Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Be sober and vigilant because the devil is a real, personal, cruel and relentless adversary who as a roaring lion walks about seeking whom he may devour and destroy, and no moment of laxity, drowsiness or carelessness is safe. To be sober is to be temperate in all things and serious unto prayer, refusing what clouds the senses and weakens reason while staying wide awake, diligent and on guard against danger. He does not always come openly with rage and force, but often works in darkness by stealth as an angel of light with flattery, pleasing deception and concealed snares, striking where least guarded and through human agents. Safety is only in constant watchfulness, earnest prayer and living faith laying hold of divine strength, for man alone is helpless but Christ who defeated him limits him, drives him away by His presence, and gives believers the advantage of His victory as they resist steadfast in faith. The conflict grows more intense as the end nears because he knows his time is short, working with lying wonders and masterly deception to mislead even the elect, so the Christian life allows no release but requires lifelong warfare, daily consecration, guarding every avenue of the soul, and unity and prompt action among God's people.
Words and Historical Setting
The verse calls believers to be sober and vigilant because the devil as a roaring lion walks about seeking whom he may devour and destroy, and no moment of laxity, drowsiness, indifference or carelessness is safe. He actively watches for those off guard to capture them, plant evil in their hearts and control their minds, and intense excitement can leave even students less able to receive essential instruction, counsel and reproof. The next verses call for resisting him steadfast in faith while knowing brethren worldwide share the same sufferings. After a little suffering the God of all grace who calls to eternal glory through Christ will perfect, establish, strengthen and settle, to whom belong glory and dominion forever, and believers are to give him no power over the mind through fabrications and false reports.
The warning was given to believers facing severe trials and approaching persecution. It belonged to a church enduring suffering and facing coming persecution, including the loss of leaders and the threat of false teachers who would harm the flock. It applies across the centuries, including the present time, as continuing spiritual conflict with a persistent spiritual adversary. When no special resistance is made and deep indifference fills church and world, Satan is unconcerned because he already leads people captive to do his will, but when attention turns to eternal things and souls ask how to be saved, he takes the field in person to match his power against Christ and to counteract the Holy Spirit with doubled effort. The same danger was illustrated by Israel just before Canaan, calling for watchfulness and sober-mindedness against growing lightness, vanity, love of ease and pleasure, selfishness and impurity, with firm, fearless faithfulness rather than self-exaltation.
The call belongs with humbling self under God's mighty hand to be exalted in due time, submission to one another, being clothed with humility, and casting all care on Him because He cares. It means walking humbly with God day by day under the guidance of the Great Shepherd as worthy caretakers, exalting God's message and not self, never teaching fellow men to look to man for wisdom, never taking God's place, never putting trust in man nor making flesh his arm, but making the Lord the trust, looking to Him for guidance and following His counsel to be strengthened and blessed. Walking humbly before God guards against the enemy overcoming those who are not watchful.
To be sober means to be temperate in all things, taking nothing that clouds senses, acts on nerves, degrades character or defiles God's temple. Wine and cider can be means of temptation, for yielding to appetite for stimulants and liquor can cloud reason, strengthen appetite, poison the mind, and lead step by step toward drunkenness, stronger drink, other sins and ruin of life until habit and appetite become chains too strong to break. Indulgence of appetite, sensual pleasure and heedless living expose a person to his influence, weaken both mind and body, and place the person on Satan's ground, where the enemy can tempt, harass and finally control them, with appetite temptations growing more powerful and harder to resist as the close of time draws near. Even spiritual light and divine favor do not remove the need for constant care, for every thought and impulse must be placed under the Spirit of God.
Sobriety also means serious watchfulness unto prayer rather than levity, frivolous speech, frolic, fun, sports and cheap thoughts, for the spiritual conflict is continual and believers must not lay aside armor or relax vigilance. It does not mean kicking footballs and training in objectionable games that ought to make every Christian blush with mortification afterward, for the devil is on the playground watching amusements, catching every soul found off guard, sowing seeds in human minds and controlling intellect. Yet it remains compatible with cheerfulness, praise and thanksgiving, and a solemn, watchful, earnest life bears a holy influence and weight, serves others through good works and concern for souls, and represents Christ in a way that can lead people to accept Him as Saviour. To watch is to be wide awake, diligent, circumspect and on guard against danger from disobedience and personal besetments, refraining the tongue from evil and guile, eschewing evil and doing good, seeking and pursuing peace, fearing no man and letting nothing come between soul and God, a watchfulness that rests on faith, enables overcoming by God, brings divine blessing and angelic cooperation, and is especially necessary for youth facing a coming time of trouble that will test character.
Nature of the Adversary
The verse reveals a real, personal adversary who is cruel, cunning, relentless and sleepless, constantly active, earnest, zealous and persevering in working for the destruction of the race to the bitter end, never discouraged from trying again, determined that souls shall not be saved and that his power over them shall not be broken, leaving no means untried to prevent them from accepting Christ's invitation to come for life and from leaving his ranks for Christ's. Though once an honored angel in heaven he has lost his holiness without losing his power, which he exerts with terrible effect, and denying that he exists leaves people unaware of danger and gives him advantage, while man in pride is utterly helpless before his awful power, cunning and deception and may well tremble unless by faith holding fast the hand of Christ as refuge, for otherwise the soul becomes the sport of his temptations and, unless a mighty arm rescues, goes where the arch-rebel leads. His regular employment is prowling about hoping to find some poor soul off guard and separated from God to make his prey, ever on the alert watching for opportunity to lead God's people into conditions favorable to rebellion and transgression, to open channels for the unrestrained flow of evil in their nature not yet overcome, and to make them as abhorrent to God as the Canaanites were so they may be ruined and condemned, actively opposing God and seeking to draw people under his control and turn them against God. He does not wait for prey to come but hunts for it, going to and fro in the earth, and does not always wear the ferocious look but when it serves him better transforms himself with legions to aid him, exchanging the roar for persuasive arguments or the softest whisper, concealing snares and alluring by pleasing deception, charming and deluding many by flattering vanity, presenting through his agents the pleasures of the world in attractive light and strewing the path to hell with tempting flowers so souls are charmed and ruined, with after every advance step downward some special temptation to lead still farther wrong, preparing temptations for each person so that although Christians cannot avoid them they must meet trial by constant prayer and living faith and resist through Jesus' strength.
As a roaring lion seeking prey he displays rage and power over body and soul, eagerly hunting rather than waiting, stalking to seize his prey and carry the lost into depths of anguish, frightening with a lion-like roar, coming unexpectedly with force, yet able also to appear as a man speaking sweetly as an angel of light and using talk of heavenly things to allure, and even smiling with malice once the victim is snared. His cruel power strikes those without shelter and without making God their defense, as illustrated by the destruction at Johnstown, and finds prey especially among those who claim faith yet are drawn into divisive political and financial controversies, become self-sufficient, fail to live hidden in Christ, or link their influence with evil workers, and among youth who enter temptation with hidden snares including evil associates who flatter while leading toward ruin. The warning applies in this age of corruption to parents and households to watch and pray so they do not enter temptation and to use the light they have to protect themselves and their families, since Christ's mission to bring pardon and peace threatens Satan's rule and opposes his display of power.
He stands at the head of a vast army, with his angels going out in every generation to ensnare and destroy Jesus' followers and to oppose those who believe in His resurrection and ascension, intensifying their efforts because they could not overthrow Christ. He strives with all his power to perfect the force he rules so he can wreak vengeance on God's people, filling the minds of his instrumentalities with hatred against God and intense desire for revenge, with the inhabitants of the world largely giving themselves into his control so that he acts as god of this earth, with human beings wholly given over to evil cooperating in his conspiracies against God's government, claiming supremacy because of the vast multitude of his adherents and leading armies under satanic agencies with raging power. He personally presides as head over principalities and powers and rulers of darkness over scenes of card playing, coarse and unrefined speech, demoralizing influence, and drinking liquid poison where young men and women engrossed in amusement poison the moral atmosphere rather than purify and uplift the mind or ennoble character. Near the end he works with unusual intensity through lying wonders, seeking influence over the Christian world while disguised as a Christian and even claiming to be Christ, while angels as ministers commissioned with skill, power, great strength and sleepless vigilance belt the world with linked hands, refuse his claim, hold his armies at bay till the sealing of God's people is accomplished, and the Lord remains a refuge bidding those who trust Him to hide for a little moment till the indignation passes before He punishes the world for iniquity.
He is the accuser who accuses God's people before God, stirs their enemies to accuse them, and prompts even fellow believers to criticize, misrepresent, envy and condemn one another, so Christians must not join that work but guard hearts and remain united in faith and love lest division weaken the church. Evil angels attack servants of God because their influence takes people from his grasp, and evil people join first with alluring temptations and then with coercion, force against conscience and persecution to separate them from God, an opposition continuing as long as he exists, actively seeking to corrupt the righteous or remove the faithful from the earth by sowing doubts, suspicions and harassing temptation, which may succeed when people fail to recognize weakness and need to walk with God. Yet Christ interposes for His people as in the scene with Joshua, answering accusations by removing filthy garments, pardoning, clothing in righteousness and promising to do justice, and believers must rely on God's strength and resist by continual striving for unity, love and true godliness, warning others and preparing them for the decisive choice between obedience to God and following him while combating his falsehoods.
Though defeated by Christ in the wilderness he remains active, cunning and powerful, still the personal adversary of every person, following step by step with hidden working aimed at doubt and despair, using strength and skill to turn people from the right way while hiding himself so his working is not seen, and Christ's victory benefits each only as that person also overcomes through Christ's strength. He will harass and beset God's children rather than let them rest, so they face conflict with him and those under his influence, but faithful people have help of powerful angels and He who conquered in the wilderness will finally bruise him under their feet. He still carries on his mischievous work as when he prevailed on man to sin in the beginning, even in churches and among members standing in high positions of responsibility, so that without great change lovers of deception, fraud and sin will have no place in God's mansions, for his destructive nature is unchanged across generations, continually seeking to destroy people and erase God's image in them even using apparent piety and religious zeal as pretense. His power over the whole human family is increasing, leaving each generation weaker and afflicted with disease, deformity, shattered nerves and gloom, using sickness and weakness of body to affect the mind, and too often God's people are not watchful and do not know his devices so he gains his purpose, so that unless the Lord soon comes to destroy his power the earth would ere long be depopulated.
