Fighting Steps

Jesus Christ said (Luke 15:10), "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents." However, there is anything but joy in the realm of the devil. Satan wants no one to be redeemed and will try to get those who are redeemed to return to darkness. He will try various ways to get a person back. Persecution, one of the devils tools to snag any believer, is mentioned in 1 Peter 4. Whether he uses persecution, temptation or some other way to get you back, 1 Peter 5:610 gives five fighting steps we can use to combat the enemy. I. Be Humble Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: As you might see in the previous verse Peter by the Spirit addressed the younger ones in the body of Christ but then said all should be submissive to one another. So, starting at that point and going to verse 6 he resumes addressing everyone by the Spirit. And, note he mentions humility first. This man who once declared he would never deny Christ was definitely changed. And considering the fact that the devil would like to get us back, humility is a superb place to start. After all, the first sin was pride, since satan {1} wanted to take Gods place, and pride is the foundation of any sin. It is also seen in this verse that godly exaltation will come when God sees fit. Consider Jacobs son Joseph, Moses, Mordecai, Esther, David, Daniel and more. There also is exaltation for those who now trust Him in the age to come. II. Cast Your Care Casting all your care upon him; for He cares for you. Checking the Greek {2} I see casting is a participle in the active voice in the aorist. Simply put: toss away your cares (anxieties) like you would do trash. While there are many things that should rightfully concern us, and there is a ministry when received so by the Spirit to have a burden for something, we must not let any concern weigh us down. Two distinctions need to be made in this area. First, we need to discern when an ongoing burden has been given to us by the Lord as opposed to succumbing to the various fears that plague us all. The second is to make a distinction between the worry / anxiety and the object of true need before us. For example, unless the Holy Spirit, and only the Holy Spirit directs otherwise, we should not be weighed down by the spiritually lost state of a loved one or friend and we are to toss the worry, but not the person, away from our hearts. The Greek word translated as care here is the same word used in Matthew 13:22He also that received seed among the thorns is he that hears the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. It is also used, among other places, in Luke 21:34 where in Weymouths translation it is rendered as anxieties But take heed to yourselves, lest your souls be weighed down with self-indulgence and drunkenness or the anxieties of this life, and that day come upon

you, suddenly, like a falling trap; III. Stay Awake Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour: Sober here is (nepho, nay-fo) and means 1) to be sober, to be calm and collected in spirit and 2) to be temperate, dispassionate, circumspect. Along with the cares of this life, being like the world or any influence of the world can make us spiritually sleepy. Vigilant is (gregoreuo, gray-gor-yoo-o) and means 1) to watch; 2) metaph. give strict attention to, be cautious, active; 2a) to take heed lest through remission and indolence some destructive calamity suddenly overtake one. IV. Resist The Devil Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. Resist is (anthistemi, anth-is-tay-mee) and means 1) to set ones self against, to withstand, resist, oppose and 2) to set against. Steadfast is (stereos, ster-eh-os) which means among other things 1) strong, firm, immovable, solid, hard, rigid; and so in this verse firm, steadfast. While the thought of afflictions in this verse could mean persecution, since cares / anxieties are mentioned in the immediate context it does include all sorts of possible worries. And by the Holy Spirit Peter reminds us all disciples of Christ suffer in some way. Somewhere in the world someone has similar problems as yours. V. Receive Gods Grace But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that you have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. Here is one of a number of verses that show that grace includes the ability to do the right, Christlike thing. Whether we face persecution or general worries, in Christ God can take those situations and use them to make us more godly. The perfection here is quantitative, making us complete in the works of Christ. His grace insures a firm foundation for us while at the same time strengthening us with the power of Christ enabling us to move forward in Him. For the settling I have to think of the inner peace that God gives if we are in Christ despite any situation we may face.