READ: 2
KINGS 6:25-33
The devil
is a stubborn and unrepentant enemy. An understanding of this fact will guide
you as you fight the battles of life. We often expect the devil to give up
after we have put up a little resistance. But we are wrong. The devil is a
dogged fighter. The text of today’s devotional study reveals the devil as a
stubborn enemy who would never give up easily. The king of Syria could not
arrest the king of Israel or Elisha so he decided to surround the city of
Syria, besieged Samaria and things became so terrible that the people ate the
dung of birds. When there was no more dung to eat, they began to eat
themselves. Two women, each with a son, decided to kill their children and eat
them, one after another. After one of the sons was killed the mother of the
other child refused to let go her child. This situation was reported to the
king and the woman whose child had been killed cried for help. The king replied
by saying if God did not help her, how could he? He then tore his dress. The
first lesson to learn from this story is that the devil is a stubborn enemy.
Those who represent him by the picture of a goat make some sense. Those of us
who come from villages know what kind of animal a goat is. The goat is a
stubborn animal. Satan does not accept defeat easily so after you have won a
victory, you must get ready for another fight. Ephesians 6:13 tells us to put
on the whole armour of God against the devil and stand. This is because one of
the times that the devil likes to attack is when you have just won a victory.
The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 5:8-9, that we should be sober and vigilant because, like a roaring lion, the devil is walking about looking for whom to devour. We are also told to resist the devil steadfastly. We are soldiers of the cross. Victory belongs to us. After every victory, however, we must stand. This is the only way to retain our victory; the Bible clearly teaches that we should not rest on our oars. Ephesians 6:13-14 says, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness.”
The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 5:8-9, that we should be sober and vigilant because, like a roaring lion, the devil is walking about looking for whom to devour. We are also told to resist the devil steadfastly. We are soldiers of the cross. Victory belongs to us. After every victory, however, we must stand. This is the only way to retain our victory; the Bible clearly teaches that we should not rest on our oars. Ephesians 6:13-14 says, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness.”
MEMORIZE:
1 PETER 5:8 –Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks
about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
