"YOUR ADVERSARY!"

1 Peter 5:6-8                       (ESV)

"6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of GOD so that at the proper time HE may exalt you,

7 casting all your anxieties on HIM, because HE cares for you.

8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. "YOUR ADVERSARY" the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

How many different avenues does the enemy use to occupy our minds to where we are not pondering the things of GOD?  I have a friend who quit watching television a little over a month ago.  Of course, he could go back to watching tomorrow, but al least he is experiencing what it is like to break away from just one of the addictions that the enemy has on our nation and the world!  The passage of scripture above indicates that "YOUR ADVERSARY" wants to DEVOUR US, even though he wants us to believe he has our best interest as heart!

We should not be surprised by his tactics.  A hunter or fisherman does similar things while stalking his prey.  A lure of some sort is placed on the end of a fishing line where a HOOK is that is intended to capture the fish.  I've seen hunters spend a lot of money in an attempt to get their intended prey to be FOOLED by their deception and succumb to a trap.  Ultimately, the goal is to make the victim believe that the LURE is the real thing, but we all know that it's a lie!!

No matter how smart we convince ourselves that we are, we are not intelligent enough to SEE the TRAPS the enemy wants to use on us.   We pride ourselves in thinking we are wise enough to avoid traps of the enemy, but I'm sure most prey's intentions are not to be captured by their pursuer either!  That is why there is shock a lot of the time when the capture is complete!  

"YOUR ADVERSARY" isn't interested in doing anything but seeing how many people he can deceive into believing his lies!  Genesis 3:1 says "Now the serpent (YOUR ADVERSARY) was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD GOD had made.....".  His expertise is tricking people into believing that he is the real deal.   Don't let "YOUR ADVERSARY" deceive you and allow you to be one of his prey!!!  The best way to recognize "YOUR ADVERSARY" is to have a solid relationship with THE TRUTH (John 14:6)!!!