“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
—1 Peter 5:8

Reflection

On the way to the top of the mountain, there are many dangers that require us to engage in spiritual warfare. Song of Songs 4:8 speaks of “dens of lions” and “mountains of leopards”; pictures of the attacks we sustain from the enemy of our souls.

In Scripture Satan is portrayed as a roaring lion that roams about looking for someone to devour. The truth is we can’t fully know Messiah Jesus until we have defeated the devil as He did, and we can’t defeat the devil until we become aware of him.

The Scriptures tell us not to be ignorant of the schemes of Satan. How would you like to go to war against an enemy you knew nothing about and couldn’t see? It would be impossible to win. When we are ignorant of the evil one’s tactics, we empower him by our inaction.

God demands that we become aware of the spiritual conflict we are in. He wants to give us understanding into the nature of the battle so we can face our enemy. He wants to train us by His Spirit to overcome.

In Revelation 2 and 3, Jesus refers several times to “he who overcomes.” King David, the great friend of God, declared that the Lord trained him for battle and even taught him to bend a bow of bronze. David was a highly skilled warrior, just like the God we serve.

Scripture tells us that God aggressively opposes darkness. As His children, we must exhibit a fierce determination in the Spirit to do the same. We must be willing to face the enemy, take authority over him, and subdue him under our feet.

Yeshua said that with the authority He has given us, we are able “to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19).

A critical part of our callings is to pass through a den of lions, or a mountain of leopards. Too many Christians find this subject scary, but with Messiah Jesus there is nothing to fear.

He wants to train us by His Spirit to overcome. He will lead us successfully upward and onward.

Application

• Ask the Lord to make you aware of the enemy’s schemes and to train you by His Spirit for the spiritual conflict you are in.
• Refuse to be intimidated by spiritual warfare. Stand in the authority Yeshua has given you and keep moving upward and onward.

Prayer

Father, train me by Your Spirit to recognize and overcome the schemes of the enemy. Keep me alert and unwilling to remain ignorant of the spiritual conflict around me. Give me a fierce determination in the Spirit to oppose darkness and stand in the authority Yeshua has given me. When I pass through dens of lions and mountains of leopards, keep my heart free from fear. Lead me successfully upward and onward as I follow Messiah Jesus. Amen.