Stay alert! (1 Peter 5:8-9)

1 Peter 5:8-9

New Living Translation (NLT)

⁸ Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.

James 4:7

New International Version (NIV)

⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Lions attack sick, young, or straggling animals; they chose victims who are alone or not alert. Peter warns us to watch out for Satan when we are suffering or being persecuted. Feeling alone, weak, helpless, and cut off from other believers, so focused on our troubles that we forget to watch for danger, we are especially vulnerable to Satan's attacks. During times of suffering, seek other Christians for support. Keep your eyes on Christ, and resist the devil. Then, says James, "he will flee from you".

Joe