A Roaring Lion!

A Roaring Lion!

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

The lion roars when he sees his prey. His roar is terrifying. Job 4:10. He paralyzes his prey with his roar so that it doesn’t have the strength to flee.

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God . . . .” Eve was tempted with becoming like God, with exalting herself. Antichrist exalts himself above all that is called God. 2 Thess. 2:3-4. He is “the man of sin.” Jesus, on the other hand, humbled Himself, and we are to have His mind. Phil. 2:5-9.

If we had to define our sin with one word, it would have to be “pride.” This is evident in all situations when it comes to the point of being humbled—then things become difficult. Then people bear a grudge against each other; they become bitter, and bitter envy gains power.

Our adversary the devil knows about this, and when he sees someone being humbled or having to suffer unjustly, he has spotted his prey. Then he begins to roar, but he is the father of lies. The serpent formulated his words in a kind of care for Eve. Be awake when you are humbled and you have to suffer unjustly. Then you can expect the devil to begin to roar. He roars in harmony with the desires of the flesh and of the mind. Eph. 2:3. He roars “reasonable” thoughts into your mind, so that the treatment you are getting seems so utterly pointless that you no longer remember Jesus’ steps or God’s promise “that He may exalt you in due time.” You neither hear the Spirit’s voice nor see Jesus’ steps. You become totally paralyzed by the devil’s roar and incapable of fighting the fight of faith.

You can also hear such people who are suffering, that they “speak their mind,” as the saying goes. They speak on a human level—not soberly—as if they have never read, “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example.” 1 Pet. 2:21. “But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” Ch. 4:12-13. They are so paralyzed by the devil’s roar that they are not comforted by this word: “That He may exalt you in due time; casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” Consequently, they are in danger of being devoured, and many people have become bitter toward God and people in their sufferings and humiliation.

We are exhorted to “resist” the devil, “steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” Therefore no one must think that he is something special and that it is easier for the others. It is only the lion’s roar, which perhaps comes through other brothers and sisters who are possibly human enough to have compassion with your flesh, when neither you nor they understand that it is God who wants to mold you into a vessel of honor together with the saints and Jesus, who learned obedience by the things which He suffered. Heb. 5:8-9; Jas. 5:10-11.