Those who follow Christ are called to watchful living.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“Be sober-minded; be watchful.
Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion,
seeking someone to devour.” 
1 Peter 5:8 English Standard Version

Ginger is an amazing watch dog. I never have to worry about a band of squirrels trying to break into our house, or rabbits beating me up. Ginger is vigilant. Many a squirrel has been chased along our fence, and many a rabbit has headed for shrubbery when the fearsome Ginger is on the prowl.

Ginger takes it upon herself to sit in the middle of our backyard and look left then right to make sure the Brauner household is safe, that is, from fury foes.

Ginger

If only we were as vigilant about our faith as Ginger. Squirrel’s might one day penetrate her defenses and crawl inside our home, but they will not destroy our lives. However, Satan is a real threat and his desire is to devour us.

He’s ready to devour us through the ordinary stuff of life. The occult is not our greatest enemy but complacency, self-centeredness and the pursuit of things are. We’re bombarded with messages that tell us that we are the center of our universe and to be the center of the universe means that there’s very little room for Christ.

Maybe we need a serious dose of doggy vigilance. Maybe we need to sit in the backyard of our lives and watch for the subtle moves that Satan and the host of hell make to devour us. Maybe we need the vigilance of the cross.

Jesus knows that the heart of Satan is to devour us, so on his cross he was devoured by our sin that would have guaranteed us hell. He stayed vigilant on his path to the cross. And in his death and resurrection, Jesus robbed Satan of his power.

With our salvation sealed in Christ, we’re now empowered to live with vigilance.

Text and Picture Copyright Douglas P Brauner