The Devil Is Patrolling Stay Alert! Dear Christian.
The Scripture in our text 1 Peter 5:8 say;
“ Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy the devil, He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”
Prowls; Prowled; Prowling
The word “Prowl” where we get the word “ Prowling” is a verb.
According to the Macmillan dictionary, Prowl means;
To move around in a quiet way, especially because you intend to do something bad.
Prowling simply put is to rove or go about stealthily, as in search of prey, something to steal.
All mankind has just one great enemy in common, the Devil who is also called the Serpent or Satan. He was the one who deceived the first man (Adam) and his wife (Eve), to sin against God, by perverting the word of God as seen in Genesis 3:1-24 and this made God pronounce judgment on the woman and the serpent but cursed the ground because of the man Adam.
The devil also tempted Jesus Christ the second Adam as seen in Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-14 but unlike the first Adam who fell for his lies and deceit, Jesus Christ the second Adam, did not fall for his deceit.
Jesus Christ overcame this Serpent and not only that, He bruised his head and made a public mockery of him, through His death and resurrection.
One unique attribute of this arch-enemy of man is that he never sits still. The devil is always on the move, prowling, patrolling to and fro, in search of prey to devour and destroy.
How do I know this?
In Job 1:6-7 One day the members of the heavenly court came to present themselves before the LORD, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them.
“ Where have you come from ?’’ the LORD asked Satan.
Satan answered the LORD, “ I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.” (NLT)
Because the devil is always patrolling the earth watching everything that’s going on, prowling and looking for prey to devour and destroy, we the children of God must at all times, Be at Alert! like a watchman keeping watch at a security stand.
No one knows when he will strike.
Thus “If you snooze you lose.” Everywhere he visits, the Devil does not leave without causalities.
Whilst Moses was with the LORD God in Mount Sinai after the LORD had visited the Israelites in a dense cloud and they heard Him speak, and He gave them various instructions and warnings chief of which Is :
The first commandment Exodus 20: 1-4 “ I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.”
“ You must not have any other god apart from me .”
“ You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.”
He emphasized this warning again in Vs 22-23:
And the LORD said to Moses, “ Say this to the people of Israel: you saw for yourselves that I spoke to you from heaven. Remember, you must not make any idols of silver or gold to rival me.”
The LORD also instructed Moses in Exodus 24:1-16 to come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu ( the sons of Aaron), and seventy elders of Israel. They saw the LORD God of Israel and they ate and drank.
After all this, they returned back to the camp.
The LORD said to Moses again, “ Come to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablet of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.
Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. He said to the elders, “ Wait here for us until we came back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them.
When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sanai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day, the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud.
Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
While on up the mountain, the LORD gave Moses instructions on; Offering for the Tabernacle, The Ark, The Table, The Lampstand, The Altar of Burnt Offering, The Courtyard, Oil for the Lampstand, The Ephod among other things, and The Priestly Garments.
On the Priestly Garments, the LORD said to Moses; “Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazer and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests .”
Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honour. Tell all the skilled workers to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so that he may serve me as a priest. Exodus 28: 1-5.
As Moses tarried in the presence of the LORD receiving instructions for His people the Israelites, our enemy the Devil who is also known as the serpent, who perhaps had access to the information and the plan of the LORD, to have Moses consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve as priests to the LORD for whom He designed special dignity and honour, instigated the Israelites to gather around Aaron and said,
“Come, make us gods, who will go before us. As for the fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him .”
Aaron who was not sober and vigilant fell for his trick and deceit and answered them,
“ Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons, and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.”
So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and moulded it into the shape of a Calf.
When the people saw it, they exclaimed, “ O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt !”
When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced tomorrow there will be a festival to the LORD.
Early the next morning, the people got up and offered Whole-Burnt offerings and brought Peace –offerings. The people sat down to eat and drink and then began to party.
It turned into a wild party!
Aaron who was the spokesperson for Moses to Pharaoh, who walked and worked closely with Moses all through the dialogue and confrontation with Pharaoh in the land of Egypt, on the LORD’S instruction to let His people go that they may serve him knew the LORD God and His great acts to an extent, though not like his brother Moses.
Yet he moulded a golden calf and built an altar in front of it, and he led the people to hold a festival for it as to the LORD not only did they hold a festival for it, the people referred to it as;
“The gods who brought them out of the land of Egypt !”
while he stood there and watch.
Why?
Aaron was not sober and alert!
Because he was not sober and alert, he fell into the hand of his great enemy the devil, who prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
By his moulding of the golden calf, with which the Israelites bowed and defiled themselves and thus incurred the wrath of the LORD, so that He will wipe them all out from the surface of the earth, including Aaron and his sons who were chosen to serve as priests to the LORD, with a specially designed garment, to give them dignity and honour.
One can not help but wonder why Aaron was the one whom the Israelites went to and asked to make them gods who brought them out of Egypt. Why not Hur? or one of the elders?
Aaron with what he knew about the LORD and His mighty works, which He did through his own hands before Pharaoh ideally should have cautioned the Israelites when they gathered to him and said; “Come, make us gods, who will go before us.”
