him by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony" so if the blood is a done-deal then our testimony is what Satan is after.)

The above verses say the devil is like a roaring lion looking to devour people. What are we to do? Resist him, standing firm in the faith!!! Your struggle to have a pure, healthy & holy temple for the Holy Spirit's dwelling does not go unnoticed by the devil. He will attack you at every opportunity and try to keep you from achieving your goal of giving God all the glory for the outcome of this journey. You must resist! This is as much a Spiritual battle as it is a physical battle. So, be alert! Be self-controlled! Be attentive to God, His Word and the Holy Spirit!

Now I'd like to give you an excerpt from Beth Moore's devotion from this morning:
"Look back at the final word in verse 9. The word is sufferings...Not everyone in a stronghold of sin is having a good time. Many people who by the grace of God have never been had by the devil wrongly assume that all departures from godliness are nothing but defiance, rebellion, and proofs of inauthenticity. They have no idea the suffering involved when someone with a genuine heart for God slips from the path. Tangling with a roaring lion who is trying his hardest to devour you can constitute real and authentic suffering..." Later she writes about temptations, "Not unlike temptations Satan hurled at Christ, they can vary in type, but one thing is for sure: They are tailor made to catch the believer off guard. Many sincere believers fall before they even know what hit them."

We are in a war. We had better arm ourselves for battle. Fasting, prayer, becoming in tune with the Holy Spirit, worship, reading the Word, studying the verses, being obedient and applying the Bible to our lives... this is how we will overcome. The scale is not the enemy (although there are mornings I feel like it is!). But it can be a reflection of our hearts. We must be careful not to worship ourselves or spend our time thinking of us. What is this battle for health truly about? We want to glorify God! We want Him to dwell in our bodies! We want to obey His word! We want to be healthy enough to serve others. May our testimony send that lion reeling back to the pit of hell where he deserves to be. Only by the blood of Jesus will we victorious! Praise Him with your life today!

Dear God, we thank You that we don't need to worry because You have won the war for good. We know how this battle turns out. Lord God, we also thank You that Your word tells us that whoever touches us touches the apple of Your eye (Zech. 2:8). We thank You that like the Passover, our bodies are sealed with the blood of Christ - nothing can come in and destroy us. Lord, help us be self-controlled and alert so we can resist the temptation that is tailor made to make us fall. We admit that we are tempted by overeating and laziness. Help us walk away from these behaviors and obey your word where we are to honor You with our bodies. Lord, arm us for battle with Your Word. Help us overcome in this area of our lives for Your glory, and Lord let our testimony shine for You. You are the only One that receives praise for the work You are doing in us. We worship You alone! In Jesus' name, AMEN!