Although prayer warriors can suit up wearing the Armor of God and be prayed for by intercessors, they themselves also need to be on the alert.
Stay Vigilant
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
1 Peter 5:7-9 New Living Translation
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.
We Have An Enemy
The above passage is sort of like a “good news, bad news” scenario. The good news is that God cares about you, and you are not alone in your trials. The bad news is you have a great enemy, the devil. The apostle Peter is warning you the enemy is looking for some way to devour you.
A warrior needs to be prepared and ready at all times for an attack. Earlier in his book, the apostle Peter gives more great advice:
Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:13 New American Standard Bible 1995
Prepare Mentally for Action
Remember the helmet of salvation we talked about earlier? This is the time to lock our minds on the truths of our salvation. We remember we are blood-bought children of God covered in the blood of righteousness of our Savior who loved us and gave Himself for us. Peter just told us the enemy prowls about LIKE a roaring lion because he always tries to imitate God. The truth is Jesus is the Lion of Judah and declawed that old cat at the cross.
We dwell on these truths until we are so fixated on victory we growl “AARGH, AARGH, AARGH!!!” any time the enemy attempts to come near us or our brothers and sisters in Christ. (We growl in faith just as Tim Taylor did in “Home Improvement” fashion when anyone messed with his manhood. We don’t need machismo, we got the Holy Spirit!)
Keep Sober in Spirit
When we looked at 1 Peter 5 earlier, did you notice it said, “be alert,” in the translation I chose. But, I like how the KJV translates the original language for alert as sober and vigilant, which means “watch,” “abstain from wine,” and “keep awake.” In other words, don’t let anything tempt you into taking your attention off the fact you’re in a battle.
Yeah, I know it gets tiring. But we are not Home yet. This life on earth is a battle but it won’t always be that way. Why?
Our Hope is Fixed on Him
The day we see Jesus, the day He is revealed to us, we will truly experience the saving grace we have been trusting in all along. Our trials and struggles we have endured will melt away and we will all be thinking it was worth the cost.
Remember, we avoid danger by preparing mentally, keeping watch, focusing on Him. Never give up, for one day the danger will be past and the celebration will begin!
This is the 22nd day of my Transformation: Becoming an Effective Prayer Warrior series. The goal is to write 28 posts discussing spiritual armor, the prayer of agreement and other prayer strategies.
I don’t pretend to know all the answers. I’m going to be thinking with my fingers, so to speak, as I process what is in my heart about these topics after reading the word and praying for discernment.
You can go here to see each post I will be making on this topic.
Today’s question for your consideration: What is something common every warrior faces?
PREVIOUS POST – Transformation: Glorifying the One We Adore
Sharing at Anita Ojeda’s 2023 Write 28 Days Challenge, Let’s Have Coffee, Recharge Wednesday
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I have never liked the verse that describes Satan as a prowling lion, seeking whom he may devour. That may seem odd, but the Bible uses the majestic lion in a lot imagery with God. I’ve always had a soft spot for the lion and the lamb. I love what you said about Satan always trying to imitate God. I’ve never thought about it in those terms before. Wonderful post and reminder to stay vigilant—especially in prayer for those who still need Jesus.
Ashley, I definitely understand your feelings about the lion analogy. In fact, in earlier posts in this series I used a picture of a lion to illustrate a point about God. Satan would like to devour like a lion but he really has no authority to do so. He does, however, have a very scary roar!
What we often don’t realize is the subtle build ups of attacks, a barrage. It has happened to me and I’m still recovering.
Rebecca, so sorry you are recovering from a barrage of attacks. You kind of prove my point, however; we must be vigilant and aware of the enemy’s tricks. He came to Eve in the garden subtly and wreaked havoc from then until now. We can’t afford to not pay attention!
Absolutely love the imagery of God declawing the imitated lion and of us growling at him! Thank you for these reminders of how we can be prepared when, not if, we face the enemy.
Yes! this!
Remember, we avoid danger by preparing mentally, keeping watch, focusing on Him. Never give up, for one day the danger will be past and the celebration will begin!