i will not be devoured!
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” (1 Pet.5:8-9).
INTRODUCTION:
Apostle Peter was not unaware of the challenges believers were facing in his days, especially as it concerned the unrelenting and determined adversary. He was specific about who the adversary was- the devil. He (the adversary), never meant well for believers. And as an apostle he knew the implications of the devil gaining upper hand, given the least opportunity. Hence, he clamored in our text above, on the strategies to cultivate so that devil will not get the better part of us. He encouraged us to resist him : not allowing him to be comfortable in our space, and that we be steadfast in the faith- we should never allow the vicissitudes of life to overwhelm us to give in to the whims and caprices of this adversary.
CONTEXT:
Sober means to show serious attitude, while vigilance means keeping a careful watch against all possible dangers. Adversary on its own is an enemy who fights determinedly, continuously, and relentlessly . He is a stubborn opponent. Peter, in this text, issued a stern warning to all believers, of the need to be on guard at all times. Hence, both terms, ‘sobering’ and ‘vigilance’ convey a sense of maximum care against a relentless enemy who is looking for the least opportunity to strike.
Using simile as a figure of speech in this context, Peter compared the seriousness of the enemy to a ferocious lion ready to maul its victims, given the least chance. There are several array of ways the devil could take advantage of careless people, regardless of how much they are held in a high esteem in their ordinations. Samson was one of such ! A man consecrated from the mother’s womb to be a Nazarite, derailed progressively , on a fast track , until he ultimately met his destruction. The adversary of his destruction was tied to his insatiable desire for lust. Having lived in a fool’s paradise for a while, in his ungodly infatuation with Delilah, he lost everything on the laps of the razor-wielding lady from the Valley of Sorek. To say Samson let down his guard would be an understatement. He was totally unruly and deviated completely from the scope of his calling. He was devoured as a man that never lived, let alone a man that carried so much grace! “Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him out to Gaza. they bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison.” (Jud.16:21).
Handling the things of God with levity, or not paying attention to the details of God’s instructions are another avenues that a person can be devoured. Eli, the old priest at Shiloh, had served the LORD for forty-years, yet, he allowed careless and unguarded talk to end his ministry on a very disastrous note. The entire lineage, by extension, was devoured. Though an octogenarian, his age was no barrier for God to unleash His divine wrath on him. By the time the dust had settled, even his on-coming generations bore part of the divine menace that ran down the lineage. It was a one fell swoop devourer that visited this once upon a time God-favored family. The catalogue of woes was unprecedented in the history of Israel.
At the breaking news that the Ark of God had been captured by the Philistines, Eli fell down, broke his neck and died on the spot. The wife of Phinehas, Eli’s son, heard the news of the captured ark, on delivery bed. In that agony, she thought no other symbolical name befitted the new born, than Ichabod, meaning the glory has departed from Israel. Before the occurrence of all these untoward happenings, God had made some deadly pronouncements on this lineage, for obvious religious sacrilege and infractions, committed by Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli. The oncoming consequences are captured vividly, “behold, the days are coming that I will cut off your arm and the arm of your fathers house, so that there will not be an old man in your house.” (1 Sam.2:31). Among such God’s pronouncements that are clearly apparent include that:
- there will not be an old man in Eli’s house forever
- Eli will see an enemy in God’s dwelling
- the men not cut off will grieve Eli’s heart
- all Eli’s descendants shall die in the flower of their age
- Hophni and Phinehas shall die in one day.
There could NOT have been a worse unleashing a devourer can leave on a family more than it did to Eli’s lineage! So sad that a man that devoted half of his years on earth to serve the LORD could end the way he did. Truth be told, Eli had a window of opportunity to plead mercy, for God to stay action on the proposed generational destruction. He knew God so well to be a Doer of His word. However, Eli chose to be too familiar with God with the lackadaisical attitude he handled the warning.
SIDEBAR:
- The adversary that is looking for whom to devour, more often than not, does not come handy or in the physical. It rather comes subtly wrapped in our attitudes, misconducts, misbehaviors, mental permutations, overconfidence, laxity, greed, lusts, disobedience to God’s dictates, instructions, and directives.
- All these inactions are palpable and are causative factors to pulling the strings of monumental destructions on the affected, and their generations.
- Hence, both terms, ‘sobering’ and ‘vigilance’ convey a sense of maximum care against a relentless enemy who is looking for the least opportunity to strike.
- Handling the things of God with levity, or not paying attention to the details of God’s instructions are another avenues that a person can be devoured.
PRAYERS:
- LORD, help me to be careful that I and my lineage be NOT devoured.
- LORD, deliver me from all vices devourer may lay claim to, to invade my life.
- LORD, I pray, the men in my lineage shall NOT die at the flower of their lives.
- LORD, Your glory shall NOT depart from our homes and nations. Amen!
PRAYER OF SALVATION:
Peradventure you want to accept the LORD as your Savior, you may please pray thus: LORD JESUS, I confess, repent, and forsake all my sins. I surrender my life to You. From today, I accept You as my LORD and Savior. Amen!
DEDICATION:
This is dedicated to my 59th birthday, Sunday, September 13th. Happy birthday to me!
CONCLUSION:
The adversary that is looking for whom to devour, more often than not, does not come handy or in the physical. It rather comes subtly wrapped in our attitudes, misconducts, misbehaviors, mental permutations, overconfidence, laxity, greed, lusts, disobedience to God’s dictates, instructions, and directives. All these inactions are palpable and are causative factors to pulling the strings of monumental destructions on the affected, and their generations. The hard- heartedness of men make them linger more in this agony than necessary. After all, “the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, nor his ear heavy, that it cannot hear, but your iniquities have separated you from God.” (Is.59:1).
Being the 60th edition of our Monthly Bulletin From The Desk Of:
Olusegun A Emosu (The Blessed, The Chosen, & The Favored).
B. A. (Hons), M.A. (Ilorin), MBA (Arizona)
The Redeemed Christian Church Of God, Rehoboth Parish,
2244, Panola Rd. Suite 2, (3 D Complex),
Lithonia G. A 30058
www.rccgrehobothatl.org
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© September 2026
