1 Peter 5:8-11 (NKJV) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
In this passage, God differentiates between the devil’s work and His love for us. The devil’s goal is to work on our pride against God, people, and especially against leadership, and to destroy us, steal our peace, and attack our faith in God. When we are proud, we make mistakes; we adopt an attitude toward God and people, and we won’t listen to anyone’s counsel, disregarding advice from the church or Scripture.
We need to remember that God will not impose His will and ways on us because He has given us free will. He will allow situations to humble us and teach us life lessons. Sometimes the lesson can be heavy and difficult because of the choice we have made, but it will humble us and help us to start listening to Him. He has already cautioned us to be alert, on the watch, and wise in detecting the devil’s schemes.
Pride opens the door for the devil to make our lives his playground:
1. The devil will want us to make decisions apart from God and to walk in the flesh. Although God is sovereign, He allows us to make decisions and reap the consequences. Adam and Eve are a good example.
2. We will pay for the fleshly decisions that we make, and reap what we have sown, especially when we compromise our integrity in the marketplace. We will lose all credibility once our character is in question.
3. The devil will deceive us into thinking that God is the source of all the bad decisions and the oppressive circumstances in our lives.
4. The other weapon that the devil uses is to instal fear and anxiety into our lives.
We humble ourselves when we choose to live a consecrated life by choosing to submit to God’s will for our lives. Living the consecrated life is a way for us to express the Lordship over our lives. It helps to us make difficult decisions, walk away from deals, and not compromise our integrity because we know God is with us.
Reflection: Have you opened the door to the devil, or in what areas do you need to resist Him right now? How does the truth that “after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you” encourage you?
Sermon Series: Are You Casting Your Cares to the Lord
不要让你的生命成为撒旦的游乐场
彼得前书 5：8-11 务要谨守、警醒，因为你们的仇敌魔鬼如同吼叫的狮子，遍地游行，寻找可吞吃的人。你们要用坚固的信心抵挡它，因为知道你们在世上的众弟兄也是经历这样的苦难。 那赐诸般恩典的神，曾在基督里召你们得享他永远的荣耀，等你们暂受苦难之后，必要亲自成全你们，坚固你们，赐力量给你们。愿权能归给他，直到永永远远！阿门。
在这段经文中，神将魔鬼的作为与祂对我们的爱进行了区分。魔鬼的目的是要挑动我们的骄傲，使我们背叛神、亏欠人，特别是对抗教会的领袖；魔鬼更是要借此毁灭我们，偷窃我们的平安，并攻击我们对神的信心。当我们心存骄傲时，就会犯错；我们会对神和人摆出不以为然的态度，不愿听从任何人的劝戒，甚至藐视教会的遮盖和圣经的教导。我们必须记住，神绝不会将祂的旨意和道路强加在我们身上，因为祂给了我们自由意志。祂会容许环境来降卑我们，并教导我们生命的功课。有时，因着我们自己所做的选择，那些功课可能显得沉重而艰难，但这会使我们谦卑下来，并帮助我们开始听从祂的话。祂早已警示我们要务要警醒、常常守望，并满有智慧地识破魔鬼的诡计。
骄傲会给魔鬼大开方便之门，让我们的生命沦为他的游乐场:
- 魔鬼会千方百计让我们脱离神去凭己意做决定，并在肉体中行事。尽管神拥有绝对的主权，但祂允许我们做出选择，并承担相应的后果。亚当和夏娃就是一个典型的例子。
- 我们必须为自己属肉体的决定付出代价，并且自食其果（顺着情欲撒种的，必从情欲收败坏），特别是在职场（商界）中向世界妥协、亏缺诚信的时候。一旦我们的品格受到质疑，我们在世人面前就会彻底失去公信力。
- 魔鬼会迷惑我们，让我们误以为生命中所有错误的决定和压抑的环境，全都是源于神。
- 魔鬼使用的另一个武器，就是在我们的生命中灌输恐惧与焦虑。
当我们选择过分别为圣的生活，并甘心顺服神对我们生命的旨意时，我们就是在神面前降卑自己。过一个全然奉献的生活，是我们彰显耶稣基督是生命之主的一种方式。这能帮助我们在面对抉择时，有力量做出艰难却正确的决定，甚至坚决放弃不洁净的交易，不向世界妥协我们的诚信，因为我们深知神与我们同在。
默想：你是否已经给魔鬼留了地步？在哪些领域你现在迫切需要抵挡他？“等你们暂受苦难之后，祂必亲自成全你们，坚固你们，赐力量给你们，建立你们”这一真理，对你有何激励？
讲章系列：你是否将你的忧虑交托给主？