He should have recounted and reminded them of the mighty acts of the LORD, which He did through His mighty and outstretched arm in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh and the Egyptians for their sakes like;
Aaron’s staff becoming a Serpent, The Plague of Blood, The Plague of Frogs, The Plague of Gnats, The Plague of Flies, The Plague of Livestock, The Plague of Boils, The Plague of Hail, The Plague of Locusts, The Plague of Darkness, The Plague on the Firstborn in case they had forgotten.
He did not.
But rather he moulded them a Golden Calf, and stood there as they exclaimed, “ O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt !”
What an abomination before the sight of the LORD God, who delivered them with His mighty and outstretched arm.
But for Moses who entreated the LORD and averted His wrath and anger when it arose greatly against His people, the whole nation of Israel including Aaron and his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazer and Ithamar would have been wiped away, and they would never have been priests to the LORD for disobedience against the command and instructions of the LORD. Exodus 32: 7-11
This was exactly the motive of the Devil when he instigated the people who went to Aaron. The devil was counting on the LORD God to wipe them all out, based on the principles of His Word.
Beloved the devil our enemy we are dealing with, is a cunning, subtle deceiver, who is privileged to know certain information about you, and the plans and purpose the LORD has for you and your generation.
The devil will do anything within his power to make sure that all which the LORD has purposed to do for you is thwarted and destroyed. To do this, he instigates you to Sin against the LORD by disobeying His Word.
When you disobey His Word the LORD Himself, will punish you for disobedience.
This was exactly what he did in the case of Aaron and his Sons.
The devil knows that the LORD holds and honours His Word even more than His Name.
It takes one who is sober and vigilant to see him and his works, irrespective of how he disguises himself.
Ever wonder why the LORD God in His Word said: … Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves? Matthew 10:16
The enemy we are delaying with is a wise one though his wisdom is corrupted wisdom.
The only way you can overcome him is through the Word of God, which was how Jesus Christ overcame and defeated him. For every lie of his, that seemed like the Word of God but it was not, Jesus countered with the True Word of God. Matthew 4:1-11
If Aaron had reminded the Israelites of the mighty acts of God and His Word which He told them, The first commandment Exodus 20: 1-4 “ I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.”
“ You must not have any other god apart from me .”
“ You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.”
He would have overcome the Devil who came disguising through the people who said:
“Come, make us gods, who will go before us.”
Yes, they would murmur and grumble as usual, but they would wait for the return of Moses and his aide Joshua.
The LORD established the penalty for Sin ( disobedience) which is Death.
The devil knows that he can not harm nor kill any child of God, because of the hedge of protection that the LORD has placed around us.
Since this is so, he lures us to sin against the LORD, by acting contrary to His Word, Instructions, and command. When we do this, the wrath and anger of God will come upon us and He either kills us or punish us Himself because God cannot act contrary to His Word.
How do I know there is a hedge of protection around us as God’s children?
Job 1: 9 …Satan replied;
“Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything around him…?”
Every child of God has a hedge of protection around them and everything which they own.
However for this hedge of protection to be in place always, that child of God must be obedient to the Word of God.
Failure to obey His Word leads to this hedge of protection being broken and when it’s broken, for sure the serpent is waiting outside to bite.
“ …Whoso breaketh an hedge, the serpent shall bite him.” Ecclesiastes 10:8
“ For the wages of sin is death…” Romans 6:23
Thank God for Moses who stood in the gap for the whole nation of Israel and stopped God from wiping them out as a nation. But 3,000 people died that day as against the whole nation dying, Exodus 32:25- 28 because of their disobedience to God’s command.
Beloved, Just like Moses stood in the gap for the children of Israel in their own time, Jesus Christ is standing in the gap daily for His believers with His shed blood on the Cross.
The devil our great enemy, is always patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on seeking for whom to devour so we must be alert at all times so that we can overcome him and all his whiles and lies, irrespective of how he disguises himself. He is not the Lion, but he roars like one.
In order words, he is an impersonator, who is always disguising himself in different ways and forms.
By our human wisdom, we cannot overcome the Devil, as we keep watch in our Christian journey.
How do we overcome the Devil?
By the finished work of Jesus Christ, and His shed blood on the Cross.
The Devil hates the blood of Jesus Christ.
“… For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown on earth
the one who accuses them before God day and night.
And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb …”
By being led by the Holy Spirit, through the Word of God: Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is the answer for the world today. He said;
“I Am The Way, The Truth, and The Life.”
He is the only one who overcame the Devil and said:
“ All Authority has been given unto me in heaven and in earth .” Matthew 28:18
Jesus Christ is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He doesn’t impersonate like the Devil.
Jesus Christ is the Word of God as written in John 1:1-5.
By the Name of Jesus ( the Word of God) and His shed blood and death upon the Cross of Calvary, we overcome our great enemy the Devil. Revelation 12:11
Yes, it’s as simple as that.
“ For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,
‘The stone that builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’
There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.’’
Beloved! If you are a believer of Jesus Christ, you are an overcomer of our enemy who is always patrolling the earth, looking for prey to destroy.
But if you are not, make up your mind to accept Him into your life today, and be baptized in His name Jesus, and just like He overcame the enemy, you shall also overcome!
Don’t forget, the Devil is Patrolling All Over The Earth, Stay Alert!
God Bless You
Jesus Shed Blood Death And Resurrection Is The Key! Not Your Kindness