Methods and Deceptive Snares
The devil does not always attack openly as a roaring lion, but often transforms himself into an angel of light to work more effectively, exchanging the roar for persuasive arguments, smooth fair speeches, soft tender whispers, pleasing deception, flattery, and promises of pleasure, liberty, profit, success and happiness. He hunts rather than waits, going to and fro in the earth with legions of angels to aid him, earnest and zealous to keep souls from accepting Christ's invitation to life and to keep his power over them unbroken. He may appear as a person frightening with a lion-like roar, or assume the appearance and voice of an angel from heaven, at times as a lamb, a friend, or a righteous sufferer exciting pity, and he gives soul-destroying errors such as spiritualism and theosophy the appearance of truth. He allures by strewing the path to hell with tempting flowers, presenting worldly pleasures in attractive light, charming and deluding many by flattering vanity, bewildering minds with ideas that following inclination is the only happiness, and leading step by step farther down the wrong track until reason and conscience are overborne. He especially secures inexperienced youth as allies, leading them away from pure and divine influences into pleasure-loving and pleasure-seeking that corrupts their God-given powers, and those who yield become his agents to solicit others into unsafe forbidden paths of transgression. Those drawn into divisive political and financial controversies, becoming self-sufficient or failing to live hidden in Christ, become his prey, and safety lies in staying alert, shunning temptation, keeping beyond his reach rather than presuming on protection while choosing forbidden paths, and keeping the will subject to God's will in watchfulness and prayer.
He works in darkness by stealth with concealed skillful snares, hiding his aim until people are off guard, and he succeeds when his devices are not understood and watchfulness is relaxed. He mixes temptation with amusement or apparent benefit, exploits idle hours, carelessness and indifference that cause wandering from the right path and loss of the way toward the city of God, abandonment of humility and Christ's yoke, and religious duties alone do not protect without vigilance from the first temptation. No one is beyond temptation because every character has weak points that can be attacked, so constant guarding of the soul without ever relaxing, with earnest prayer and living faith, is the only safety.
He strikes where least guarded through besetting sins and weaknesses, surrounding professed believers with darkness, darkening minds, causing them to lose sight of their sins, and leading into conduct that dishonors faith and brings sorrow to the church. When watchfulness is neglected the light of heaven fades and the snare closes, so weaknesses must be identified, every point guarded, dependence placed on God for strength and guidance, and victory sought through Christ's merits with alert earnest effort and unwearied prayer. He works most successfully when his methods are not understood, and he is present among congregations trying to instill thoughts Christ would not have in minds. He may even use family members' careless words or actions, magnifying them in the mind so that hurt feelings provoke opposition, resentment and retaliation, and resisting him means seeking God's strength rather than insisting on perceived rights, answering calmly and charitably and yielding one's own way when appropriate.
He works through human agents, learned or ignorant, using their example to corrupt others and draw them into disobedience. These include companions under guise of friendship, flattering evil associates, false reformers and fanatics appearing as angels of light, and youths who lead other youths into harmful ways even while teachers are giving instruction. He works through whispers of doubt and unbelief, using even influential ministers to unsettle minds and spread temptation, so vigilance includes refusing to pass on doubts that lead away from faith. He works through those who boast of freedom of thought and laugh at conscientious scruples to draw the righteous into wrongdoing, and believers invite attack when they associate with those they should avoid and place themselves in the way of temptation, so that even those bold for active warfare for God can be driven by fear of scorn, suffering and reproach to deny Christ. Teachers must therefore recognize responsibility for influence on the young and guard them, and youth who join others in doing evil cast their influence on the adversary's side and mislead those not firmly principled.
He deceives by fostering belief in natural immortality and eternal torment, then portraying God as cruel so that his own cruelty is blamed on the Creator, aiming to shake confidence in God's wisdom and justice and lure away from loyalty. Error itself becomes a snare that perverts judgment, distorts it, opens the door to temptation and seeks to turn hearts from truth, flooding the world and meeting people on every hand, taught from the sacred desk and lurking in theology, literature, philosophy and science. Infidel writings inspired by the enemy of truth bewitch with fascinating power, and no one can read them without imperiling the soul, tampering with evil influence being standing on his ground without wisdom to discern or strength to resist, while unbelief surrounds like a charged atmosphere requiring constant effort to resist. Education that distorts truth toward infidelity, commercialism and chance as schemes drawing believers into his plans, and deceptive theories received as from heaven belong to the same working, and the defense is staying joined to Jesus, loving truth intelligently, following humbly with sanctification of the Spirit, refusing to argue with his suggestions but meeting them with God's plain Word.
He demoralizes through amusements that absorb attention, which in the last days are special means of ensnaring, and he exults when people give themselves to impure thoughts, desires and passions in an age of corruption. Idleness gives him opportunity to approach with temptations disguised attractively to surprise the unguarded, and fornication committed despite the light and warning of the perilous last days risks eternal separation from God's work. He works through changing fashions that weaken the body, enfeeble the mind, belittle the soul, and bring misery and dishonor to God. He tempts to misuse entrusted money even with intent to replace it, while cherishing known sin or yielding the mind to spiritualist influence puts a person within his power and vulnerable to further deception until delivered by God's power sought through earnest prayer and faith.
He opposes the advance of truth by creating divisions of opinion, contention, selfish narrowness, worldliness and greed, tempting believers to let worldly interests hinder saving efforts, working with serpent craftiness and, when it serves him, lion ferocity for ruin and destruction. Through apostasy that creates divisions in churches and seduces souls to ruin, through burdening, dividing, grieving, perplexing and discouraging those carrying important responsibilities, and through selfish criticism from those who bear no burdens, he delights and advances his cause. Discouraging those wrestling under temptation gives him advantage, and Christians must not stand back as spectators or critics but actively resist steadfast in faith and help correct wrongs.
He conceals his working to turn people from the right way, deceiving wrongdoers into thinking warnings, reproofs and corrections unjust so they evade them and resist reform on earth. He watches closely and adapts temptations to what he observes in words and actions, and believers break his snares by praying, restraining sinful thoughts and feelings from becoming words or acts, and refusing to murmur, complain or accuse. He watches for weakness and presses fiercest temptations when mind is overstrained and body weakened, so guarding strength and resting helps resistance, and bodily sickness, overstrain and weakened nerves can otherwise affect the mind with doubt, despair and dissatisfaction. He works to weaken confidence in God and draw people to seek withheld knowledge while rejecting revealed Scripture, poisons the mind when given opening, exaggerates trials especially for the impulsive, and seeks through disease and danger to claim life as prey, so every avenue must be closed and venturing onto his ground avoided because there is no assurance of protection there.
Call to Constant Vigilance
Vigilance means keeping watch over words, actions and spirit, lest an uncontrolled self-seeking temper seek to dominate others, and this requires prayer joined with self-knowledge. Even small irritations, discourteous words and loss of temper give the destroyer his opening, dividing friends and endangering souls, so everyday trials demand self-control. He works in darkness and succeeds where his methods are not understood, magnifying a family member's careless word until hurt feelings provoke opposition, and victory comes not by insisting on supposed rights but by seeking divine strength and answering calmly and charitably, even yielding one's own way. Part of that watch is guarding against the return of old sinful habits and keeping a strict guard on words and spirit. Careless, evil, foolish or idle speech betrays lack of watchfulness and weakens resistance, for speech reveals the heart and such speech confesses an absent Christ, while restraining sinful thought from becoming act and keeping spirit and words in check preserves a pure heart.
Believers are to guard every avenue of the soul by which temptation could gain advantage and ruin life, watching and praying without ceasing. Security lies in abiding in Christ through humble dependence, obedience, prayer and wisdom in the Word, alert to temptation and refusing to be drawn from reliance on God even when Scripture itself is twisted deceptively. Continual watchfulness means praying for divine help and resolutely resisting every inclination to sin, with courage, faith and persevering effort, Christ abiding in the believer and the believer in Christ. Resisting temptation requires earnest prayer for God's strength, and prayer with diligent watching guards against carelessness and straying, bringing grace and power to resist through faith. The foe is wily and speaks through others' suggestions, so no concession is to be made but every temptation resisted in temperance, with every thought and impulse placed under God's Spirit, daily consecration and faithful vigilance closing every path of entry.
God's people must awake from spiritual sleep, for the adversary prowls actively seeking to destroy, and neglect of the work of carrying truth to others leaves souls in peril. Avoiding obvious dangers is not enough, since capture comes through concealed snares and many deceptions, and only closeness to Christ in self-denial and sacrifice guards against worldly entanglement, error and superstition that lead away from the path to the city. He is wide awake while men sleep, pressing his rebellion to the bitter end as a roaring lion hunting prey, and those who feel self-sufficient and feel no need of constant prayer and watchfulness are ensnared. Living faith laying hold of the divine nature with earnest prayer is necessary to stay spiritually alert, with eyes anointed to discern specious devices, lest even professed workers be blinded by human wisdom, perverted to work on his side while flattering themselves they serve Christ. Safety is in shunning forbidden paths rather than presuming on protection, staying in the straight path of truth with the will subject to God's will, clinging to God and holding firmly to present truth in perilous times.
