March 7                                          Lev 17 - 19

WHEN SATAN STRIKES

MEMORISE: ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour…’ (1 Pet 5:8)
READ: 2 Samuel 11: 1- 5

Satan is very crafty. He is more experienced than human beings, having employed different wiles over and over again for 6000 years. Hence Scripture enjoin u to be sober and very vigilant. Satan always seeks the opportunity to deceive believers, hence he will strike when you least expect it. When you are in difficulty, Satan will not strike, because he knows that you are close to God, seeking his face in prayer and fasting. But when it appears that all is well – you have just been promoted, you have just won a major victory or achieved a breakthrough in business, or you have just been married and now want to take your rest, that is a likely time to expect him to strike.

In our passage we see David, the man after God’s heart. He had just sent his soldiers to the battlefield. They were victorious over their opponents. David felt that since they were doing well, he could take time out to relax at home. Unknown to him, the devil was plotting and he fell. Before he knew it, he who had conquered armies of various nations was conquered by a woman through lust.

As a leader, it is not enough that you have put in place several prayer bands to intercede for you and the parish. Or do you say, ‘My pastor is praying for me, so let me go and sleep? If you refuse to pray when you ought, you will soon become a casualty of the satanic realm. The prayers of others for you should be additional to the prayers you make for yourself.

Scripture says we have no resting place here. The fight is ongoing – even when you do not feel it, do not deceive yourself into thinking it has stopped. Your enemies are just waiting for the right time, the time you have put down your armour to rest. They are looking for the time when you are so merry that you do not care about anything. Beloved, that is the time to be most watchful. This does not mean that you should not rejoice or celebrate your success. While you do so with one hand, let your other hand be tightly fixed to your sword. Remember Nehemiah 4: 17.

ACTION POINT
Be prepared to fight the devil when it appears all is well, quite and peaceful.
Increase your knowledge of God.