Your Adversary...

1 Peter 5:6-10, "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."

  You have an adversary and it is the devil. An adversary is an enemy, a foe, an antagonist, one who opposes your every move for Christ. He often poses as your friend, but he is the Christian's bitterest foe. Too often I'm afraid we fail to see our foe for who he is. . . the devil. Keep this in mind if you are saved and standing for truth: he hates you. He already has the world and false religion. So who is he really after? Those that are truly saved from all sin.

  Peter lets us know that Satan walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. The upside of this is you do not have to let him. The downside is, many of you are letting him do just that. To not let the devil devour you, you must resist him stedfast in the faith. Too many have no strength to resist. They are anemic in faith. We live in such a weak, tepid age. It is easier to give in to society and peer pressure and conform to the world than it is to resist  and stand against it. As a result, we see people, even whole households being devoured. The definition of the word devour brings this out more forcibly. The Greek means to drink down, to gulp entirely, devour, drown, swallow up. Webster's puts it this way: To eat up; to eat with greediness; to eat ravenously, as a best of prey; To destroy; to consume with rapidity and violence.  Satan wants to devour you. Today we are seeing him devour and consume people with rapidity and violence; however, this only happens to those who will allow him. But when they go, it happens fast.

  Satan does not approach you in a red suit and tail with a pitchfork in his hands and announce himself, "I am the devil!" He is far more subtle than that. Those that fell did so because they were not sober or serious about their soul. They were not vigilant or watchful in their guard against sin. Galations 5:7, "Ye  did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?" Often people are used of Satan to oppose the saint.

  We  must guard against situations involving the opposite sex. Lust has slain its millions. Joseph was an excellent example of one who was watchful of his adversary. When Potiphar's wife made advances toward him, Joseph made no provision for the flesh. He did his business, but paid no attention to her. He did not try to work things around so he could talk to her. Then when the big temptation came and Satan came roaring like a lion, Joseph had grace and fled for his life. We are living in a day when purity is scoffed. In the work place the saint must go out of their way to abstain form the very appearance of evil. Lust roars like a lion. It roars at the young and the old, the man and the woman.

  Luke 14:26, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my diciple."  Satan often uses those who are close to our heart to hinder us in the Christian race: father, mother, wife, children, etc. Our love for the truth must be first. Christ was not advocating that we hate our family, but that we love them less than God. Love for the truth and the family of God must take first place in our affections. However, the one we must guard against the most is self. We live in a selfish age. Backsliding is a selfish act. Proverbs 14:14, "The backslider in heart shal be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself."

  Proverbs 4:23-27, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil."

(taken from The Remnant newsletter, article by Bro. Carl Birt)