The Christian life is unceasing warfare allowing no release, because he and his agents never pause in destruction, so every outpost must be watched in service for saving perishing souls, which succeeds only in union with the divine Worker. Constant vigilance day and hour is essential to eternal life, for he eagerly seeks the off guard, and slumbering faith must be revived into action or the soul is lost; with self surrendered, Christ enthroned and thoughts fixed on Him, power from above resists deceptive schemes. The struggle is lifelong, since he watches for opportunity to ensnare and ruin, and guard is needed at every moment with strength in the Lord, prayer, belief and courage because time is short. He is vigilant and untiring, knowing his time is short and working to the end with every deception, so believers must watch and pray, give him no place between them and Christ, and refuse what savors of men rather than God; genuine faith produces obedience, and God gives strength for all He commands, keeping safe even the fiercely tossed soul when Christ is aboard. Each day's opportunities are to be used to overcome temptation and remain faithful rather than yielding to selfish desires, for delay and indecision turn service toward self.
Vigilance turns inward to one's own case before the Lord in self-examination rather than watching a brother's fancied faults, recognizing personal weakness and unseen defects of character through which surprise attack comes, and letting the Holy Spirit mold heart and life, which gives confidence in workers struggling in hard places. It learns from cautions, reproofs and examples, both wise and foolish, standing apart from conduct shown to displease God and refusing alluring snares. It keeps integrity and gospel principles, notices danger quickly and stands ready for sudden attack, knowing avoidance of deliberate obvious sins alone is insufficient. It is thorough and prompt in responsibility, especially in caring for souls, for carelessness, indolence and slowness to think and act give him victory. It also puts church affairs and property in secure orderly condition so he gains no advantage to hinder the work, laboring wisely in many places.
He actively seeks his prey rather than waiting for it, tracking professed Christians with vigilance, perseverance, earnestness and zeal to wrench souls from Christ's hand by doubt and unbelief, working both by concealed deception and as an open dangerous enemy with sudden violent power to take captive and destroy. Neglect of watchfulness and prayer breaks progress in divine life and brings darkness, uncertainty and distrust, and going unbidden into darkness and the pleasure and company of those who fear not God invites temptation and removes holy angelic protection; those who make God their trust and are called to enter blackest darkness to do good are encircled and kept unsullied, but without that trust strength is weakness. Indifference and carelessness have no place, for he is untiring in seeking destruction, so full consecration and earnest devotion are required in the end-time conflict, with sobriety, clear-mindedness and steadfastness, never laying aside armor or sleeping, especially as events ripen for the great day of God. Present vigilance and firm hold on God are essential because he works with great power to ensnare the unguarded and keep them from the glory to be revealed, and a false ease can hide the danger of entering conflict without divine strength. Those preparing for the coming must stay sober and watch in prayer because he moves about seeking to destroy, and must resist steadfast in faith, for steadfast resistance with strength sought from God drives the foe back.
Victory Through Divine Strength
Safety is found only in constant watchfulness, earnest prayer, and living faith that lays hold of the divine nature, for in pride and self-sufficiency man is helpless before Satan's power and cunning. Christ sets limits to the adversary, and His presence guards believers from Satan's advances, while His light exposes the darkness and drives the enemy away. In times of danger heavenly angels and holy beings encamp around the little flock who love and fear God, ministering to them and guarding them. The prayer of faith can thwart his strongest efforts, and in Jesus' strength every temptation and opposing influence, whether open or secret, can be resisted.
Resistance means standing firm in the faith and holding fast amid evil spirits and deception, rather than standing back as a mere spectator or critic while wrongs corrupt others. It requires actively correcting evils that could lead souls into wrongdoing and withstanding by grace the hindrances to God's work. A habit of resistance formed and sustained by prayer makes it less difficult to withstand the power pressing against the soul, so that repeated attacks are met with continual trust in Christ who gives strength to overcome. Carelessness that lets down the guard leaves the church vulnerable to sudden and violent attack, and therefore the Christian life demands active, unceasing warfare with no release from preparedness.
Christ understands Satan's power, has defeated him, and gives believers the advantage of that victory as they join their weakness to His strength and overcome as He overcame. Victory requires humbling self, depending on Christ rather than own ability or claiming glory for self, obeying God, and keeping the will on God's side until every passion is overcome, with Christ removing the sin that hinders union and supplying His strength for weakness. Invisible foes can be overcome only through the grace God gives, with truth ruling in heart and life, for without this no one can meet the temptations faced in the world. The conflict must be met not in human strength but in Christ's strength and grace, for leaving Christ out and pursuing personal schemes allows the deceiver to give an appearance of success and delude the soul, while those who walk humbly, distrust their own wisdom, and recognize their danger know God's keeping care.
Those who fail to watch and remain ignorant of his devices risk losing their souls through presumption, yet even under the strongest or most unexpected temptation, choosing to transgress remains a person's own act, God provides help and a way of escape, and when discouragement and danger are greatest Jesus comes near and saves from the foe. Knowing God as Creator and Jesus as Redeemer, and studying God's Word prayerfully and putting it into practice, strengthens mind and character to resist deceptive whisperings, recognize God's voice, and make decided efforts against evil. Safety is found in looking constantly to Jesus to be changed into His image, refusing to put human wisdom in place of His wisdom as the Light of the world, and walking before God in humility and contrition, by which the efficiency and inexhaustible fullness of Christ are placed at command. Mere reading without personal appropriation of truth as bread from heaven gives no security and leaves no ability to recognize the approaching foe, especially amid the perils of the last days and the fiercer, more determined assaults upon those in responsible positions. Fallen angels work invisibly and Satan may use signs and wonders, including apparent healings, to deceive, so minds must be guarded and remain alert, with victory coming through Christ's blood and only divine power enabling escape from one who seeks to ensnare the whole race.
He cannot control a mind unless it is yielded to him, but those who turn from what is right place themselves in grave danger and become vulnerable to his deceptions. Persistent sin against light and knowledge leads God to withdraw His protection, leaving a person under Satan's control and in danger of eternal ruin, and when men withstand the pleadings of the Spirit for years and cherish disaffection and rebellion he aids them in that rebellion. A sinner who does not recognize the danger and earnestly seek refuge in Christ may fall prey like a careless fugitive who loses the chance to reach a city of refuge, for anyone off guard can be attacked and overcome. Yet resisting and escaping, though difficult, is possible for those who plead for help and humbly confess their wrongs, for they can be rescued by God's angels from the power of evil angels and find in Christ as Saviour pardon, rest and security. After sin the adversary speaks to the mind to bring condemnation and unbelief, saying there is no right to claim the promises or come with confidence, and he must be answered with what is written, that confessed sin is faithfully forgiven and cleansed and that there is an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, so that pardon is known and faith cherished instead of mourning under condemnation.
Intensified Last-Day Conflict
As Christ's return draws near the temptations of the adversary grow stronger because he knows his time is short and works with great wrath, and his temptations come thick and fast especially upon those who keep God's commandments and upon those entrusted with special work whose actions shape the conduct of others. His long practice has increased his skill to deceive and allure, while repeated yielding to sin weakens resistance, blinds the eyes and stifles conviction, so the severity of the last days comes both from his growing skill and from humanity's declining power to resist. His appetite temptations grow more powerful in that time, and just before the close of probation his work is especially intense through deception and miraculous signs seeking to mislead even the elect if possible. Safety requires wakefulness, searching the Scriptures, constant prayer and reliance on God's strength, giving no place to his devices, resisting steadfast in faith, trusting Jesus and staying close to Him for strength to turn from iniquity. He seeks to devour by insinuations that make saints careless, spiritually asleep or doubtful of present truth so they will not receive the seal of the living God, and because his time is short he may come in almost human shape with his angels seeking to destroy, yet God protects His people through His angels.
The great crisis is entered when he comes down with great power as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, working with all deceivableness of unrighteousness and with masterly, insinuating, deceiving power to lead men away from the third angel's message which is to be proclaimed with mighty power. When the Lord is blessing His people and preparing them to discern delusions, he works with masterly power to bring in fanaticism on one hand and cold formalism on the other, that he may gather in a harvest of souls, and the call is to watch unceasingly and bar the way against even the least step of his advance. He diligently employs all the forces he can command and every strategy to deceive, perplex and confuse, intensifying his work against those giving the last warning, yet Christ does not forget those he seeks to confuse and sift as wheat. He works through men exalted to positions of honor whose depravity provokes righteous judgment, using them as masterly workers to catch pleasure-loving youth unawares in artfully woven nets of perplexity, dishonor and shame, present with his angels on every playground watching the spirit of amusements to inspire the unwary, while heavenly angels record all that is done.
Near the end of earth's history he works with unusual intensity and greater activity than ever before through lying wonders and miraculous signs to mislead the world and even the elect. He strives to act as director of the Christian world and to embrace the whole world in his confederacy, hiding his deformity under the garb of Christianity, assuming Christian attributes, disguising himself as a Christian and even claiming to be Christ Himself. He devours through great powers of misrepresentation and accusation, presenting God's government in a false light and leading the so-called Christian world under his banner to tear down God's standard and erect a human standard in its place.
In that constant danger the church needs unity, mutual confidence, order and prompt action, for independent courses and delay give the enemy advantage, and spiritual strength is required to resist his alert, subtle schemes especially in the last days. Christ's watchmen must remain on duty and guard the faith, faithfully proclaiming the solemn warning, staying awake to subtle traps, warning and reproving the endangered, and holding fast to faith when temptations trouble the mind. They must keep the distinction between God's children and Satan's clear and not invite the enemy into the stronghold nor mingle with him to please others, lest leaving the soul unguarded they mistake his deception for sincere zeal for God's honor, for he is as active in the last days as he was among Israel.
Youth Family and Schools
The verse warns that the tempter's power especially threatens children and youth, for inexperience makes them easy allies to be secured and drawn away from pure and divine influences into pleasure-loving and pleasure-seeking that corrupts God-given powers to his service. He disguises himself as an angel of light and even as a heavenly guest, bewildering minds with ideas of pleasure, liberty and freedom to follow inclination as the only happiness, and with worldly visions of profit and success. His solicitations meet every soul through flattering evil companions, improper reading, impure thoughts and secret disobedience, whispering that there is time enough and that one indulgence will not matter, though one indulgence poisons life and those who yield become his agents to solicit others into unsafe and forbidden paths to transgress God's law. He holds souls with fascinating, bewitching power and leads them on step by step as if blindfolded, stirring human passions to depravity and eternal ruin while reason and conscience remonstrate, with temptations often hidden beneath an appearance of goodness. Carelessness, frivolity, levity and neglect of Christian duties leave the young continually vulnerable instead of helping them overcome as Christ did in the wilderness, so safety lies in sobriety and vigilance, making God the defense, guarding the heart, keeping conscience sensitive and perception clear, praying to be led not into temptation but delivered from evil, and never venturing on forbidden ground.
