Keep the Fire Burning

  Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.      –   1 Peter 5:8 

Scientists have long studied the behavioral patterns of lions, how they feed, how they stalk or wait in ambush, and how they select their prey. According to the Smithsonian Magazine, they often hide in vegetation near watering holes. They prefer to hunt at night under cover of darkness. Bushmen and others who camp in the savannahs and other areas the lions occupy know they must keep their fires burning, for, when the fires go out, the lions come in. Where the lion is, there is always danger. Lions are no joke! 

The Holman New Testament Commentary says, “Satan is not a joke and is not to be ignored. Wake up! Pay attention! We are involved in a spiritual battle. You need to know the enemy and his characteristics. You need to understand that we are in a life-and-death battle.” The Christian has to remain alert. Charles Simeon, a 19^th century evangelist, wrote, “Unwatchfulness, even in a victorious army, exposes it to defeat; much more must it subject us to the power of our subtle enemy. … But vigilance on our part will counteract the designs of Satan. The armed Christian, watching unto prayer, must be victorious!” 

This same enemy, who prowls about as a roaring lion, also disguises himself as an angel of light. Spiritual warfare is real. Now is the time to be awake and aware. Theologian John MacArthur wrote, “Christians cannot disregard the Lord’s Word with impunity.” Scripture and your walk with the Lord are like the savannah camper’s boma, a protected enclosure. You still need to tend your spiritual fire so that it does not go out. The time of Jesus’ return could be near—a time when you will see the Lamb of God as the Lion of Judah who will ultimately destroy all His enemies (Revelation 5:5). Pray! Stay alert!