Be alert and of sober mind.
Summary: Peter uses this phrase, ‘’be alert and of sober mind,” three times in his letter. This time he warns us that we are being stalked by the devil.
This is now the third time that Peter has admonished us to be alert and of sober mind:
“Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.” (1 Peter 1:13a)
“Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.” (1 Peter 4:7)
“ Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
As we go through our days, it is easy to think anything we want to. We can imagine that the earth is flat and that there is no devil. We can pretend that people are basically good, and there is no real evil in the world. We can measure good and bad against our standards instead of God’s. Peter, however, does not have that luxury.
Peter had an ordinary life before Jesus came. He was raised in an ordinary Jewish town with regular relatives. His community was the same as it had been for many years. The Roman occupation had occurred before Peter was born so he didn’t know anything different.
Then Jesus shows up in his life, and everything changes. At first, it was exciting to know someone who might be the Messiah, the promised Savior. Then days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. Jesus taught them and led them from town to town. Peter saw the hand of God at work in Jesus. He saw miracles. He saw people’s lives changed. And then, his life was changed.
He was in the garden with Jesus when he prayed all night. He had fallen asleep even though Jesus pleaded with him to stand watch. He saw the authorities descend on his Lord. He was powerless to stop the mob from taking Jesus. Jesus himself chastised Peter for trying. He followed Jesus to the house of the High Priest and ended up denying he knew Jesus.
None of this was supposed to happen. None of this seemed real. How could the forces of evil have infiltrated the very leaders that represented God? Was the world insane?
No, the world is not insane, but it is deceptive. It is a trap, an ambush. It is a corrupt system that pulls us into its corruption. It taints us with sin and leverages that sin for greater sins. It is a tar pit that sucks us in and clings to every part of us.
Today is not a time for silliness or sleepiness. Today is not a season for goofing around and thinking, “I’ll get to it later.” We are under constant threat of attack. We need to be sober and alert so that we can keep our hope in Jesus, pray as we should, and be aware of the enemy’s attacks. The alternative is too frightening to contemplate.
Application: Look around you. The world is not your friend. God is.
Food for Thought: What does it mean when Scripture repeats something more than once?
How great the danger is and deceptive our enemy can be. We would wait until our targets were relaxed before we did a night raid. Watching them for days for the right time when they were asleep and only had one person standing watch who would be falling asleep. We are at war with the evil one. Many aren’t aware of the war going on spiritually or even around the world.
Tim,
Thank you for sharing this insight. It is a frightening parallel to our own situation. The enemy is all around. We only have one hope: Jesus. Thank God for God!
Stay alert, stay alive. You got it Tim
Wow Ron. The Holy Spirit must be working in me. I think that is the shortest comment you have ever left. I’m use to you matching Jeff’s threeminutebible.com daily blog. But it looks like John was able to leave a great longer comment. Thank you brothers and sisters ( Jeff’s wife, I’m horrible with names. ) for all you do to glorify our God and encouraging others to become fruitful followers.
Excellent points Tim. Great devotion brother.
When something is repeated in Scripture it means the same thing as when we repeat something – pay careful attention. Give great resources to applying this truth because it is important enough to receive high priority.
Thank you, Rich.
As I thought about Peter’s life, I could see his awareness change. He moved from innocent bystander to the battlefield between Good and Evil. He speaks from an urgency he feels deep inside. He knows how important his instructions to us are.
From what I understand it means to listen up and pay attention to what has been written,.. to get to the point of having to be repeated,..Jesus made a point of telling everyone He spoke to,..he who has ears to hear let him hear,..pay attention, listen up,..the words He speaks are important and can be valuable if applied to your life in this world we live in,..we need His words for protection, guidance and comfort. We need His words for victory, salvation and success. We need His words in this world we live,..abiding in them bring on His goodness, grace, mercy and peace that is beyond all understanding in this world. It’s the world that gets to watch as I flourish under and in the word of God,..it’s the world that wants a piece of what I have in Jesus,..it’s the world that needs what I have in Jesus,..what I have in Jesus is a true friend,..a friend in which the world longs for,…if we listen we can hear their groans,..he who has ears to hear,..let him hear,..
Thank you, John!
We desperately need to pay attention or Jesus, in Word and Prayer. More than that, as you point out, the world needs to hear Jesus, too. The way that happens is through us.