Parents are in a most important life-or-death warfare with Satan for their children, with eternal consequences involved, and are not secure a moment against his attacks. The warning means watching with jealous care for the first approach of the wily foe, refusing to rest from watchful, earnest labor or to sleep a moment at the post, raising a standard against him, and building a fortification of prayer and faith about children with diligent watching, breaking the heart before God and seeking the kingdom of Heaven as little children. Children left idle or without parental watchcare are exposed to his influence to shape their minds, and those whose parents have not faithfully taught them about his snares are especially vulnerable to gain control. Unwise indulgence and neglect can separate children from parents and lead them into his ranks to aid his enthronement in the heart, while a mother's thoughts and disposition shape her child so that he tempts her knowing through her he may influence the child if she does not resist. Parents and households in this age of corruption must therefore watch and pray so they do not enter into temptation, use the light they have to protect themselves and their families, work patiently and firmly to rescue children and train them to stand on the Lord's side against evil seeking to destroy soul and body, seek strength and grace from God to guide them rightly, and become converted to home duties lest children become a disgrace.
He is on the playground watching the amusements, on the school ground and present in every schoolroom exercise, actively watching for those off guard to capture them, plant evil in their hearts, sow his seeds in human minds and control the human intellect. Sobriety and vigilance does not mean kicking footballs and training in objectionable games copied after other schools that ought to make every Christian blush with mortification afterward, for these Gentile fashions must be halted and their after-working upon heart, character and principles considered. Students whose minds are deeply excited by football, boxing, matched games and copied amusements are not in condition to receive the instruction, counsel and reproof most essential for this life and for the future immortal life, being left less able and unfit for essential instruction. Even exciting pursuits that seem like recreation please him when professed Christians engage recklessly without considering their need of Christ, the use of God-given time and strength, or the risk of death, so sober-minded reflection is required with manual labor balanced with study, and far less amusement with more seeking of heavenly wisdom.
Teachers, ministers and those in responsible or humble work in God's institutions must stay guarded and wide-awake, for Satan watches every advantage and waits for weakness to attack, and hindered educational and reformatory work shows the need for faithful watchfulness to guard young workers and students from worldly influences, temptation and backsliding. Those in positions of greater responsibility face fiercer and more determined assaults with temptation, and can withstand only by staying watchful and guarded, recognizing responsibility for influence and their own weakness, studying the Word, looking constantly to Jesus, walking in humility and contrition, and relying on His strength rather than their own wisdom or power. Ministers of the gospel must be sober and vigilant, maintaining a separate, holy Christlike character unlike worldlings and never losing sight of their mission as God's messengers, staying closely connected with Heaven through watchfulness and prayer. He keeps his eye constantly upon them waiting for some weakness to develop by which he can make a successful attack, and if they cease to connect with Heaven or let down the guard they are in greater danger than others and exert a stronger influence in the wrong direction, for when an ambassador for Christ is off his watch or falls the great adversary triumphs by securing through him many souls to himself. While he is wide awake and active, ministers and people spiritually asleep with little sacrificing for God and the truth must wake up and set the example by showing in their labors that eternal things are of infinite value and earthly things are nothing in comparison.
Practical Ministry and Living
Ministers who have known genuine conversion and living union with Christ are to be faithful channels of light to the world, laborers together with God to wrench men and women from the grasp in which the adversary holds them and seeks to keep power over them so that his power is broken. Because the devil is intensely active as a roaring lion seeking to destroy, they must stay alert and discern his devices, bringing heart and mind and will fully under Christ's control, for unless discordant traits and passions are brought daily and hourly into unity with His character they will be overcome and fail of salvation. They must resist the urge to shape their work to attract people and gain money, and preach instead the truth centered on Jesus, with the same earnestness for the salvation of souls that led Christ to clothe divinity with humanity and give His precious life so people might partake of the divine nature and overcome the lusts of the world. This danger belongs to all who work in God's institutions, in responsible or humble place, whose lives must show they are working with Christ and not against Him, meeting Satan's zeal with equal zeal to save and persisting without discouragement from delay or appearances because shortness of time demands earnest soul-winning.
The warning touches named churches and persons in concrete peril from apostasy, division, and personal snare. Harriet and Uriah must stay on guard because Satan will work through wrong influences if given opening, affecting judgment and turning influence toward harm rather than help. A weakened and discouraged believer must not be pushed away but strengthened and prayed for, for to thrust aside Sister Preston at Camden when weakened by wicked influences was to place her in the lion's jaws, yet humble faith in God would keep her and bring her through victorious. Daniels can recover from Satan's snare only by drawing on Christ's grace, keeping the fear of God before him, controlling appetite and conduct, and living for God rather than the world. Morrell was harassed through conscientiousness by persistent accusations about honesty, conduct toward children, Sabbathkeeping, and Christian sincerity, with fears that the Sabbath would harm business and bring opposition from family and friends, a pressure that brought him near insanity and contributed to giving up the Sabbath when the devourer could not devour outright but troubled in many ways. Cruel power is exercised against those who resist light when God does not shelter them, and its destructive work will increase to the close of history, as seen in the attack on Johnstown.
In daily life those who must deal with worldly people are to keep watch over themselves and pray so Satan will not catch them unawares, for God gives grace and special wisdom to those who remain on guard. Religion must be brought into all business transactions, with dependence on God for everything, continual prayer for grace to be an overcomer, connection with the One on whom all necessities depend, and surrender of all power of mind, which brings help and strength for the warfare against a near and actively working tempter. Influences that draw away from God, truth, and righteousness place a person on the enemy's battleground without strength to resist, and to drive an afflicted person there by harshness is to leave him prey to temptation. Satan is playing the game of life for souls with his emissaries working with all deceivableness of unrighteousness as trouble approaches, seeking to steal grace after grace till he takes the citadel of the heart to reign supreme, so believers must watch in all things, seek the Lord diligently with self-examination and communion, and speak timely words to the afflicted.
Obtaining eternal life requires a life marked by sobriety, watchfulness, and prayer, dying to pride, denying self, letting whole interest be in the truth, coming out from the world and being separate, with persevering, untiring, lifelong effort, self-denial, sacrifice, and close study unto purification. Indifference in the enterprise of everlasting life leaves one exposed, while the same ambition, zeal, and earnestness shown in worldly pursuits must be given to spiritual life, each obtaining an experience for himself and faithfully acting his part instead of waiting as though another were securing happiness for him. Satan watches for an unguarded moment to seize precious heavenly graces, and keeping them or regaining them when lost through lack of vigilance requires severe conflict with the powers of darkness won only by earnest, watchful effort, fervent prayer, faith, and the Spirit's word. Angels watch the development of character and weigh moral worth while all words and acts pass in review before God in a fearful solemn time, so hope must be settled between God and the soul on solid grounds by close examination of heart, witness of the Spirit, evidence of acceptance, thorough heart-work, and moral courage to live out faith, producing elevated noble manners. The very first inclination to move a particle from strictest integrity gives Satan advantage and breaks down barriers, and then one temptation follows another contrary to the plainest directions of the Word to follow his mind and will.
Christ has paid the price to redeem souls so none should help the devil ruin them, yet the devil seeks the service and control of the heart as his citadel. Alert earnest effort and unwearied prayer for help and strength from Jesus are required to resist his devices and sinful temptations, and victory comes through Christ's merits with strength from God to resist and with moral strength increased by each test met in faith. He is constantly alert and moving about seeking to destroy, often working in disguise and even through professed godliness, so His people need to understand his power and snares and resist by Christ dwelling in and strengthening the believer.
The conflict demands stern battle against hereditary and cultivated faults of character and disposition rather than floating carelessly along, wisely improving every hour of short probation as treasure more precious than gold to attain the perfection Christ requires. Believers must not rest quietly thinking the devil will have nothing to do with them but put forth special effort to resist, for if given least encouragement he will enter the heart uninvited and take possession of the mind to lead from truth, even while victims think themselves wonderfully led by the Lord. Minds bought with infinite price cannot be given to enemy control nor impulse followed as heaven's guidance, but evidence must be had of receiving the stamp of the divine character to be acknowledged in heavenly courts. Connection with Christ and sanctified knowledge of God's grace give power to resist, while knowledge alone can become destructive in enemy hands, as seen when a highly intellectual angel became rebel and minds of great ability are led captive. The Christian life is conflict with a sleepless enemy constantly seeking to destroy the mind and draw away from Christ, so each day's opportunities must be used to overcome rather than yield to selfish desires, since sin brings loss of eternal life and dishonors God's law, and saving souls must stand above selfish interests through watchfulness, prayer, and work to rescue people from his path.
Believers are to remain as faithful soldiers and sentinels, watchful and persevering with painstaking effort though they know not the adversaries' strength or position, not cowards but trusting God and fortified by the Spirit against subtle influences, words, and arguments that disturb faith toward unbelief, with truth to triumph and the kingdom and crown of life to be gained. When believers feel secure Satan may launch a new attack, and self-confidence that forgets moment-by-moment need of protection leaves them caught off guard, so they must seek God continually. To drive a struggling soul into desperation and hopelessness by harsh treatment, condemnation, unjust sentence, and withholding sympathy and help is to leave him on Satan's battleground to be torn and devoured, doing Satan's work and exhibiting his attributes by dropping humanity from the heart. Because the devil seeks souls everywhere to bind them in slavery of sin which is disregard of God's law, while the Lord has need of those same souls, workers must live in continual reliance on God and continual self-denial, not easily repulsed, with Jesus beside them as chief worker and the Holy Spirit impressing just where needed.
