Be Watchful

"Be careful! Watch out for attacks form the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour." (I Peter 5:8, NLT)

If you have ever heard the roaring lion, it is a very intimidating sound. And he lags around the perimeter looking for a straggler, someone in weakened condition. And that is the image of satan.
He absolutely hates God, but he cannot get to God so he attacks God's people. Thus the warning. "Be careful, watch out for."

Often I will hear someone say, "Satan's greatest weapon is..." and they supply their answer. I suspect he employs whatever weapon is appropriate for the circumstance someone is most readily susceptible to at the moment. Sometimes that is discouragement, other times it is distraction, or criticism, or one of his vast arsenal.

If, however, relationships are at the top of God's list of priorities, and they are, it seems satan would often seek to destroy those. We are told in the scripture that the most important commandment is loving God and that the second is about loving others. So it makes sense satan is going to do all he can to destroy our relationships with God and with fellow believers. That is why a passage like Matt. 18 is so important. We must diligently work to restore broken relationships. Jesus told us to love each other as much as He loved us, and He gave His life on a cross for us. That is awesome love. I want to encourage you today to repair all relationships.