Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8
Isn’t it interesting in the above passage that the devil has to seek out those whom he may devour? This means that he can’t devour everyone. Don’t surrender your authority to him and be found among those whom he can devour! Also, did you notice that he roams about like, or as, “a roaring lion”?
I asked the Lord why the devil goes about as a roaring lion and not some other creature. He led me to Proverbs 19:12, which says, “The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion”.
The devil is an imposter who goes about as a roaring lion because he is imitating the King of kings, our Lord Jesus, the real lion of Judah. He wants people to think that our King is full of wrath, anger, and rage against us. He comes at us roaring with the voice of condemnation, accusation, and shame.
Satan wants you to have the impression that you have failed God, and that He is not only disappointed with you, but is also downright furious with you. Now, if you believe that about God, would you be taking refuge under the shelter of His wings? Would you be taking your rightful place of authority, power, and strength? Of course not. In fact, you will flee from God!
Believers who are under a cloud of condemnation won’t pray the prayer of protection. They feel unworthy of God’s promises and, in fact, are expecting punishment and judgment from God.
That is exactly where the devil wants you to be. When you run away from God, you are running straight into the devil’s snare. You abdicate your place of authority when you abdicate your place of intimacy with God.
Beloved, you need to know this: You are loved. God is not mad at you. In Christ, you can have the confident assurance that you are forgiven, loved, and righteous (Eph. 1:7, Rom. 8:37, 2 Cor. 5:21). The Lord Jesus has taken all your punishment at the cross so that today, you can enjoy His undeserved, unearned, and unmerited favor. God sees you in Christ, who is completely spotless and without blame.
Based on our own deeds, none of us qualify for His protection. But because of what our Lord Jesus has done for us on the cross, we can all come boldly to His throne of grace (Heb. 4:16). Because of what He has done, we qualify to dwell in the secret place with the King of kings, where the phony “roaring lion” has no power over us!
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