Overcoming Domestic Violence

1 Peter 5:8-9 (NLT)
“8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.”

Imagine a strobing red siren flashing and sounding an alarm that danger is near. That is what this passage should represent for us. It’s a red flag alert from the Lord. He’s warning us that we have an enemy, and we should watch out for him, because he wants to pounce on our lives and devour them. At first glance of 1 Peter 5:8, we might become fearful but that isn’t what our loving and merciful Heavenly Father wants. In this passage, He not only gives us this warning about our great enemy; He instructs us regarding what we must do in order to remain on victory’s side. He tells us to stand firm against the enemy, and we do this by holding fast in the faith of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

It’s important that we understand that the devil is our spiritual enemy. We are not able to see him with physical sight, but we can most definitely see him at work in the lives of many people that try to come against us. We should never be asleep on the job when it comes to satan and his tricks. The diligence and wisdom of Christ are our weapons, and therefore we must study God’s Word, so that we are increasing continually in faith.

Our issue is that many of us haven’t been diligent to study God’s Word. Perhaps we’re concerned that we can’t connect it with the problems we’re dealing with, or that reading it will not impact us or our situations, but neither of these opinions are true. 2Peter 1:3-4(The Message) says, “Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust.” Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ tells us in John 14:6 that he is the way, the truth, and the life. God’s Will is for each of us to become intimately acquainted with Christ. When we know who Jesus Christ is, we know who we are, because Christ is everything that God created us to be!

God’s Word introduces us to ourselves. Many people live their whole lives ignoring this. They seek to know themselves by their talents, gifts, and abilities. We think we can find ourselves by attaching to others, but none of this will lead us to the truth of our identities. Our Heavenly Father has gifted us with all that we need to live a more than abundant reality through Christ. As we learn more about him, layer after layer, we’ll discover the excellence of God’s plan for our lives as the treasure of who He has made us in Christ is revealed.

Lies and deceit are the enemy’s tricks, and if we believe things that are not true about God and ourselves, the enemy will try to forge his way into our hearts and minds. We must heed the red flag alert that God has placed in His Word. Ephesians 6:10-11(NLT) tells us, “10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.” Stay alert and recognize your strength in our Master Jesus. Our union with him is a limitless resource, so be confident that God has equipped you to stand firm against any strategy the enemy tries to use. Declare that you are who God says you are and be a representative of the authority and victory that Christ has given to us all. ■

 Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

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