Be sober and vigilant because the devil is a real, personal, cruel and relentless adversary who as a roaring lion walks about seeking whom he may devour and destroy, and no moment of laxity, drowsiness or carelessness is safe. To be sober is to be temperate in all things and serious unto prayer, refusing what clouds the senses and weakens reason while staying wide awake, diligent and on guard against danger. He does not always come openly with rage and force, but often works in darkness by stealth as an angel of light with flattery, pleasing deception and concealed snares, striking where least guarded and through human agents. Safety is only in constant watchfulness, earnest prayer and living faith laying hold of divine strength, for man alone is helpless but Christ who defeated him limits him, drives him away by His presence, and gives believers the advantage of His victory as they resist steadfast in faith. The conflict grows more intense as the end nears because he knows his time is short, working with lying wonders and masterly deception to mislead even the elect, so the Christian life allows no release but requires lifelong warfare, daily consecration, guarding every avenue of the soul, and unity and prompt action among God's people.
Words and Historical Setting
The verse calls believers to be sober and vigilant because the devil as a roaring lion walks about seeking whom he may devour and destroy, and no moment of laxity, drowsiness, indifference or carelessness is safe. He actively watches for those off guard to capture them, plant evil in their hearts and control their minds, and intense excitement can leave even students less able to receive essential instruction, counsel and reproof. The next verses call for resisting him steadfast in faith while knowing brethren worldwide share the same sufferings. After a little suffering the God of all grace who calls to eternal glory through Christ will perfect, establish, strengthen and settle, to whom belong glory and dominion forever, and believers are to give him no power over the mind through fabrications and false reports.
The warning was given to believers facing severe trials and approaching persecution. It belonged to a church enduring suffering and facing coming persecution, including the loss of leaders and the threat of false teachers who would harm the flock. It applies across the centuries, including the present time, as continuing spiritual conflict with a persistent spiritual adversary. When no special resistance is made and deep indifference fills church and world, Satan is unconcerned because he already leads people captive to do his will, but when attention turns to eternal things and souls ask how to be saved, he takes the field in person to match his power against Christ and to counteract the Holy Spirit with doubled effort. The same danger was illustrated by Israel just before Canaan, calling for watchfulness and sober-mindedness against growing lightness, vanity, love of ease and pleasure, selfishness and impurity, with firm, fearless faithfulness rather than self-exaltation.
The call belongs with humbling self under God's mighty hand to be exalted in due time, submission to one another, being clothed with humility, and casting all care on Him because He cares. It means walking humbly with God day by day under the guidance of the Great Shepherd as worthy caretakers, exalting God's message and not self, never teaching fellow men to look to man for wisdom, never taking God's place, never putting trust in man nor making flesh his arm, but making the Lord the trust, looking to Him for guidance and following His counsel to be strengthened and blessed. Walking humbly before God guards against the enemy overcoming those who are not watchful.
To be sober means to be temperate in all things, taking nothing that clouds senses, acts on nerves, degrades character or defiles God's temple. Wine and cider can be means of temptation, for yielding to appetite for stimulants and liquor can cloud reason, strengthen appetite, poison the mind, and lead step by step toward drunkenness, stronger drink, other sins and ruin of life until habit and appetite become chains too strong to break. Indulgence of appetite, sensual pleasure and heedless living expose a person to his influence, weaken both mind and body, and place the person on Satan's ground, where the enemy can tempt, harass and finally control them, with appetite temptations growing more powerful and harder to resist as the close of time draws near. Even spiritual light and divine favor do not remove the need for constant care, for every thought and impulse must be placed under the Spirit of God.
Sobriety also means serious watchfulness unto prayer rather than levity, frivolous speech, frolic, fun, sports and cheap thoughts, for the spiritual conflict is continual and believers must not lay aside armor or relax vigilance. It does not mean kicking footballs and training in objectionable games that ought to make every Christian blush with mortification afterward, for the devil is on the playground watching amusements, catching every soul found off guard, sowing seeds in human minds and controlling intellect. Yet it remains compatible with cheerfulness, praise and thanksgiving, and a solemn, watchful, earnest life bears a holy influence and weight, serves others through good works and concern for souls, and represents Christ in a way that can lead people to accept Him as Saviour. To watch is to be wide awake, diligent, circumspect and on guard against danger from disobedience and personal besetments, refraining the tongue from evil and guile, eschewing evil and doing good, seeking and pursuing peace, fearing no man and letting nothing come between soul and God, a watchfulness that rests on faith, enables overcoming by God, brings divine blessing and angelic cooperation, and is especially necessary for youth facing a coming time of trouble that will test character.
Nature of the Adversary
The verse reveals a real, personal adversary who is cruel, cunning, relentless and sleepless, constantly active, earnest, zealous and persevering in working for the destruction of the race to the bitter end, never discouraged from trying again, determined that souls shall not be saved and that his power over them shall not be broken, leaving no means untried to prevent them from accepting Christ's invitation to come for life and from leaving his ranks for Christ's. Though once an honored angel in heaven he has lost his holiness without losing his power, which he exerts with terrible effect, and denying that he exists leaves people unaware of danger and gives him advantage, while man in pride is utterly helpless before his awful power, cunning and deception and may well tremble unless by faith holding fast the hand of Christ as refuge, for otherwise the soul becomes the sport of his temptations and, unless a mighty arm rescues, goes where the arch-rebel leads. His regular employment is prowling about hoping to find some poor soul off guard and separated from God to make his prey, ever on the alert watching for opportunity to lead God's people into conditions favorable to rebellion and transgression, to open channels for the unrestrained flow of evil in their nature not yet overcome, and to make them as abhorrent to God as the Canaanites were so they may be ruined and condemned, actively opposing God and seeking to draw people under his control and turn them against God. He does not wait for prey to come but hunts for it, going to and fro in the earth, and does not always wear the ferocious look but when it serves him better transforms himself with legions to aid him, exchanging the roar for persuasive arguments or the softest whisper, concealing snares and alluring by pleasing deception, charming and deluding many by flattering vanity, presenting through his agents the pleasures of the world in attractive light and strewing the path to hell with tempting flowers so souls are charmed and ruined, with after every advance step downward some special temptation to lead still farther wrong, preparing temptations for each person so that although Christians cannot avoid them they must meet trial by constant prayer and living faith and resist through Jesus' strength.
As a roaring lion seeking prey he displays rage and power over body and soul, eagerly hunting rather than waiting, stalking to seize his prey and carry the lost into depths of anguish, frightening with a lion-like roar, coming unexpectedly with force, yet able also to appear as a man speaking sweetly as an angel of light and using talk of heavenly things to allure, and even smiling with malice once the victim is snared. His cruel power strikes those without shelter and without making God their defense, as illustrated by the destruction at Johnstown, and finds prey especially among those who claim faith yet are drawn into divisive political and financial controversies, become self-sufficient, fail to live hidden in Christ, or link their influence with evil workers, and among youth who enter temptation with hidden snares including evil associates who flatter while leading toward ruin. The warning applies in this age of corruption to parents and households to watch and pray so they do not enter temptation and to use the light they have to protect themselves and their families, since Christ's mission to bring pardon and peace threatens Satan's rule and opposes his display of power.
He stands at the head of a vast army, with his angels going out in every generation to ensnare and destroy Jesus' followers and to oppose those who believe in His resurrection and ascension, intensifying their efforts because they could not overthrow Christ. He strives with all his power to perfect the force he rules so he can wreak vengeance on God's people, filling the minds of his instrumentalities with hatred against God and intense desire for revenge, with the inhabitants of the world largely giving themselves into his control so that he acts as god of this earth, with human beings wholly given over to evil cooperating in his conspiracies against God's government, claiming supremacy because of the vast multitude of his adherents and leading armies under satanic agencies with raging power. He personally presides as head over principalities and powers and rulers of darkness over scenes of card playing, coarse and unrefined speech, demoralizing influence, and drinking liquid poison where young men and women engrossed in amusement poison the moral atmosphere rather than purify and uplift the mind or ennoble character. Near the end he works with unusual intensity through lying wonders, seeking influence over the Christian world while disguised as a Christian and even claiming to be Christ, while angels as ministers commissioned with skill, power, great strength and sleepless vigilance belt the world with linked hands, refuse his claim, hold his armies at bay till the sealing of God's people is accomplished, and the Lord remains a refuge bidding those who trust Him to hide for a little moment till the indignation passes before He punishes the world for iniquity.
He is the accuser who accuses God's people before God, stirs their enemies to accuse them, and prompts even fellow believers to criticize, misrepresent, envy and condemn one another, so Christians must not join that work but guard hearts and remain united in faith and love lest division weaken the church. Evil angels attack servants of God because their influence takes people from his grasp, and evil people join first with alluring temptations and then with coercion, force against conscience and persecution to separate them from God, an opposition continuing as long as he exists, actively seeking to corrupt the righteous or remove the faithful from the earth by sowing doubts, suspicions and harassing temptation, which may succeed when people fail to recognize weakness and need to walk with God. Yet Christ interposes for His people as in the scene with Joshua, answering accusations by removing filthy garments, pardoning, clothing in righteousness and promising to do justice, and believers must rely on God's strength and resist by continual striving for unity, love and true godliness, warning others and preparing them for the decisive choice between obedience to God and following him while combating his falsehoods.
Though defeated by Christ in the wilderness he remains active, cunning and powerful, still the personal adversary of every person, following step by step with hidden working aimed at doubt and despair, using strength and skill to turn people from the right way while hiding himself so his working is not seen, and Christ's victory benefits each only as that person also overcomes through Christ's strength. He will harass and beset God's children rather than let them rest, so they face conflict with him and those under his influence, but faithful people have help of powerful angels and He who conquered in the wilderness will finally bruise him under their feet. He still carries on his mischievous work as when he prevailed on man to sin in the beginning, even in churches and among members standing in high positions of responsibility, so that without great change lovers of deception, fraud and sin will have no place in God's mansions, for his destructive nature is unchanged across generations, continually seeking to destroy people and erase God's image in them even using apparent piety and religious zeal as pretense. His power over the whole human family is increasing, leaving each generation weaker and afflicted with disease, deformity, shattered nerves and gloom, using sickness and weakness of body to affect the mind, and too often God's people are not watchful and do not know his devices so he gains his purpose, so that unless the Lord soon comes to destroy his power the earth would ere long be depopulated.
