“Be sober (keep watch), be vigilant (stay awake); because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

A few years ago, my husband and I went to an ocean park in New Hampshire to play on the beach. Sitting there we overheard the father behind us talking to his crying little boy.

While the boy had been playing in the water, a seagull had grabbed his hot dog and flown off with it. It was inconceivable to the boy that this could happen with his parents sitting right there! 

We had seen signs in the vendor window, “We will not replace food stolen by seagulls” and “Do not feed the seagulls” and thought they were a joke. We could not imagine something like this happening with all the people sitting all around on the beach.

We thought the seagulls would have been afraid of all the people – but they were not. These birds were bold and brazen scavengers. They landed right in the midst of people and strutted around looking for something to steal.

God said to me, “My people and the devil are like the seagull and little boy.  Even though people surround the food, a seagull will walk right up and steal it if someone isn’t paying enough attention to shoo the bird away.  

“With My people, there are ‘signs’ everywhere in the Bible warning about the tricks of the devil. Because people do not believe what the signs say or they don’t obey them or are not vigilant, the enemy swoops down and steals from, kills and destroys them. He steals their dreams, their hopes, their health, their finances, everything he can get his hands on.” 

The seagull could not take the food unless it was unprotected. The devil cannot devour us unless we let him. I heard a preacher say it like this about 1 Peter 5:8, “The devil is NOT a lion”. Don’t treat him as if he is one.

The devil goes around faking it, pretending to be a lion. He lies, tricks, deceives. He knocks on people’s doors “seeking whom he may devour.”  Knock-knock-knock.  “Who is it?”  “It’s me, the devil, may I come in and devour you?”

Your answer is in James 4:7… ” be subject (obey)… to God; stand up against the devil, and he will flee from you;”

THE ANSWER IS “NO” AND DON’T OPEN THE DOOR!

Just like the “Do not feed the seagull” sign was an instruction to the people, the Bible gives us instructions. Read your Bible (Proverbs is a good place to start).

Don’t be like that little boy who unwittingly lost his hot dog to a marauding seagull through lack of knowledge.  Read and obey the “signs” (Word of God)!  You’ll be glad you did!

♥♥

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2021 Nan C. Loyd