Black Ice and a Roaring Lion
When I was 16 years old, I lost control of the car I was driving at 60mph on black ice. We went over a ten-foot embankment, then flipped 2 ½ times, yet my passenger and I walked away with just a few scratches. Thank you, God!
About a mile before we got in the accident, we passed a sign that warned, “Beware of Black Ice!” That warning was essentially telling me to look out for something dangerous that I could not see. Which begs the question, “how do I look out for what I cannot see?”  As I reflected on the warning sign and my accident, I realized that the black ice may have been invisible, but the conditions that made it were very visible, I just wasn’t aware of what to look for.
The warning in 1 Peter 5:8, has a very similar feel to it…
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
The enemy of our souls is looking to eat us for lunch, but how do you watch out for him, when he’s invisible? Like the black ice, we need to be aware of the conditions that provide him the opportunity to strike. Let me share with you three common conditions when your enemy may attack and what you can do to resist him.
Condition 1 – When Struggling With Doubts About God
Satan is a liar and deceiver (John 8:44), who has been shooting fiery darts of doubt (Eph.6:16) at God’s people from the beginning of time (Gen.3)
Condition 2 – When Struggling With Sickness or Death
Our enemy will try to leverage our weakness (2Cor. 12:7) and feelings of fear (Heb 2:15-16) during these seasons to keep us ineffective and distracted.
Condition 3 – When Struggling With Guilt or Shame
“The accuser of our brothers” (Rev. 12:10) loves to pounce when we make mistakes and even when we don’t (Job).
So, what do we do when these conditions are present?
- Be Alert – by just knowing when your conditions and his schemes line up that he is likely to attack.
- Be of Sober Mind – by reminding yourself of the gospel. Satan is a defeated enemy, and you are a beloved child of God if you placed your faith in the crucified and risen Christ. And if Jesus is your Savior, then…
- you’re righteous not guilty in Him,
- sickness and death can only temporarily trouble you, but will lose their power over you forever in heaven,
- and His resurrection is the single greatest verifiable fact in History, which should give you absolute confidence that you can trust Him with other things you’re not sure about.
- Pray – our Lord Jesus sits with God in heaven ready to intercede when we’re struggling (Heb. 7:25), and give grace to help (Heb. 4:14-16).Â
May God by His grace guide you through the vulnerable seasons of life, and may Christ be glorified as you follow Him!