Standing Firm in the Christian Serengeti

I love watching the Discovery Channel. I really enjoy watching shows about the wildlife around the world. Man, I miss the Croc Hunter! Many times I've watched shows where the crew goes in search for lions and they film with their night vision cameras. They creep through the plains in search of the "great shot", the lion on the prowl. The money shot, the one that everyone wants to see is the lion prowling around low to the ground slowly moving through the brush waiting for the right moment to pounce on it's prey. It measures up the herd, spotting the easiest kill: The Young, unable to run effectively because it hasn't mastered it's motor skills, The Lame, the hurt one of the herd who can't run, or The Dying, the one that is literally on its last leg. These are the ones that are mostly picked off first. They are the easiest kills.

1 Peter 5: 8 warns us to "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." You see Satan is not a pretty little kitty to be petted and played with. Scripture is very clear that he is on the prowl, like a lion, intentional on making a kill. He is seeking someone to devour. He is on the prowl, on the offensive, searching for someone to bring down.

I believe often times, as Christians, we act, and are like the gazalles of the plains. When the lions attack, as they will, we scatter, we panic, we run in fear, we freak out. Have you ever seen this in wildlife? It's a sad sight. The lions attack the gazalles and they freak and run all over each other, it's total choas. They run because they have no way to defend themselves against the enemy. They run and hope they are not the slowest.

For the Christian, we are not defenseless against the enemy. 1 Peter 5:8a-9 states "Be sober-minded, be watchful...Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world." You see we aren't to be like the gazalles, defenseless and running, but we are to be like the Elephants.

Have you ever seen the elephants when attacked by lions? It's an amazing sight. They are so huge and so powerful, they can't be brought down by just one lion. When the herd of elephants are attacked they surround the young, the hurt, and the diseased. They surround the weak with a tight circle and fight off the attacks of the lions. You see, for the Christian, Scripture makes it clear that we will be attacked by Satan and his demons, therefore we are to be constantly surveying the horizon for things that looks ascew, things that don't need to be around us, searching to see if there are any creeping lions in or around our Christian walk.

Like the elephants, Scripture tells us to stand firm against the enemy. In James 4:7 Scripture tells us to "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you". But understand this, and understand it well, that your standing against Satan is not of your own power, might, or will. Standing firm is contingent on you being "firm in your faith". If you are Firm in Your Faith, the innerrant Word of God, Revelation from God to man, Absolute Truth, if your foundation is anchored deep into Christ and His Word of Truth, then you will be able to resist the evil one. Being filled with the Holy Spirit and grounded in the Word of God you will be able to easily see the schemes of the devil for what they are. This is why Paul made it his aim to "present everyone mature in Christ" (Colossians 1.28b). If we are in Christ and we are grounded in Scripture as our sole authority for our lives then we are fully able to resist the devil for we know the truth and are not swayed from it. We see the devil coming and see his tricks and schemes from far away. If he cannot get a foothold then he will flee.

Stand firm in Christ knowing that He is Truth and anchor all of who you are in Him and you will not be easily swayed. Stand Firm in the Truth and resist the devil.