Methods and Deceptive Snares
The devil does not always attack openly as a roaring lion, but often transforms himself into an angel of light to work more effectively, exchanging the roar for persuasive arguments, smooth fair speeches, soft tender whispers, pleasing deception, flattery, and promises of pleasure, liberty, profit, success and happiness. He hunts rather than waits, going to and fro in the earth with legions of angels to aid him, earnest and zealous to keep souls from accepting Christ's invitation to life and to keep his power over them unbroken. He may appear as a person frightening with a lion-like roar, or assume the appearance and voice of an angel from heaven, at times as a lamb, a friend, or a righteous sufferer exciting pity, and he gives soul-destroying errors such as spiritualism and theosophy the appearance of truth. He allures by strewing the path to hell with tempting flowers, presenting worldly pleasures in attractive light, charming and deluding many by flattering vanity, bewildering minds with ideas that following inclination is the only happiness, and leading step by step farther down the wrong track until reason and conscience are overborne. He especially secures inexperienced youth as allies, leading them away from pure and divine influences into pleasure-loving and pleasure-seeking that corrupts their God-given powers, and those who yield become his agents to solicit others into unsafe forbidden paths of transgression. Those drawn into divisive political and financial controversies, becoming self-sufficient or failing to live hidden in Christ, become his prey, and safety lies in staying alert, shunning temptation, keeping beyond his reach rather than presuming on protection while choosing forbidden paths, and keeping the will subject to God's will in watchfulness and prayer.
He works in darkness by stealth with concealed skillful snares, hiding his aim until people are off guard, and he succeeds when his devices are not understood and watchfulness is relaxed. He mixes temptation with amusement or apparent benefit, exploits idle hours, carelessness and indifference that cause wandering from the right path and loss of the way toward the city of God, abandonment of humility and Christ's yoke, and religious duties alone do not protect without vigilance from the first temptation. No one is beyond temptation because every character has weak points that can be attacked, so constant guarding of the soul without ever relaxing, with earnest prayer and living faith, is the only safety.
He strikes where least guarded through besetting sins and weaknesses, surrounding professed believers with darkness, darkening minds, causing them to lose sight of their sins, and leading into conduct that dishonors faith and brings sorrow to the church. When watchfulness is neglected the light of heaven fades and the snare closes, so weaknesses must be identified, every point guarded, dependence placed on God for strength and guidance, and victory sought through Christ's merits with alert earnest effort and unwearied prayer. He works most successfully when his methods are not understood, and he is present among congregations trying to instill thoughts Christ would not have in minds. He may even use family members' careless words or actions, magnifying them in the mind so that hurt feelings provoke opposition, resentment and retaliation, and resisting him means seeking God's strength rather than insisting on perceived rights, answering calmly and charitably and yielding one's own way when appropriate.
He works through human agents, learned or ignorant, using their example to corrupt others and draw them into disobedience. These include companions under guise of friendship, flattering evil associates, false reformers and fanatics appearing as angels of light, and youths who lead other youths into harmful ways even while teachers are giving instruction. He works through whispers of doubt and unbelief, using even influential ministers to unsettle minds and spread temptation, so vigilance includes refusing to pass on doubts that lead away from faith. He works through those who boast of freedom of thought and laugh at conscientious scruples to draw the righteous into wrongdoing, and believers invite attack when they associate with those they should avoid and place themselves in the way of temptation, so that even those bold for active warfare for God can be driven by fear of scorn, suffering and reproach to deny Christ. Teachers must therefore recognize responsibility for influence on the young and guard them, and youth who join others in doing evil cast their influence on the adversary's side and mislead those not firmly principled.
He deceives by fostering belief in natural immortality and eternal torment, then portraying God as cruel so that his own cruelty is blamed on the Creator, aiming to shake confidence in God's wisdom and justice and lure away from loyalty. Error itself becomes a snare that perverts judgment, distorts it, opens the door to temptation and seeks to turn hearts from truth, flooding the world and meeting people on every hand, taught from the sacred desk and lurking in theology, literature, philosophy and science. Infidel writings inspired by the enemy of truth bewitch with fascinating power, and no one can read them without imperiling the soul, tampering with evil influence being standing on his ground without wisdom to discern or strength to resist, while unbelief surrounds like a charged atmosphere requiring constant effort to resist. Education that distorts truth toward infidelity, commercialism and chance as schemes drawing believers into his plans, and deceptive theories received as from heaven belong to the same working, and the defense is staying joined to Jesus, loving truth intelligently, following humbly with sanctification of the Spirit, refusing to argue with his suggestions but meeting them with God's plain Word.
He demoralizes through amusements that absorb attention, which in the last days are special means of ensnaring, and he exults when people give themselves to impure thoughts, desires and passions in an age of corruption. Idleness gives him opportunity to approach with temptations disguised attractively to surprise the unguarded, and fornication committed despite the light and warning of the perilous last days risks eternal separation from God's work. He works through changing fashions that weaken the body, enfeeble the mind, belittle the soul, and bring misery and dishonor to God. He tempts to misuse entrusted money even with intent to replace it, while cherishing known sin or yielding the mind to spiritualist influence puts a person within his power and vulnerable to further deception until delivered by God's power sought through earnest prayer and faith.
He opposes the advance of truth by creating divisions of opinion, contention, selfish narrowness, worldliness and greed, tempting believers to let worldly interests hinder saving efforts, working with serpent craftiness and, when it serves him, lion ferocity for ruin and destruction. Through apostasy that creates divisions in churches and seduces souls to ruin, through burdening, dividing, grieving, perplexing and discouraging those carrying important responsibilities, and through selfish criticism from those who bear no burdens, he delights and advances his cause. Discouraging those wrestling under temptation gives him advantage, and Christians must not stand back as spectators or critics but actively resist steadfast in faith and help correct wrongs.
He conceals his working to turn people from the right way, deceiving wrongdoers into thinking warnings, reproofs and corrections unjust so they evade them and resist reform on earth. He watches closely and adapts temptations to what he observes in words and actions, and believers break his snares by praying, restraining sinful thoughts and feelings from becoming words or acts, and refusing to murmur, complain or accuse. He watches for weakness and presses fiercest temptations when mind is overstrained and body weakened, so guarding strength and resting helps resistance, and bodily sickness, overstrain and weakened nerves can otherwise affect the mind with doubt, despair and dissatisfaction. He works to weaken confidence in God and draw people to seek withheld knowledge while rejecting revealed Scripture, poisons the mind when given opening, exaggerates trials especially for the impulsive, and seeks through disease and danger to claim life as prey, so every avenue must be closed and venturing onto his ground avoided because there is no assurance of protection there.
Call to Constant Vigilance
Vigilance means keeping watch over words, actions and spirit, lest an uncontrolled self-seeking temper seek to dominate others, and this requires prayer joined with self-knowledge. Even small irritations, discourteous words and loss of temper give the destroyer his opening, dividing friends and endangering souls, so everyday trials demand self-control. He works in darkness and succeeds where his methods are not understood, magnifying a family member's careless word until hurt feelings provoke opposition, and victory comes not by insisting on supposed rights but by seeking divine strength and answering calmly and charitably, even yielding one's own way. Part of that watch is guarding against the return of old sinful habits and keeping a strict guard on words and spirit. Careless, evil, foolish or idle speech betrays lack of watchfulness and weakens resistance, for speech reveals the heart and such speech confesses an absent Christ, while restraining sinful thought from becoming act and keeping spirit and words in check preserves a pure heart.
Believers are to guard every avenue of the soul by which temptation could gain advantage and ruin life, watching and praying without ceasing. Security lies in abiding in Christ through humble dependence, obedience, prayer and wisdom in the Word, alert to temptation and refusing to be drawn from reliance on God even when Scripture itself is twisted deceptively. Continual watchfulness means praying for divine help and resolutely resisting every inclination to sin, with courage, faith and persevering effort, Christ abiding in the believer and the believer in Christ. Resisting temptation requires earnest prayer for God's strength, and prayer with diligent watching guards against carelessness and straying, bringing grace and power to resist through faith. The foe is wily and speaks through others' suggestions, so no concession is to be made but every temptation resisted in temperance, with every thought and impulse placed under God's Spirit, daily consecration and faithful vigilance closing every path of entry.
God's people must awake from spiritual sleep, for the adversary prowls actively seeking to destroy, and neglect of the work of carrying truth to others leaves souls in peril. Avoiding obvious dangers is not enough, since capture comes through concealed snares and many deceptions, and only closeness to Christ in self-denial and sacrifice guards against worldly entanglement, error and superstition that lead away from the path to the city. He is wide awake while men sleep, pressing his rebellion to the bitter end as a roaring lion hunting prey, and those who feel self-sufficient and feel no need of constant prayer and watchfulness are ensnared. Living faith laying hold of the divine nature with earnest prayer is necessary to stay spiritually alert, with eyes anointed to discern specious devices, lest even professed workers be blinded by human wisdom, perverted to work on his side while flattering themselves they serve Christ. Safety is in shunning forbidden paths rather than presuming on protection, staying in the straight path of truth with the will subject to God's will, clinging to God and holding firmly to present truth in perilous times.
