Songs In The Night

⁸ The lion has roared;
    who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken;
    who can but prophesy?” – Amos 3:8

Seeking to Devour

Satan is a great enemy that Peter likens to a roaring lion prowling around looking for someone to devour. Accordingly, Peter warns us to be sober minded and watchful (1 Peter 5:7-9). Whether he masquerades as an angel of light ( 2 Cor. 11:14), enters Eden as a crafty serpent (Genesis 3:1), or roars like a lion, Satan is indeed a very real threat to mankind.

Since enticing Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit in rebellion against the Word of God, Satan has been using any means to “devour” the children of God. For those who love “light” and all that is associated with it, Satan is willing to capitalize on our attraction by deceiving us with ‘angelic’ attributes such as goodness, truthfulness and love. If we are not sober minded, he will draw us in with his string of faux pearls. If we bite, he will use them to choke us.

By likening Satan to a roaring lion seeking to devour us, Peter pulls off the enemy’s angelic mask that he so often hides behind. Quite contrary to an angel of light, Satan is rather darkness personified. If he can’t have our souls, he wants to destroy our lives. As he roams the earth he stealthily looks for the vulnerable to devour. Like a preying big cat in a spiritual jungle, Satan is looking for the weak and suffering, newborns, those who may be isolated and separated from the flock. and the unprepared and unsuspecting.

Like a proud lion, Satan will roar to proclaim his territory and intimidate his enemies. But like a lion, he waits until after he has feasted before he roars. Beware! He quietly lies in hiding ready to pounce.

Warning

“Did God really say…?” That is how Satan planted the first seed of doubt and he has been doing it ever since Eden.

Why would a loving God allow suffering? If you were truly a Christian would you still be struggling with sin and doubt? If God is so powerful why can’t He stop catastrophes and death? Is the blood of Christ really sufficient for your salvation? Is Heaven real or is a cold grave our final resting place?

Our hearts may be desperately wicked but our minds can often be our own worst enemies. When Satan roars too often we tremble. When we do, Truth can become blurry. Our joy can give way to fear. Questions replace our confidence. Instead of serving we isolate ourselves. Our souls may be secure, but our effectiveness is diminished. Be sober and watchful!

Satan is an enemy that never sleeps. He is constantly on the prowl, roaming the earth seeking someone to devour. We are wise to heed Peter’s warning. Especially if we know we are vulnerable.

Staking Territory

I have to believe that after the crucifixion of Christ, Satan unleashed a terrible roar. Christ, His great enemy, was hanging dead on a cross. Certainly, Satan was the mighty lion on the jungle of earth. With Christ seemingly out of the picture, who would challenge his dominance?

After Jesus, it was Stephen and James who were soon executed for their faith. As each Christian was added to the roll of martyrdom, the enemy of the church shook his mane and roared. His appetite has been insatiable ever since Cain spilled the blood of Abel.

We can’t undo the bite of the forbidden fruit. It is too late for Cain to rule over the sin that was crouching at the door. With the cherubim and the flashing flaming sword blocking the entrance, we can’t go back to the Garden of Eden. Sin and death are now a part of Satan’s jungle. He is going to roar as long as he can keep us living in fear. But as loud as he may be, he is merely a paper lion on a leash who will soon be extinct.

Fear

As intimidating as Satan may be, in the final analysis, he is not THE Lion we need to fear. Before Peter likened Satan to a roaring lion, the Old Testament prophet Amos told us that the true Lion, God, has roared. Unlike Satan, God’s power is unlimited and His reign is everlasting.

Yes, we are to respect the power and influence of Satan. To ignore his threat would be foolishness. But we need to keep his influence in perspective as Christ reminded us.

²⁸ And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. – Matthew 10:28

Satan works through sinful men in threatening fashions. The lips of religious Jewish leaders shouted for the death of Christ and the hands of Roman soldiers nailed Him to a cross. A Jewish mob stoned Stephen to death and Herod’s sword made James a martyr also. Indeed, the history of the Church is filled with much suffering, but as Christ reminds us, the enemies tether only reaches so far.

Roars

When Jesus drank from the bitter cup, He knew what awaited Him on the other side of the cross. As Stephen was stoned to death, he saw His Savior standing at the right hand of God, and he had the assurance that he would soon join Him. Similarly, James had the confidence that although Herod’s sword could take his life, it could not touch his soul. That belonged to his Savior. Let Satan roar.

Feed the Christian to the wild beasts. Use them as human torches to light your parties. Burn them at the stake as dissenters. Behead them as infidels. Go ahead and kill their bodies. You may spill the blood of a Christian in a variety of methods, and you may silence his voice, but you can never stop his testimony.

Satan roars to intimidate, God roars to motivate. Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we have the Truth. We have a testimony. Satan roars to strike fear into our hearts so we will remain silent. God has roared to shake us out of our apathy so we will speak up!

Prophesy

We started this journey by looking at Jesus’ struggle in the Garden of Gethsamane (http://helpmewithmyunbelief.com/2019/09/16/a-bitter-cup/). The cup was imminent and his anguish was intense. We proceeded to look at the failing of His most intimate friends as they slept while Jesus prayed (http://helpmewithmyunbelief.com/2019/10/03/garden-sleepers/) Despite their weak flesh, Jesus loved them unconditionally. Enough to drink the bitter cup to its dregs. Next, we looked at the contents of the frightful cup, the awful wrath of God (http://helpmewithmyunbelief.com/2019/10/09/behold-the-storm/). A wrath so violent that only God in the flesh could endure it. These studies have reminded us of the reality of the intense spiritual battle around us. A battle between two roaring lions each staking their claims.

The garden of Eden was real, and so was the fall. As a consequence, sin and death are undeniable realities. Unless Christ returns first, the grave awaits all of us. As Christians, the question becomes how will we redeem the time that we have before we are taken home. We know we are eternal beings. We also know we are surrounded by numerous people who are still in darkness under the domain of the enemy. Their souls destined for an eternity separated from their Creator. Christ loved us enough to take the wrath of God on our behalf. What are we willing to do for the lost? They desperately need to hear of the awful wrath of God that awaits them if they don’t repent and accept His grace.

Armed with the Truth, we have a choice to make; which lion are we going to listen to? Both are roaring.

“Did God really say…?”

It’s time to expose the false lion and end his masquerade!

The Lord God has spoken;
    who can but prophesy?” – Amos 3:8b