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

On The Prowl

If you watch a Major League Baseball game for any length of time, you’re bound to see an attempted pickoff play. A pickoff play occurs in between pitches when a pitcher throws to a base (usually first) to try to catch a runner too far off the base.

Pitchers get creative with their throws to the bases to fool the runners into believing the pitch is actually being delivered to home plate. If the runner loses concentration for just a split second, that might be just enough time to fling the ball to the base before the runner can return. Pickoff plays are one way in which pitchers can “steal” outs for their teams.

In the Bible, Satan is described as the father of lies and deception and sly like a serpent. He’s like a pitcher trying to execute a pickoff play. In the beginning, he deceived Adam and Eve into questioning God and committing the world’s first sin. He tempted Jesus in the wilderness with food and riches. And Peter shows us that the devil is still as alive as ever.

1 Peter 5:8 offers a warning to Christians to avoid getting caught in one of the devil’s traps: “Be sober-minded; be watchful.” He gives us this stern warning to be on the lookout in every circumstance – good or bad. He knows the devil never rests. Satan is always on the prowl.

Luckily for us, we aren’t up against Satan alone. We find in Chapter 1 of 1 Peter a promise that God’s power guards believers through faith. God is with his people. He always has been and He always will be. In Ephesians 6:11, Paul implores Christians to “put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”

Don’t get picked off. Instead, pray. Read the Bible. Cloak yourselves in righteousness and the Holy Spirit will uphold you forever.

– Kevin Mercer

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