The Christian life is unceasing warfare allowing no release, because he and his agents never pause in destruction, so every outpost must be watched in service for saving perishing souls, which succeeds only in union with the divine Worker. Constant vigilance day and hour is essential to eternal life, for he eagerly seeks the off guard, and slumbering faith must be revived into action or the soul is lost; with self surrendered, Christ enthroned and thoughts fixed on Him, power from above resists deceptive schemes. The struggle is lifelong, since he watches for opportunity to ensnare and ruin, and guard is needed at every moment with strength in the Lord, prayer, belief and courage because time is short. He is vigilant and untiring, knowing his time is short and working to the end with every deception, so believers must watch and pray, give him no place between them and Christ, and refuse what savors of men rather than God; genuine faith produces obedience, and God gives strength for all He commands, keeping safe even the fiercely tossed soul when Christ is aboard. Each day's opportunities are to be used to overcome temptation and remain faithful rather than yielding to selfish desires, for delay and indecision turn service toward self.
Vigilance turns inward to one's own case before the Lord in self-examination rather than watching a brother's fancied faults, recognizing personal weakness and unseen defects of character through which surprise attack comes, and letting the Holy Spirit mold heart and life, which gives confidence in workers struggling in hard places. It learns from cautions, reproofs and examples, both wise and foolish, standing apart from conduct shown to displease God and refusing alluring snares. It keeps integrity and gospel principles, notices danger quickly and stands ready for sudden attack, knowing avoidance of deliberate obvious sins alone is insufficient. It is thorough and prompt in responsibility, especially in caring for souls, for carelessness, indolence and slowness to think and act give him victory. It also puts church affairs and property in secure orderly condition so he gains no advantage to hinder the work, laboring wisely in many places.
He actively seeks his prey rather than waiting for it, tracking professed Christians with vigilance, perseverance, earnestness and zeal to wrench souls from Christ's hand by doubt and unbelief, working both by concealed deception and as an open dangerous enemy with sudden violent power to take captive and destroy. Neglect of watchfulness and prayer breaks progress in divine life and brings darkness, uncertainty and distrust, and going unbidden into darkness and the pleasure and company of those who fear not God invites temptation and removes holy angelic protection; those who make God their trust and are called to enter blackest darkness to do good are encircled and kept unsullied, but without that trust strength is weakness. Indifference and carelessness have no place, for he is untiring in seeking destruction, so full consecration and earnest devotion are required in the end-time conflict, with sobriety, clear-mindedness and steadfastness, never laying aside armor or sleeping, especially as events ripen for the great day of God. Present vigilance and firm hold on God are essential because he works with great power to ensnare the unguarded and keep them from the glory to be revealed, and a false ease can hide the danger of entering conflict without divine strength. Those preparing for the coming must stay sober and watch in prayer because he moves about seeking to destroy, and must resist steadfast in faith, for steadfast resistance with strength sought from God drives the foe back.
Victory Through Divine Strength
Safety is found only in constant watchfulness, earnest prayer, and living faith that lays hold of the divine nature, for in pride and self-sufficiency man is helpless before Satan's power and cunning. Christ sets limits to the adversary, and His presence guards believers from Satan's advances, while His light exposes the darkness and drives the enemy away. In times of danger heavenly angels and holy beings encamp around the little flock who love and fear God, ministering to them and guarding them. The prayer of faith can thwart his strongest efforts, and in Jesus' strength every temptation and opposing influence, whether open or secret, can be resisted.
Resistance means standing firm in the faith and holding fast amid evil spirits and deception, rather than standing back as a mere spectator or critic while wrongs corrupt others. It requires actively correcting evils that could lead souls into wrongdoing and withstanding by grace the hindrances to God's work. A habit of resistance formed and sustained by prayer makes it less difficult to withstand the power pressing against the soul, so that repeated attacks are met with continual trust in Christ who gives strength to overcome. Carelessness that lets down the guard leaves the church vulnerable to sudden and violent attack, and therefore the Christian life demands active, unceasing warfare with no release from preparedness.
Christ understands Satan's power, has defeated him, and gives believers the advantage of that victory as they join their weakness to His strength and overcome as He overcame. Victory requires humbling self, depending on Christ rather than own ability or claiming glory for self, obeying God, and keeping the will on God's side until every passion is overcome, with Christ removing the sin that hinders union and supplying His strength for weakness. Invisible foes can be overcome only through the grace God gives, with truth ruling in heart and life, for without this no one can meet the temptations faced in the world. The conflict must be met not in human strength but in Christ's strength and grace, for leaving Christ out and pursuing personal schemes allows the deceiver to give an appearance of success and delude the soul, while those who walk humbly, distrust their own wisdom, and recognize their danger know God's keeping care.
Those who fail to watch and remain ignorant of his devices risk losing their souls through presumption, yet even under the strongest or most unexpected temptation, choosing to transgress remains a person's own act, God provides help and a way of escape, and when discouragement and danger are greatest Jesus comes near and saves from the foe. Knowing God as Creator and Jesus as Redeemer, and studying God's Word prayerfully and putting it into practice, strengthens mind and character to resist deceptive whisperings, recognize God's voice, and make decided efforts against evil. Safety is found in looking constantly to Jesus to be changed into His image, refusing to put human wisdom in place of His wisdom as the Light of the world, and walking before God in humility and contrition, by which the efficiency and inexhaustible fullness of Christ are placed at command. Mere reading without personal appropriation of truth as bread from heaven gives no security and leaves no ability to recognize the approaching foe, especially amid the perils of the last days and the fiercer, more determined assaults upon those in responsible positions. Fallen angels work invisibly and Satan may use signs and wonders, including apparent healings, to deceive, so minds must be guarded and remain alert, with victory coming through Christ's blood and only divine power enabling escape from one who seeks to ensnare the whole race.
He cannot control a mind unless it is yielded to him, but those who turn from what is right place themselves in grave danger and become vulnerable to his deceptions. Persistent sin against light and knowledge leads God to withdraw His protection, leaving a person under Satan's control and in danger of eternal ruin, and when men withstand the pleadings of the Spirit for years and cherish disaffection and rebellion he aids them in that rebellion. A sinner who does not recognize the danger and earnestly seek refuge in Christ may fall prey like a careless fugitive who loses the chance to reach a city of refuge, for anyone off guard can be attacked and overcome. Yet resisting and escaping, though difficult, is possible for those who plead for help and humbly confess their wrongs, for they can be rescued by God's angels from the power of evil angels and find in Christ as Saviour pardon, rest and security. After sin the adversary speaks to the mind to bring condemnation and unbelief, saying there is no right to claim the promises or come with confidence, and he must be answered with what is written, that confessed sin is faithfully forgiven and cleansed and that there is an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, so that pardon is known and faith cherished instead of mourning under condemnation.
Intensified Last-Day Conflict
As Christ's return draws near the temptations of the adversary grow stronger because he knows his time is short and works with great wrath, and his temptations come thick and fast especially upon those who keep God's commandments and upon those entrusted with special work whose actions shape the conduct of others. His long practice has increased his skill to deceive and allure, while repeated yielding to sin weakens resistance, blinds the eyes and stifles conviction, so the severity of the last days comes both from his growing skill and from humanity's declining power to resist. His appetite temptations grow more powerful in that time, and just before the close of probation his work is especially intense through deception and miraculous signs seeking to mislead even the elect if possible. Safety requires wakefulness, searching the Scriptures, constant prayer and reliance on God's strength, giving no place to his devices, resisting steadfast in faith, trusting Jesus and staying close to Him for strength to turn from iniquity. He seeks to devour by insinuations that make saints careless, spiritually asleep or doubtful of present truth so they will not receive the seal of the living God, and because his time is short he may come in almost human shape with his angels seeking to destroy, yet God protects His people through His angels.
The great crisis is entered when he comes down with great power as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, working with all deceivableness of unrighteousness and with masterly, insinuating, deceiving power to lead men away from the third angel's message which is to be proclaimed with mighty power. When the Lord is blessing His people and preparing them to discern delusions, he works with masterly power to bring in fanaticism on one hand and cold formalism on the other, that he may gather in a harvest of souls, and the call is to watch unceasingly and bar the way against even the least step of his advance. He diligently employs all the forces he can command and every strategy to deceive, perplex and confuse, intensifying his work against those giving the last warning, yet Christ does not forget those he seeks to confuse and sift as wheat. He works through men exalted to positions of honor whose depravity provokes righteous judgment, using them as masterly workers to catch pleasure-loving youth unawares in artfully woven nets of perplexity, dishonor and shame, present with his angels on every playground watching the spirit of amusements to inspire the unwary, while heavenly angels record all that is done.
Near the end of earth's history he works with unusual intensity and greater activity than ever before through lying wonders and miraculous signs to mislead the world and even the elect. He strives to act as director of the Christian world and to embrace the whole world in his confederacy, hiding his deformity under the garb of Christianity, assuming Christian attributes, disguising himself as a Christian and even claiming to be Christ Himself. He devours through great powers of misrepresentation and accusation, presenting God's government in a false light and leading the so-called Christian world under his banner to tear down God's standard and erect a human standard in its place.
In that constant danger the church needs unity, mutual confidence, order and prompt action, for independent courses and delay give the enemy advantage, and spiritual strength is required to resist his alert, subtle schemes especially in the last days. Christ's watchmen must remain on duty and guard the faith, faithfully proclaiming the solemn warning, staying awake to subtle traps, warning and reproving the endangered, and holding fast to faith when temptations trouble the mind. They must keep the distinction between God's children and Satan's clear and not invite the enemy into the stronghold nor mingle with him to please others, lest leaving the soul unguarded they mistake his deception for sincere zeal for God's honor, for he is as active in the last days as he was among Israel.
Youth Family and Schools
The verse warns that the tempter's power especially threatens children and youth, for inexperience makes them easy allies to be secured and drawn away from pure and divine influences into pleasure-loving and pleasure-seeking that corrupts God-given powers to his service. He disguises himself as an angel of light and even as a heavenly guest, bewildering minds with ideas of pleasure, liberty and freedom to follow inclination as the only happiness, and with worldly visions of profit and success. His solicitations meet every soul through flattering evil companions, improper reading, impure thoughts and secret disobedience, whispering that there is time enough and that one indulgence will not matter, though one indulgence poisons life and those who yield become his agents to solicit others into unsafe and forbidden paths to transgress God's law. He holds souls with fascinating, bewitching power and leads them on step by step as if blindfolded, stirring human passions to depravity and eternal ruin while reason and conscience remonstrate, with temptations often hidden beneath an appearance of goodness. Carelessness, frivolity, levity and neglect of Christian duties leave the young continually vulnerable instead of helping them overcome as Christ did in the wilderness, so safety lies in sobriety and vigilance, making God the defense, guarding the heart, keeping conscience sensitive and perception clear, praying to be led not into temptation but delivered from evil, and never venturing on forbidden ground.
