Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said that His disciples should keep watch and should pray (Matthew 26:40-41). He knew that His suffering was about to begin. He knew that His disciples would be tested by everything that was about to happen. They needed to be ready. They needed to keep watch and to pray, so that they would be able to stand in the time of trial.

Like the disciples of old, Christians need to keep watch and pray. We need to stay sober-minded, so that we will be ready to handle whatever comes our way. We need to keep watch so that we will not be caught by surprise. We can’t just waltz through life in blissful ignorance. This does not mean that we should walk through life in fear of the future, but it does mean that we must be ready for anything.

We need to be ready because Satan is still prowling around like a roaring lion, and he is still looking for someone to devour. He creates the trials, troubles, and tribulations of life as a means to snatch us from the flock of Jesus Christ and swallow us whole. He knows that the troubles of life will test us to the limit and cause us to question everything we believe. Like a lion on the prowl, he will try to sneak up on us; we must be ready when he pounces.

Peter encourages us by saying that we are not alone in this war with the devil. Every Christian must stay awake, stand watch, and pray. Satan stalks every Christian around the world. We should all pray for each other, for firmness of faith, and uphold each other in the strife.

By John Huisman, friend of Bible League International