be alert!

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 because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.  1 Peter 5:8-9

I am tired.  My emotions and my thoughts run amuck when I am tired, and the devil takes advantage of me.  He knows that I am an easy target right now.  I am not alert to his deceptive schemes.  I have no self-control and no energy to take captive the crazy lies in my head that overwhelm me.  I can feel fear and anxiety rising inside, trying to shut me down.  The devil is doing his best to devour me while I appear to be defenseless.

 I AM able to resist him and stand firm in the faith!  Romans 8:11 says, "And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you."  I can do everything through Him who gives me strength!  (Philippians 4:13)  I cannot stand firm in the faith on my own.  I need Jesus!  I need the Holy Spirit!  I need to fill my mind with The Truth so there is no room in my head for lies!  And I need people around me who will love me, encourage me, and speak The Truth to me!

None of us can resist the devil and stand firm in our faith on our own.  We need each other.  And most of all, we need Jesus!  Be alert, my friends!  The devil wants to steal, kill, and destroy us.  Let's stand together and resist him!