Parents are in a most important life-or-death warfare with Satan for their children, with eternal consequences involved, and are not secure a moment against his attacks. The warning means watching with jealous care for the first approach of the wily foe, refusing to rest from watchful, earnest labor or to sleep a moment at the post, raising a standard against him, and building a fortification of prayer and faith about children with diligent watching, breaking the heart before God and seeking the kingdom of Heaven as little children. Children left idle or without parental watchcare are exposed to his influence to shape their minds, and those whose parents have not faithfully taught them about his snares are especially vulnerable to gain control. Unwise indulgence and neglect can separate children from parents and lead them into his ranks to aid his enthronement in the heart, while a mother's thoughts and disposition shape her child so that he tempts her knowing through her he may influence the child if she does not resist. Parents and households in this age of corruption must therefore watch and pray so they do not enter into temptation, use the light they have to protect themselves and their families, work patiently and firmly to rescue children and train them to stand on the Lord's side against evil seeking to destroy soul and body, seek strength and grace from God to guide them rightly, and become converted to home duties lest children become a disgrace.
He is on the playground watching the amusements, on the school ground and present in every schoolroom exercise, actively watching for those off guard to capture them, plant evil in their hearts, sow his seeds in human minds and control the human intellect. Sobriety and vigilance does not mean kicking footballs and training in objectionable games copied after other schools that ought to make every Christian blush with mortification afterward, for these Gentile fashions must be halted and their after-working upon heart, character and principles considered. Students whose minds are deeply excited by football, boxing, matched games and copied amusements are not in condition to receive the instruction, counsel and reproof most essential for this life and for the future immortal life, being left less able and unfit for essential instruction. Even exciting pursuits that seem like recreation please him when professed Christians engage recklessly without considering their need of Christ, the use of God-given time and strength, or the risk of death, so sober-minded reflection is required with manual labor balanced with study, and far less amusement with more seeking of heavenly wisdom.
Teachers, ministers and those in responsible or humble work in God's institutions must stay guarded and wide-awake, for Satan watches every advantage and waits for weakness to attack, and hindered educational and reformatory work shows the need for faithful watchfulness to guard young workers and students from worldly influences, temptation and backsliding. Those in positions of greater responsibility face fiercer and more determined assaults with temptation, and can withstand only by staying watchful and guarded, recognizing responsibility for influence and their own weakness, studying the Word, looking constantly to Jesus, walking in humility and contrition, and relying on His strength rather than their own wisdom or power. Ministers of the gospel must be sober and vigilant, maintaining a separate, holy Christlike character unlike worldlings and never losing sight of their mission as God's messengers, staying closely connected with Heaven through watchfulness and prayer. He keeps his eye constantly upon them waiting for some weakness to develop by which he can make a successful attack, and if they cease to connect with Heaven or let down the guard they are in greater danger than others and exert a stronger influence in the wrong direction, for when an ambassador for Christ is off his watch or falls the great adversary triumphs by securing through him many souls to himself. While he is wide awake and active, ministers and people spiritually asleep with little sacrificing for God and the truth must wake up and set the example by showing in their labors that eternal things are of infinite value and earthly things are nothing in comparison.
Practical Ministry and Living
Ministers who have known genuine conversion and living union with Christ are to be faithful channels of light to the world, laborers together with God to wrench men and women from the grasp in which the adversary holds them and seeks to keep power over them so that his power is broken. Because the devil is intensely active as a roaring lion seeking to destroy, they must stay alert and discern his devices, bringing heart and mind and will fully under Christ's control, for unless discordant traits and passions are brought daily and hourly into unity with His character they will be overcome and fail of salvation. They must resist the urge to shape their work to attract people and gain money, and preach instead the truth centered on Jesus, with the same earnestness for the salvation of souls that led Christ to clothe divinity with humanity and give His precious life so people might partake of the divine nature and overcome the lusts of the world. This danger belongs to all who work in God's institutions, in responsible or humble place, whose lives must show they are working with Christ and not against Him, meeting Satan's zeal with equal zeal to save and persisting without discouragement from delay or appearances because shortness of time demands earnest soul-winning.
The warning touches named churches and persons in concrete peril from apostasy, division, and personal snare. Harriet and Uriah must stay on guard because Satan will work through wrong influences if given opening, affecting judgment and turning influence toward harm rather than help. A weakened and discouraged believer must not be pushed away but strengthened and prayed for, for to thrust aside Sister Preston at Camden when weakened by wicked influences was to place her in the lion's jaws, yet humble faith in God would keep her and bring her through victorious. Daniels can recover from Satan's snare only by drawing on Christ's grace, keeping the fear of God before him, controlling appetite and conduct, and living for God rather than the world. Morrell was harassed through conscientiousness by persistent accusations about honesty, conduct toward children, Sabbathkeeping, and Christian sincerity, with fears that the Sabbath would harm business and bring opposition from family and friends, a pressure that brought him near insanity and contributed to giving up the Sabbath when the devourer could not devour outright but troubled in many ways. Cruel power is exercised against those who resist light when God does not shelter them, and its destructive work will increase to the close of history, as seen in the attack on Johnstown.
In daily life those who must deal with worldly people are to keep watch over themselves and pray so Satan will not catch them unawares, for God gives grace and special wisdom to those who remain on guard. Religion must be brought into all business transactions, with dependence on God for everything, continual prayer for grace to be an overcomer, connection with the One on whom all necessities depend, and surrender of all power of mind, which brings help and strength for the warfare against a near and actively working tempter. Influences that draw away from God, truth, and righteousness place a person on the enemy's battleground without strength to resist, and to drive an afflicted person there by harshness is to leave him prey to temptation. Satan is playing the game of life for souls with his emissaries working with all deceivableness of unrighteousness as trouble approaches, seeking to steal grace after grace till he takes the citadel of the heart to reign supreme, so believers must watch in all things, seek the Lord diligently with self-examination and communion, and speak timely words to the afflicted.
Obtaining eternal life requires a life marked by sobriety, watchfulness, and prayer, dying to pride, denying self, letting whole interest be in the truth, coming out from the world and being separate, with persevering, untiring, lifelong effort, self-denial, sacrifice, and close study unto purification. Indifference in the enterprise of everlasting life leaves one exposed, while the same ambition, zeal, and earnestness shown in worldly pursuits must be given to spiritual life, each obtaining an experience for himself and faithfully acting his part instead of waiting as though another were securing happiness for him. Satan watches for an unguarded moment to seize precious heavenly graces, and keeping them or regaining them when lost through lack of vigilance requires severe conflict with the powers of darkness won only by earnest, watchful effort, fervent prayer, faith, and the Spirit's word. Angels watch the development of character and weigh moral worth while all words and acts pass in review before God in a fearful solemn time, so hope must be settled between God and the soul on solid grounds by close examination of heart, witness of the Spirit, evidence of acceptance, thorough heart-work, and moral courage to live out faith, producing elevated noble manners. The very first inclination to move a particle from strictest integrity gives Satan advantage and breaks down barriers, and then one temptation follows another contrary to the plainest directions of the Word to follow his mind and will.
Christ has paid the price to redeem souls so none should help the devil ruin them, yet the devil seeks the service and control of the heart as his citadel. Alert earnest effort and unwearied prayer for help and strength from Jesus are required to resist his devices and sinful temptations, and victory comes through Christ's merits with strength from God to resist and with moral strength increased by each test met in faith. He is constantly alert and moving about seeking to destroy, often working in disguise and even through professed godliness, so His people need to understand his power and snares and resist by Christ dwelling in and strengthening the believer.
The conflict demands stern battle against hereditary and cultivated faults of character and disposition rather than floating carelessly along, wisely improving every hour of short probation as treasure more precious than gold to attain the perfection Christ requires. Believers must not rest quietly thinking the devil will have nothing to do with them but put forth special effort to resist, for if given least encouragement he will enter the heart uninvited and take possession of the mind to lead from truth, even while victims think themselves wonderfully led by the Lord. Minds bought with infinite price cannot be given to enemy control nor impulse followed as heaven's guidance, but evidence must be had of receiving the stamp of the divine character to be acknowledged in heavenly courts. Connection with Christ and sanctified knowledge of God's grace give power to resist, while knowledge alone can become destructive in enemy hands, as seen when a highly intellectual angel became rebel and minds of great ability are led captive. The Christian life is conflict with a sleepless enemy constantly seeking to destroy the mind and draw away from Christ, so each day's opportunities must be used to overcome rather than yield to selfish desires, since sin brings loss of eternal life and dishonors God's law, and saving souls must stand above selfish interests through watchfulness, prayer, and work to rescue people from his path.
Believers are to remain as faithful soldiers and sentinels, watchful and persevering with painstaking effort though they know not the adversaries' strength or position, not cowards but trusting God and fortified by the Spirit against subtle influences, words, and arguments that disturb faith toward unbelief, with truth to triumph and the kingdom and crown of life to be gained. When believers feel secure Satan may launch a new attack, and self-confidence that forgets moment-by-moment need of protection leaves them caught off guard, so they must seek God continually. To drive a struggling soul into desperation and hopelessness by harsh treatment, condemnation, unjust sentence, and withholding sympathy and help is to leave him on Satan's battleground to be torn and devoured, doing Satan's work and exhibiting his attributes by dropping humanity from the heart. Because the devil seeks souls everywhere to bind them in slavery of sin which is disregard of God's law, while the Lord has need of those same souls, workers must live in continual reliance on God and continual self-denial, not easily repulsed, with Jesus beside them as chief worker and the Holy Spirit impressing just where needed.