June 12
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BE WATCHFUL FOR THE DEVIL SEEKS TO DEVOUR SOMEONE
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 having cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares about you.8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9So resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brothers and sisters who are in the world. 10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.
12 Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it! 13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to you all who are in Christ.
– 1 Peter 5:6-14
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Peter tells us a very wise warning about the devil in this letter. He gives us a way so that we won’t be an easy prey to the enemy. Here are some of the ways that you can avoid being a victim of the devil
• Humble yourselves under the might hand of God -when someone is humble, no matter what the devil does, he won’t succeed. Arrogance is the open door for him.
• Cast your anxiety on the Lord – when we engage in worry and do not pursue peace, we will be spun by the devil’s lies and make us lose our peace.
• Be of sober spirit- when we are patient and prudent, the enemy cannot infiltrate us and make us reckless, wild and unregulated.
• Be watchful and alert because the devil prowls like a roaring lion, wanting to devour someone.
• Be firm in your faith and resist your flesh – the devil won’t even have a chance to trick you when your faith is like a fortress.
• Suffer for Christ -for this will strengthen your faith and will make you have a solid foundation for bringing the gospel alive in you.
Peter closes his letter with a kiss of love and a greeting of peace to all who will read this letter.
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REFLECTION
• How can you ensure that you are not opening doors to the enemy to devour you?