One of the scriptures I stand on is from 1 Peter 5:8-10. This is what it says:
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stabilish, strengthen, settle you (1 Peter 5:8-10).
There are so many great things to unpack from this scripture. First, Paul instructs us to be aware and self-controlled. Why? Because Satan loves to isolate us like a lion likes to isolate the weakling of the pack. How does he do that? I believe that when we don’t understand who is the author of affliction and confuse Satan’s actions with God’s actions, we no longer resist Satan.
Verse 9 said to “resist steadfast in the faith.” The word resist means to “actively fight against.” How can you actively fight against Satan and his tactics when you are under the wrongful belief God sent you your troubles?
The minute Satan has you in that trap, it is harder for you to escape it. That’s why Paul says to be vigilant or to be watchful. Another point is that Satan disguises himself “as a roaring lion.” In other words, he pretends to be something bigger and stronger than he is. That’s good news, friends!
Now that you know Satan is an imposter, who pretends to be something he is not, you should have no reason to fear him. This passage also says that your brethren in the faith, or other believers in scripture and worldwide, also face the “same afflictions” as you are.
Just like Satan likes to disguise himself and deceive his prey, he also likes to make you think that you are in this alone. He wants you to believe that no one else can understand what you are going through and that you are a lost cause.
Understanding that his tactics are the same and just boxed up in a different package will help you stand up against him. This passage of scripture tells us that Satan is the one who afflicts us, not God. James 4:7 says,
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7).
Again, I ask you, how can you resist the attacks from the enemy when you think they are from your Heavenly Father, who loves you? Jesus said,
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? (Matthew 7:11).
For those of you who have children, would you give your son a rock if he asked you for a cookie? Or if your daughter asked you for a new princess dress, would you give her a tablecloth with stains on it? I pray to God that your answer is a firm “No.”
We are evil in ourselves compared to God, and that is what Jesus meant when He called us evil. But, He said it best—How much more will God give us when we ask? Here is some Greek insight to help you understand what it means to “ask God.” The word ask comes from the Greek word punthanomai, which means “demand.” To put it into context, the word demanded in this following scripture is the same Greek word punthanomai.
And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born (Matthew 2:4, emphasis added).
King Herod demanded that all those he had authority over tell him where Jesus was born. In other words, his authority enabled him to get something he didn’t have to do himself. Now, I know some will read this and call me a blasphemer for what I just said, but let me make myself clear. I am not telling you to demand things from God because you are higher than Him. God is God, and you are not. Let’s make that clear. But God told us we had all authority to rule the earth. In fact, in Psalm 82:6 it says,
I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High (Psalm 82:6).
God called you a god. Notice how it is spelled with a lowercase “g.” This means you are a god in the sense of rulership and dominion, not in sovereignty and the highest power. We have an authority to us that God gave us, and it is in our spirit.
Without God, we are nothing and can do nothing, but we are never without Him! So going back to asking and receiving. When Jesus tells us to ask, He tells us that we should expect good things from our Heavenly Father, like how a child expects their parents to care for and tend to their needs. Jesus tells us to do so when we pray.
Our father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Now watch this carefully:
Give us this day our daily bread (Matthew 6:9-11).
Can you spot where Jesus asked God for daily bread? I’ll give you a few seconds to look… 3… 2… 1… Times up!
Did you find it? Neither did I. Jesus didn’t tell us to ask and plead with God and pray for forty days; then God will hear us and bless us. He said, “Give us this day our daily bread.” What was He doing? He was showing what it looks like for us to be expecting from God.
Again, I must clarify myself to those who write me off as a blasphemer. I am not saying that we boss God around. I am not saying that we are God. I am saying that we should have this expectancy from the Lord that He will provide and that when we ask, it will be given. We aren’t commanding God to bless us; we are commanding His blessing to manifest in our life.
God values us more than He values His blessings for us. His blessings are to serve us. If there were a chain of command, God would be at the top, Jesus would be seated next to Him, we would be seated next to Jesus, and all of God’s blessing would be beneath us (and the devil would be so low on the list that you can’t even see him 🤣).
This is because God loves you so much. When God created Adam and Eve, He created everything before He created them. How difficult would it have been for Adam to be created before the land was established? Or perhaps before the trees were planted?
Adam would’ve had to dodge trees left and right whenever God spoke them into existence. But that isn’t what happened. God created everything before He created them because He did not want mankind to be without provision.
The same applies to you in your life. God has provided your every need before you even had the need! All He wants from you is to accept it and receive it by grace through faith.
If this brought value to you, please share this with a few friends.
Live in the victory.
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