Peter, one of the apostles, spent about three years with the Lord Jesus and saw him cast out demons. So he certainly knew that the devil was very real! Peter wrote this verse: “Be sober, be vigilant [watchful]; because your adversary [enemy] the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:88Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (1 Peter 5:8)).
I thought about what Peter wrote when a woman living in our area reported seeing an unusually bold animal that came into their farmyard and caught a young goat. The animal resembled a wolf or coyote but had a different look and color. And it acted strangely too. It was not the least bit frightened when they tried to scare it off. It just stared back at them, with the goat dangling from its mouth.
They eventually were able to get the animal to drop the goat, which was wounded with teeth marks on its neck but was still alive. The woman reported this to the police, because she was afraid of this bold predator that was not afraid of them.
The police arrived in answer to the woman’s call. As they were standing talking, the same animal returned with a chicken in its mouth. In all, they lost five chickens—their blood and feathers all scattered around. As the story unfolded, it turned out that the little goat had escaped from the safety of its pen through a small hole and had no protection from this devouring animal. The chickens also had been outside the safety of their coop when they were taken.
This should help us to understand now what Peter was warning us about. God loves us so much, He wants us to be very aware and watchful of the devil, or Satan, our very bold enemy who is waiting to trap us. He offers many lures, and boys and girls can be easy victims when they are young—just a little lie, some little deceitful thing, or a little disobedience all lead to Satan’s territory. We are only safe when we stay close to the Lord Jesus and remember His promise, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:55Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Hebrews 13:5)). The devil is very bold and very strong, but we have the comfort of knowing that “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:44Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4)).
Boys and girls, if you are ever tempted to go where you know Jesus would not want you to go or do what He would not want you to do, remember this story of the goat and the chickens that left the safety of their pens and coops. If you leave the protection God has provided through staying close to the Lord Jesus, you will become a victim in Satan’s territory. He is a bold predator, and you can be sure he is watching closely and waiting to trap someone like you.
ML-09/06/2009