Be Watchful—Satan Wants to Devour You!

[Bible Speaks]

 
Be Watchful—Satan Wants to Devour You!

8 "Keep your senses, be watchful!
Your adversary, the Devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour someone."(1 Peter 5:8) NWT 

Without Jehovah’s help, we could never win our fight against Satan

Since his rebellion, Satan has been Jehovah’s greatest enemy and an enemy of all mankind. We can see how corrupt Satan really is by looking at how the Bible describes him. Satan means “Resister,” which shows that this wicked angel hates God’s rule and fights it with all his power. What Satan really wants is to see the end of Jehovah’s rule.

At Revelation 12:9, Satan is called Devil, which means “Slanderer.” Satan has dishonored God by calling him a liar. The words “the original serpent” remind us of how Satan used a snake to deceive Eve. The expression “the great dragon” is also a good way to describe Satan. He is fierce, he is cruel, and he is evil. He wants to stop Jehovah’s purpose from coming true and to destroy God’s people.

Clearly, Satan is the greatest threat to our integrity. That is why the Bible warns us: “Keep your senses, be watchful! Your adversary, the Devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour someone.” (1 Peter 5:8) 

When we oppose Satan, we also oppose all those who support him and who rebel against God’s rule. That includes a large group of other rebellious angels, who are called demons. (Revelation 12:3, 4) Many times they have shown that they are much stronger than humans, causing great suffering to them. (Matthew 8:28-32; Mark 5:1-5) Never forget how powerful the demons and their ruler really are. (Matthew 9:34) Without Jehovah’s help, we could never win our fight against Satan.

The only way that Satan can turn people against our loving God, Jehovah, is by deceiving them. (1 John 4:8) Satan deceives people so that they are not “conscious of their spiritual need,” that is, they do not realize that they need a relationship with God. (Matthew 5:3) The Devil has “blinded the minds of the unbelievers” so that they cannot see the truth about Jehovah.—2 Corinthians 4:4.

As we have seen, Satan is powerful, cruel, and deceptive. How can we win our battle against an enemy like this? Jehovah gives us help. His Word teaches us about Satan’s methods so that “we are not ignorant of his designs.” (2 Corinthians 2:11)

When we understand the different ways Satan attacks us, it is easier for us to remain watchful. But just knowing Satan’s methods is not enough. The Bible says: “Oppose the Devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)