Devotional 17 September 2025

Peter warns us: the Christian life is not neutral ground. Our enemy prowls like a roaring lion, eager to strike where faith wavers. But notice how he frames this command: right after telling us to humble ourselves and cast our anxieties on the Lord (1 Peter 5:6–7). Pride and worry leave us vulnerable; humility and trust sharpen our watchfulness.

From Eden onward, the adversary’s question has always been the same: “Did God actually say…?” (Genesis 3:1). Sin is, at its core, a refusal to trust God’s Word. Every temptation whispers that God cannot be fully trusted. Yet faith answers with a resounding “Yes! He has spoken, and His Word is sure!” That is why Peter urges us to resist by faith (James 4:7; Ephesians 6:16). Spiritual warfare is not ritual formulas or secret incantations, it is daily, humble dependence upon Christ.

Peter reminds us that we do not resist alone. Our brothers and sisters throughout the world are enduring the same trials. This is our heritage: to share in the sufferings of those who walked before us, all following the One who “suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous” (1 Peter 3:18). The prophets, apostles, martyrs, and faithful saints endured not because they were strong, but because they trusted the God who raises the dead (2 Corinthians 1:9).

And so, when we suffer for our faith, we stand in a long line of witnesses, proof that we belong to Christ and His people (Hebrews 12:1–2; Revelation 12:11). Just as gold is refined by fire (1 Peter 1:7), our trials reveal the genuineness of our trust. Our adversary seeks to devour, but our Ark is secure: Christ Himself, who carries us safely through every flood (1 Peter 3:20–21; Colossians 3:3).

To endure is to trust, and to trust is to conquer. Let us take our place in the heritage of the faithful, eyes fixed on Jesus, until the prowling lion is silenced forever.