God's plan is altogether related to man. He loves man and desires to gain man for Himself. But God also has an enemy whose desire is to destroy this man whom God loves so that His purpose will never be fulfilled. So there is a war raging on today—God is drawing man to Himself so that man would know Him, love Him, and be one with Him. At the same time, Satan is manipulating man, lying to man, and tempting man in order to ruin him and to render him useless to God.
A verse in 1 Peter describes Satan's attitude very well:
A verse in 1 Peter describes Satan's attitude very well:
Be sober; watch. Your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking someone to devour.
–1 Peter 5:8
Going off this analogy, I did some research on how lions hunt their prey and I discovered 3 characteristics that translate well to our Christian life:
1) Lions usually hunt at night
Don't you get the sense that Satan is more aggressive in tempting you or bothering you at night? I've heard the saying, "Nothing profitable happens after 10pm." When it's late and we're tired, Satan often uses that as an opportunity to cause us to fall into sin. This is most commonly the way that Satan attacks us. Lions stalk their prey and under the cover of night they can get much closer to their prey than they can during the day without their prey noticing.
We've seen who Satan is—a roaring lion seeking someone to devour—but who are we?
Don't you get the sense that Satan is more aggressive in tempting you or bothering you at night? I've heard the saying, "Nothing profitable happens after 10pm." When it's late and we're tired, Satan often uses that as an opportunity to cause us to fall into sin. This is most commonly the way that Satan attacks us. Lions stalk their prey and under the cover of night they can get much closer to their prey than they can during the day without their prey noticing.
We've seen who Satan is—a roaring lion seeking someone to devour—but who are we?
For you are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.
–1 Thessalonians 5:5
Be sober! Watch! You are a son of light, a son of the day. Don't allow Satan to devour you at night.
2) When lions attack, they target the neck
Lion experts have observed that when lions attack, they target the neck in an attempt to crush the windpipe of their prey. It's typically not the biting or the clawing that kills their prey, it's suffocation.
For a Christian, breathing is likened to prayer. Satan, as a roaring lion, will attack you by trying to stop your breathing, your prayer. Perhaps it will happen gradually, each day breathing a little less. Before we know it, Satan has killed his prey, spiritually speaking.
Don't be Satan's prey! Pray!
A simple way to maintain our spiritual breathing is to call on the name of the Lord throughout the day. "O Lord Jesus!" "Lord Jesus, I love You!" This kind of practice will keep us breathing and will save us from being killed by Satan.
3) Lions isolate their prey
Perhaps the most well-known and effective tactic that lions employ is to isolate their prey from the herd. When attacking in groups, some lions will charge into a herd of gazelles, for instance, to throw them into disarray and to scatter them. Then another group of lions waiting nearby observe how the gazelles disperse and go after the ones who have become isolated from the herd. The general principle is to attack the isolated ones because they are extremely vulnerable when separated from the herd.
What does this mean for us? Don't become isolated from your herd, your group of believers. This is one of the reasons it's so important that we would not abandon our assembling together (Hebrews 10:25). Our gathering together helps to keep us connected to one another and this saves us from becoming a prime target for Satan.
Isn't this your experience? Don't you sense that you're strengthened and protected with you're connected to other Christians? This principle in the wild matches our spiritual experience.
2) When lions attack, they target the neck
Lion experts have observed that when lions attack, they target the neck in an attempt to crush the windpipe of their prey. It's typically not the biting or the clawing that kills their prey, it's suffocation.
For a Christian, breathing is likened to prayer. Satan, as a roaring lion, will attack you by trying to stop your breathing, your prayer. Perhaps it will happen gradually, each day breathing a little less. Before we know it, Satan has killed his prey, spiritually speaking.
Don't be Satan's prey! Pray!
A simple way to maintain our spiritual breathing is to call on the name of the Lord throughout the day. "O Lord Jesus!" "Lord Jesus, I love You!" This kind of practice will keep us breathing and will save us from being killed by Satan.
3) Lions isolate their prey
Perhaps the most well-known and effective tactic that lions employ is to isolate their prey from the herd. When attacking in groups, some lions will charge into a herd of gazelles, for instance, to throw them into disarray and to scatter them. Then another group of lions waiting nearby observe how the gazelles disperse and go after the ones who have become isolated from the herd. The general principle is to attack the isolated ones because they are extremely vulnerable when separated from the herd.
What does this mean for us? Don't become isolated from your herd, your group of believers. This is one of the reasons it's so important that we would not abandon our assembling together (Hebrews 10:25). Our gathering together helps to keep us connected to one another and this saves us from becoming a prime target for Satan.
Isn't this your experience? Don't you sense that you're strengthened and protected with you're connected to other Christians? This principle in the wild matches our spiritual experience.
In conclusion, be a child of the day, unceasingly pray, and never allow yourself to become isolated from other believers.