The Prowling Lion

Spiritual warfare is a real thing and seems to be increasing more and more. We do have a real enemy.  

1 Peter 5:8-9 says, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”   

Satan is looking to devour. John 10:10 says he is here to “steal, kill and destroy.” He seeks to devour what is whole whether it is marriages, relationships, your calling, a ministry - any good thing God has given you.    

We shouldn’t be “devil-focused,” but we need to be aware we do have an enemy. As 1 Peter 5 says, "Be alert” and have “a sober mind.” But the good thing is we have total authority over Satan! For Luke 10:19 says, "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.”    

But it doesn’t hurt to be aware how this “prowling lion” works or of when we tend to become vulnerable. Recently, I heard about a pastor who went to Africa on a safari trip and had some insightful revelations about the king of the jungle, the lion.  

The first thing he took note of is that lions are nocturnal creatures. Lions are quite lethargic during the daytime. He thought about our walk as Christians and the importance of walking in the light of Jesus (Ephesians 5:8-15). Darkness is the devil’s domain. Everything appears bleaker at night when our thoughts run rampant and we feel more vulnerable; in our weakness, we are more prone to be attacked. It could be because we are tired, fearful, hungry, struggling, lonely, or facing sin. All these things are normal.  

But Satan loves to make us feel alone in how we are feeling or with our temptations. He wants us to keep our struggles hidden, knowing that when we approach the Lord’s throne of grace boldly, God will help us in our weakness.   

“There’s a difference between struggling with sin and living in sin. If I’m wrestling with a temptation, you better know I’m going to be wrestling in the light, in front of God, not in secret,” the pastor shared.   

Secondly, he learned from their tour guide something interesting about how lions process visual information. When his group passed through lion country on their safari, the guide warned them to not stand up in the truck. If they stood up, he cautioned, they would be attacked by a lion. This is because the lions register the range rover as a big animal and back away, but if they see one person as an isolated target they attack.   

The truck is the body of Christ; Christian fellowship; the church. Talking with other believers, meeting with each other, and praying for our church family is so important in our Christian walk. In fact, during Covid-19 lockdowns, regular church-going Christians were the only ones who didn’t see a steep decline in their mental health.   

Lastly, lions are extremely territorial and if you see one in the wild, as soon as you turn your back to run, they will attack. But if you stand your ground, they may roar at your feet but will typically back off.   

Fear is a huge factor when facing spiritual attack, but we should not give the enemy an inch of leeway. For God does not give us the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). When we choose to stand firm and fight for our marriage, our family, our faith, God will be right there with us.  

So, get behind me Satan, we’ve got God’s kingdom work to do!       

Lauren Weber

Lauren Weber is a college student and one of our youngest writers for The Connection. She is currently pursuing a nursing degree but has always had a love for writing. She loves using her gift of writing to serve God and to write words of truth and encouragement. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with her four-legged canine, Ripley.