(1 Peter 3:8-22) For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 19 in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20 who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. 21 Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.
Even though Satan looks for those he can devour, because Jesus has dominion over darkness, we just have to look to Jesus for our protection...
(1 Peter 5:6-11) Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. 11 To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.
From this we see:
- when Jesus died for our sins, He went and made a proclamation to the demons (3:19)
- Jesus conquered death and darkness and has dominion over all (3:22)
- we have been called out of darkness and into God's light (2:9)
- resist the spiritual battle of lust in our flesh (2:11)
- be sober and resist the devil who prowls, looking for someone he can devour (5:8)
Personal experience: notice in 1 Peter 5:7 that we are to cast all our anxiety on Jesus! All our worries and our fears! The demons will try whatever they can to keep us from looking to God. This includes trying to make us fearful.
I remember as a little girl, my room was right next to the basement stairs. There was one particular night that I kept hearing sounds - like footsteps plodding up the stairs - up and up and up. I felt a dread come over me, until I started to pray.
Years later, my younger brother (who had been involved in the occult until he had become a Christian) told me that there were several demons who hung out at our house. One was usually in the basement, beneath my room.
My older brother always had to share a bedroom with the younger brother. In the earlier years, he would be screaming for Mom and Dad because he was seeing spiders all over the room.
Then later in high school, he had been just laying in bed when he heard his guitar start to violently strum on its own - then all of the strings broke - one at a time. I don't have to tell you that this would raise the hair on the back of one's neck!
Today's takeaway: we have been called out of darkness, yet we will still experience a spiritual battle around us and within our own flesh; so we have to remember that we are now in God's light and we should want to rest in that and reflect that to the rest of the world...
(1 Peter 2:9-12) But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. 12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.
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