1 Peter 5:8 (ESV)
⁸ Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

We are in a spiritual war fought over the souls of men and their effectiveness for good or evil in this life. Therefore, we must be sober minded. The word means to avoid the extremes of intoxication, in other words, be balanced instead of going to extremes in the important areas of our life. Our mind and body must be disciplined to avoid the enticement of evil.

Being watchful means just that. Keep your spiritual awareness at high alert, knowing that we are on the battlefield of life. Ephesians 6 tells us to put on the armor of God and stand firm. Peter follows this verse by telling us to resist the devil and stand firm in our faith. Remember, he is seeking whom he MAY devour. Don’t give him the opportunity to make your life ineffective for the Kingdom of God. Be sober minded and watchful. 1Thess 3:3

The lion in the picture is the good lion, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He is more than capable of dealing with the evil lion that devours if we let Him.

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1 Peter 5:6-7 (ESV)
⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, ⁷ casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
We often quote verse 7 without the connection with 6. It sounds like Peter is referring to our anxiety about our position in life when you read it in context. Of course we should cast all other cares on the Lord as well. Psalm 55:22 Why? Because He cares for us. He takes care of us. He cares about us. To cast in the original language is to throw something on something or someone else. It is a very visual word.

Are you worried about where you are in life today? Throw it on the Lord. Anxieties about providing for your family? Cast it – on the Lord. Whatever anxiety you are carrying today – humbly submit your life to the Lord because He cares for you.

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1 Peter 5:5 (ESV)
⁵ Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Peter has told the churches that they should submit to the government, spouse, and elders. He encourages us to dress in humility toward one another. James 4:6, 10 tell us the same. Do we think of humility and submission as key virtues? When we think of our own life or our church, are these qualities we see near the top of the list of desired attributes? It seems like this is another area where the church is needing to return to the really Old Time Religion. Isn’t it refreshing to hear someone say, “I don’t know”?  Or “What would you prefer?” Maybe it’s just because I’ve been bumping into the overbearing, outspoken, sure of them self kind of people lately… but I know I need to be continually aware that is what godliness looks like.

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