Know Your Enemy-Roars like a Lion

September 26, 2024

Know Your Enemy-Roars like a Lion

One of the biggest deceptions that the devil uses against all of humanity is making every one of us think that he doesn’t exist. By him being able to hide in plain sight he can sneak into your life and create complete chaos. The reality is that we are in a full on spiritual warfare battle with a very powerful adversary that we cannot overcome within our own power.

Another misconception about the great enemy that we face is that he is chained up in a dungeon somewhere in the pit of hell. That is so far from the truth and in fact the devil is like a roaring lion that is prowling the Earth seeking someone to devour. He is the father of lies (John 8:44), a snake ready to steal, kill, and destroy any chance that he gets, John 10:10.

The way that he gains access to your life is by you breaking God’s rules and stipulations which are found in His Word. We know from Scripture that God’s Word is a book of law as Joshua 1:8 discloses, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it…”

Remember the devil has an abundant demonic kingdom that knows your every weakness. So what he will do is attempt to shoot fiery arrows at your mind and tempt you to go against God’s Spiritual law. What that does is give him legal right to wreak havoc in your life. The reason why the devil’s schemes work time and time again is because a lot of believers and non-believers are ignorant to his devices, 2 Corinthians 2:11.

A lot of our spiritual battles could very easily have been avoided if we understood the enemy’s tactics. Hosea 4:6 explains it perfectly as it states, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” Unfortunately a lot of born again believers do not study the Word of God and so they don’t understand how to fight against the enemy, they don’t know God’s Biblical law, and therefore get trapped by the schemes of the devil time and time again.

One thing that you have to fully understand is that life is completely spiritual and the Lord has put in place His law that both the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of the devil must abide by. The devil forms his evil deeds by law (Psalm 94:20) meaning that in order for him to create strongholds in our lives he has to get us to break the Lord’s rules primarily through willful sin and disobedience.

I just wrote an article on this very thing called: Know Your Enemy-He Devises Evil by Law. Please take the time to read through it because it will provide you with vital information on how the devil ensnares us in his traps.

The fortunate thing is that our adversary is a defeated foe and was triumphed over by our Lord and Savior on the cross at Calvary. Now we have the ability to overcome sin and live a life that is pleasing to our Heavenly Father. If you are a Christian you have been afforded the free gift of the Holy Spirit living on the inside of you: guiding you, leading you, and empowering you to live a victorious life in Christ.

Let’s take a look at the passage of Scripture that gives us an idea of how the enemy likes to roam around like a roaring lion searching for people that he can destroy.

1 Peter 5:8

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

There are so many key things that we can gain from this powerful passage of Scripture. The word “be sober” is the Greek word “nēphō” which means: to be calm and collected in spirit. The words “be vigilant” is the Greek word “grēgoreō” which means: to watch, give strict attention to, and be cautious.

Here we can see that the Apostle Peter through the leading of the Holy Spirit is letting us know that God wants us to have a collected and sober spirit. He wants us to stay alert and cautious paying attention to how we are living our lives. He wants us to put on the whole armor of God and learn how to use our spiritual weapons.

Then Peter tells us why the Lord is adamant about having a sober mind and that is because the devil prowls around like a roaring lion. The words “a roaring” is the Greek word “ōryomai” which means: to roar, to howl. The word “seeking” is the Greek word “zēteō” which means: to seek in order to find. The words “he may devour” being used is the Greek word “katapinō” which means: to swallow up and destroy.

What we can gather from this last part of the Scripture is that the reality of the devil is that he is not in a pit in the middle of hell somewhere. Not even close! In fact he is like a roaring lion seeking to find someone that he can swallow up and destroy. He doesn’t just want to afflict you; he wants to completely annihilate you.

The number one way that he is able to afflict us is when we disobey God’s Biblical law that is found in His Word. That is why Peter states the fact that the devil is “seeking” meaning that he is actively looking for those that are hearers only and not doers of the Word of God, James 1:22. When we commit willful sin and break God’s rules and stipulations it gives the devil a legal right to kill, steal, and destroy, John 10:10.

The Lord wants so much more for His children and in fact God’s plan for every one of us is laid out beautifully in the powerful verse of Scripture Jeremiah 29:11. It states, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” God wants us to live a life of peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7) and He wants us to have a life of abundance (John 10:10).

On the other hand the devil whom is our spiritual enemy wants to do whatever he can to take as many of us with him to the lake of fire. Make no mistake about it; he absolutely hates every one of us because we were created in the image of God, Genesis 1:27. He will use the open doors in your life to consume you with spiritual attack after spiritual attack and he will continue to do it if you let him!

Conclusion

One of the biggest lies that the enemy would love for every one of us to believe is to make us think that he doesn’t exist. That way he can hide in plain sight doing whatever he wants to do in our lives completely undetected. The devil is a liar and the father of lies! It is so important that we gain an understanding of the adversary that we are facing so that we don’t perish because of our lack of knowledge, Hosea 4:6.

One of the ways that the Word of God describes the devil is that he is a like a lion seeking someone to devour. What we have gained from that description is the fact that he is actively searching to and fro throughout the entire Earth for people that are ignorant to his devices, lukewarm, unaware of whom he is and how he operates, and people that are not living their lives vigilant and sober! Make sure that isn’t you!

Also, don’t forget to check out my other blogs:

Know Your Enemy-Where does He Reside

Know Your Enemy-He is an Imitator

Know Your Enemy-He Devises Evil by Law

Know Your Enemy-an Angel of Light

Know Your Enemy-the Accuser of the Brethren

Know Your Enemy

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Fight Back

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Feed Your Spirit

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Renouncing

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Confess and Repent

Recognizing Spiritual Strongholds

What are Spiritual Strongholds?

The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 1

The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 2

The Spiritual Laws of God-Restoration

The Spiritual Laws of God-The General Principles

The Spiritual Laws of God-The Power of Your Tongue!

The Spiritual Laws of God-Having an Understanding

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Below are some books that I have personally read that I recommend to help you get set free from the enemy and his devices. Each one provides you with warfare practices that you can apply to your daily life. Just click on the Link below the book and it will lead you straight to it. You will not be disappointed!