“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8
Five of us had been standing at the corner, holding signs for Jesus. As we started to pack up, 3 heads simultaneously turned, our eyes cautiously drawn to the backpack of the passerby. All 3 held their vigilant gaze until the strange man moved out of the danger zone. I immediately asked the 2 other men staring… “Did you see that?” “Yup!” Was all they could say. Satisfied, we all moved on.
It took a few seconds, for me anyway, to realize that the black cylindrical object was an umbrella! NOT a suppressor at the end of a submachine gun! The 3 of us, who’s heads turned, were familiar with what looked to be a possible danger… but wasn’t. The object was a thing, out of place, that warned of a possible threat. Most folks wouldn’t have noticed. But we were aware… and did.
The Bible clearly commands me to read the Bible. By reading it, I see, hear and know exactly what my Heavenly Father wants me to see and know. Studying, memorizing, meditating and remembering are the tools that give me, and ALL of His followers, the ability to recognize danger with a simple glimpse. In His Word, I find His command. It is full of potential danger signs to warn me of a fact!
I have an enemy. He is quiet, sneaky, calculating and hungry. Most of all, he wants and seeks to destroy me. He has that ability, if I let him get the best of me. He is very good at what he does. But today’s verse doesn’t leave me with a Psalm 23 kind of ease. Where God automatically takes care of all my enemies. Here, God lets me know that I bear some responsibility as well.
God expects me to turn and flee from situations He calls ‘dangerous.’ God wants me to see the potential and fatal results of NOT paying attention to things that can draw me away from Him… and into satan’s paws and teeth! Minds and eyes that don’t see the enemy’s schemes, can and will be turned. What does that bible warn YOU about? What are YOUR weaknesses? Are you vigilant?
