Living in Spiritual Conflict

The Real Enemy

1 Peter 5:8–9 NIV

Be alert and of sober mind. 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 the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Peter calls us to be alert and aware. The term in the NIV of self-controlled is the term better translated as sober minded. This should draw our minds back to the beginning of chapter 4 where Peter says that too many of us are drunk on the world and as a result fail to be on guard to what is really happening. We are at war my friends, we always have been. The armies of darkness desire to kill, steal and destroy and Peter is calling us to sober up and be on guard to it.

The devil is manipulating us. He is throwing his arsenal at us under the disguise of coronavirus, racial tension, partisanship politics. These things have cause the church to respond in fear, angst and even opposition to one another. We have allowed our hearts and minds to be so caught up in whats going on in the world around us that we have lost sight of our mission and the reason that we take breath every day.

Remember my friends, God has already saved us from all of these things. The enemy desires to shift our focus off of the Lord and onto our circumstances that we might be so caught up in fear and trembling we would lose sight of the prize.

Haymaze illustration. Lost on your knees when all that you have to do is stand up.

The desire of the Lord is for us to cling to His truth and promises, to shift our perspective from the things of earth to the things above. Our hearts should soar daily from the news that our God has overcome coronavirus, racial tension, partisanship politics, abuse, anxiety, pain fear, suffering, sorrow, suicide, doubt, and even death. The Christian response to the brokenness of the world should be even greater praise because not one of the great concerns of the world has our Lord failed to overcome. This is how we resist the enemy and praocalim our faith in the Almighty One.

The True Faith

1 Peter 5:10–11 NIV

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

This is going to be a hard truth for many of us to hear, but as one who loves each of you, I need to say it. You are going to die.

Death though is not an obstacle for the believer, no it is a new beginning, it is the gateway to glory. Paul puts it this way, to Live is Christ, to die is gain. The devil will always have a foothold into our hearts as long as we fear death and see it as the world does.

The news of Dennis brings tears, but it should also bring praise anbd a renewing of hope. God’s plan far surpasses death. To live in fear of death is to not live at all.

True faith instead seeks the truth of the Lord and clings to His words with all of who we are. In your fear, cling to God’s sovereignty. In your worry, cling to God’s promises. In your anxiety, cling to the power and control of the Lord. In your doubt, cling to His truth.

As our faith wanders, so does our perspective on the world. I know it sounds cliche, but the hope of the world is not medical science, a new president or more of the same president, not racial equality or better gun control. The hope of the world is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.

In Him alone are we who are far, are restored to our designed calling to be children of the most High. Only in Christ can we find victory over illness, sickness and death. Only in Christ do we see equality as we recognize that our worth and value is not in what we do, the color of our skin, or our political position, but rather is rooted in how God sees us, created in His very image.

Our Faithful Response

1 Peter 5:12–14 NIV

With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark. Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

So what does the response of faithful Christians, clinging to the Lord and trusting Him with each step, look like? It looks like us praying for one another, encouraging each other, pointing one another toward the Lord, reminding each other of His promises and truths.

Many of us are so wrapped up in what is happening in our nation that we are missing our role in changing what is happening. our salvation rests not in our government but rather in our God. The US is so far from God right now not because of governmental policy or presidential candidate. Our nation is far from God because Christians have failed to respond in love, passion and pursuit of others. Our churches are dying not because of school sports, coronavirus, economic downturn or executive orders. The churches are dying because Christians, you and me, stopped talking about Jesus and started talking about politics, executive orders and celebrity fashion. Our hope is in Jesus. Who are we pointing toward Jesus?

When we are responding as we should, it not only encourages, builds up and equips the other person, but it does the same for us. So who are you investing in? Who are you encouraging? Who are you sending your greetings to? Whom are you sharing a kiss of love with? who are you comforting with Christ’s peace?