The Empty Roar

I Peter 5:8-9

⁸ Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

When does a lion roar?  The Bible gives us an answer in Amos 3:4

Does a lion roar in the thicket
    when it has no prey? 
Does it growl in its den
    when it has caught nothing?

The answer is no.  A lion roars when it has found is prey and is about go in for the kill.  One of the things that Peter is trying to tell his suffering church members is to stay strong in the faith.  The enemy may not be able  to take your salvation, but he does want to make your life miserable. The devil wants to destroy everything about you.  He wants to destroy your family, marriage, and you.

Like a lion, the enemy must be respected.  He is a formidable foe.  If you do not believe me just read a daily edition of your local paper or watch a nightly news cast.  Our nation has been going on a downward spiral.  We have become a nation of murderers, drug addicts, adulterers, and many other things.  The enemy has certainly done a good job in helping bring us down.  I am not saying all our troubles are because of him, but he has done a great job into deceiving us that we do not need God.

As Christians we need to respect our enemy, but we need not fear him.  A lion’s roar is to paralyze its prey. It strikes fear in the victim, and makes it easier to kill.  As believers we need not fear.  Fear is what keeps us from doing,  and being our best for Christ.  The enemy tells us we cannot succeed, the enemy tells us we are nobodies, it is the enemy who tells us we will not amount to much.  Do not listen to his empty roar.  The Bible tells us that we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37), we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Phillipians 4:13) , and are the righteousness of God in Christ (II Corinthians 5:21).  More to come

until next time

the enemy’s roar is a bunch of hot air

God bless,

pastor greg