Playing Chicken with the devil

1 Peter 5:8, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

Ephesians 6:11, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

Daniel 6:22, “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me…”

Perhaps the description of “Playing Chicken with the devil” is an arrogant expression of standing firm against the enemy, but I thought it might catch your attention.

Additionally going into the detail of the personal experience for me of this in the past few days is pointless.

Let me just say that the devil comes charging at you like a lion. Full force, teeth bared, he comes intending to devour you spiritually. And yet we are commanded to do nothing more than “stand firm.” We don’t run, we don’t fight, and we just stand. Here, in standing and trusting God we see the lion’s mouth shut.

Sometimes God provides a solution in the form of a blessing that makes the problem go away. Other times He simply takes the problem’s ability to bite away from it. For me, I thank God that He has once again closed the mouth of the lion. Though the devil sits in front of me as a lion -- breathing his hot, stinky breath on me… he cannot bite. Not because of anything I have done, or my ability, but because of Him who lives in me.

Stand firm!