Hill Country Bible Church

Not Shaken: Day Thirty-Three

Posted: Mar 04, 2011 by Tony Vega

Tony Vega

Bio:

Hi! I’m Tony Vega and I am truly blessed to be married to the best wife in the world, Joan. We started coming to HCBC-UT 2 ½ years ago (when we officially became empty-nesters) and before coming to UT, we were part of the HCBC-NW church for about 10 years.

We have a wonderful blended family and, as of October of last year, all of our kids (John, Ryan, Justin and Jessica) are now married. Actually, my oldest son, John and his wife, Cynthia, have started a nest of their own. Thus we have 2 grandkids (Oscar and Juanita) that we really enjoy being with.

We love to travel and someday hope to use that love in serving God in the mission field.

Passage:

1 Peter 5:8-9

Central Truth:

We cannot let our guard down as the enemy is always looking to attack.

Devotional: 

The Lion doesn’t Sleep Tonight

Back in 1996, a movie came out called “The Ghost and the Darkness” (with Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas).  The story is basically about a railroad company trying to install tracks across the jungles of Uganda, Africa. During the construction of these railroad tracks, the workers are terrorized by deadly lion attacks during the night. I usually do not care for scary movies. But since this movie was listed as an “action thriller” and based on a true story, I decided to give it a shot. It is one the scariest movies I have ever seen! I literally had nightmares the night after seeing this movie.

The thought of lions prowling during the night may not seem too threatening for someone living in Austin. But if you can imagine yourself actually living the jungles of Africa (some of you may have actually been there), you might be thinking of taking proper precautions. This is what God is telling us through the first part of this passage. We ought to be alert and sober, taking every precaution to make sure we do not fall prey. Not to wild animals, but to our adversary, Satan.

So then, are we to live in fear of the devil? Absolutely not! The second part of the passage tells us to resist Satan and to stand firm in the faith because we are not alone in this fight. Christ followers all over the world face the same threat and we have the best defense we can have in Jesus Christ, our Savior. Jesus himself tells us in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”.

I am also reminded of God’s instructions in Ephesians 6:10-17. He gives some very practical advice as how we can defend ourselves every day against the enemy’s attacks. We actually have an armor we can use to defend ourselves. I would encourage you to daily put on this armor that God has made available to all of us who have put our trust in Him…the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the sandals of the Gospel, the shield of faith, and the sword of the spirit (which is the word of God). Come to think about it…didn’t Jesus himself use the word of God to fight off Satan’s attacks while He fasted early in His ministry (Matthew 4). Must be pretty good advice!

Discussion Questions:

1. How and when have you notice the enemy attacking you?
2. Did you recognize that is was the enemy right away?
3. Have you noticed that these attacks seem to be more frequent when you are faithfully serving God? Why do you think and what precautions could be taking?
4. If you felt overwhelmed by these attacks, who did you turn to for help?