Today I’ll wrap up my current reflections on this passage by focusing on the need to Stank Firm.
1 Peter 5:8-9 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith
God is calling you to be courageous. But how often do we let fear get the best of us? Fear often controlled those in the early church as well. In the first three centuries after the birth of our Lord, the church endured many fierce persecutions. During one such persecution, the Bishop of Carthage, a man named Cyprian, disappeared. Some said, “What kind of example is that?” Others said that a wise leader would stay away from the frontlines of the battle. Seven years later, however, when another persecution arose, Cyprian was a visible leader.
Maybe the way to look at all this is that even the best of them won’t always get it right. Those who display courage will, on occasion, lose heart. You won’t always stand firm. If fear and cowardice at times caused these believers to falter, the same can and will happen to you. You won’t always get it right. Even those who usually display courage will on occasion lose heart.
The reason you and I can be strong is found in a promise made all through Scripture. I like the way it is stated to Joshua, after he had taken over for Moses, and was leading the children of Israel into the Promised Land. Listen to what God says to him:
Joshua 1:6-9 “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Notice that in these few verses God tells Joshua three times “Be strong and courageous.” Why? Because God would be with Him! Standing firm in your faith is having the confidence that God will see you through anything you encounter. It was the promise Jesus made to His disciples at the end of Matthew’s Gospel: “I am with you always.” We can live through trials knowing that the one who rose from death made this promise to us. That is part of living in response to the resurrection.
