1 Peter 5:8,9

This is the third time that Peter has urged his readers to be "alert and of sober mind", the other occasions being 1:13 and 4:7. Peter knew how important this was because of his own past failings. We should think ahead, being aware of what situations we might face and how we should react in them. If we are prepared, then we are more likely to make the right response. Just think how many times you have said or done something you later regret? We would have avoided many of these failures if we had thought ahead.

The devil is looking for opportunities to trip us up, in fact looking for a chance to devour us. Some have made a lot of the fact that it says he prowls "like" a lion, saying that he is actually toothless and cannot really do any damage. I am not convinced by this. The whole tenor of Peter's teaching is that we need to take the devil seriously.

Our response is to resist the devil and stand firm in the faith. We are to take the devil seriously, but we are not to run from him or to fear him. If we stand firm then it is the devil who will do the fleeing (James 4:7). We are not alone in the battle, for all believers face the same battle. One of the devil's tricks is to convince us that we are the only one undergoing this particular trial. It is not true.