Be Vigilant 8/22-26/20

22-26 August 2020 – Be Vigilant – Manna by Dorothy & Tony Callies

            1 Peter 5:8, 9 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.  Resist him, steadfast in faith …” Here are the meaning of words: sober means be serious; vigilant means be alert to the signs of danger; resist means to fight or stand up against; steadfast means firmly fixed in place and not easily influence from or stand strong.

            Those words sum up as a warning and encouragement. Be serious. Be alert. Fight against. Stand strong. Who? Against Satan as he seeks to destroy us.  

            Satan is never tired, he is cruel, and he is a crafty worker. Satan is a powerful adversary or enemy of the human race.  Satan began his work on earth against God and man in the Garden of Eden, and he will continue “seeking whom he may destroy. Satan continue his evil work until Satan is cast into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:10). It means Satan’s time is very short.

            So we need to stand against the “wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:11).  You are encouraged to put on the whole armor of God by quoting them:  [Wiles means clever tricks]

            (1) the belt of truth (John 14:6).

            (2) the breastplate of righteousness (Roman 10:1-4).

            (3) the gospel sandals (1Cor. 15:3,4).

            (4) the shield of faith (Heb. 11:5,6).

            (5) the helmet of salvation (Heb. 5:9).

            (6) the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Heb. 4:12).

            (7) praying always (1Thess. 5:17).

            This armor of God is found in Ephesians 6:10-18 and “putting on the armor of God” you should be able to stand against Satan and his work.

You need to be aware (take notice) of Satan’s works:

            (1) Satan put lots of temptations on the unbeliever and take him captive to                                 do what Satan wants to do (2 Tim. 2:26; Eph.2:1-3).

            (2) Satan tempted men (people) to do evil (1Thess. 3:5).

            (3) Satan has the power of death (Heb. 2:14). Satan is the slayer of men                            (John 8:44). It means Satan killed people.

            (4) Satan motivates professing believers to betray Christ (John 13:2).

            (5) Satan inspires believers to lie to God in the church (Acts 5:1-11).

            (6) Satan influences people’s mind to do what he wants (John 3:21-27).

            (7) Satan has the power to steal the Word of God from the hearts of those                        who hear the Word of God, but do not understand it (Matt. 13:19).

            (8) He blinds unbelievers’ minds to keep them from being saved (2Cor.4:4).

            (9) Satan has access (permission to enter) to the throne of God and accuses                    the brethren before God (Rev. 12:10).

            (10) Satan will work through Antichrist in Great Tribulation (2 Thess. 2:8-12).

Dorothy:  God’s Word tells us to be vigilant; be alert to the signs of danger and be watchful of Satan’s tricks.  God’s Word encourages us to put on the armor of God during our prayer time. A friend told this story of a prayer group who struggled to pray through. Later on, they realized they missed the quote by “putting on the armour of God” and their prayer group broke through the barriers of demons’ force. God answered their prayers. I thought, “Wow! What a powerful testimony they gave us.”  God bless you today!

Song: Whisper A Prayer

God answers prayer in the morning

God answers prayer at noon.

God answers prayer in the evening

So keep your heart in tune. 

(Inspiring Choruses)