Worries, fear, cares, anxiety– are all weapons of the enemy against God’s children. They are means of gaining advantage over you. But God’s Word (His instructions to us) lay out in detail how to resist these attacks and walk away as the victor that you have been made to be in Christ.
1 Peter 5:6-9 says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on Him, because He cares about you. Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.”
There’s so much to meditate on here.
The first weapon we possess is humility. The Amplified Bible says “demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation.” This is a position of honor. In other words, in humility we position ourselves in such a way that God is lifted up (first). From this position, God is then able to assist and lift us up “far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only this age but also in that which is to come” (Ephesians 1:21).
At the proper time.
The challenge is that humility requires faith, trust, and patience. God WILL exalt us above the challenges in due time. But in the meantime… can you maintain humility and faith? This is a serious question, because Peter said Satan is “poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping” (1 Peter 5:8 MSG).
So our second weapon is to resist him by remaining steadfast in the faith.
Faith is a firm persuasion– and in this case, we’re talking about faith in God; but also faith in the finished work of Christ. Before I learned about our righteousness in Christ, the devil won every attack against my mind. BUT, as my faith and understanding grew concerning our right-standing with God, I learned to stand up against the enemy’s devices.
It takes courage to resist the enemy. But when you know (and believe) the One who is greater living within you, it’s easy to look at the fear or concern and say, “You are not greater than my God. Get behind me Satan.”
It really is that simple.
To resist means to withstand, hold out, endure and outlast (which is why patient humility is key). But one more important step is to cast all your care on God.
The Passion words this well: “Pour out all your worries and stress upon Him and leave them there…” (1 Peter 5:7). In other words, tell God all about it. Don’t be shy. But when you do (not if you do, but when you pour every fear and concern on God), leave it there.
Picture it this way: You’re a soldier stepping on to the battle field. Will you be able to use your weapons easier with or without your 100 lb. backpack? The obvious answer is without it. In the same way, you can better resist the enemy of fear and worry when you drop the weight of those concerns.
I recently did this. I poured out all my worry on God– every detail. But I did it in faith. And when I did, the peace of God immediately hit my heart. God tells us to cast our care on Him because He cares (greatly) for us. And He knows this is necessary in order to win the fight against the enemy.
So I encourage you to meditate on these verses this week. Your adversary the devil is looking for someone to devour, but it doesn’t have to be you.
