1 Peter 5:8 (AMP) says, “Be sober [well-balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour.”
Sobriety is a way of life. A way of life that we should all strive for. Sobriety is not a term or concept set apart for those who struggle with substance abuse. It is a way of life for all who believe. The Apostle Peter beckons us toward a life of sobriety that the Amplified version of the Bible tells defines as balance and discipline. We all need balance and discipline.
Something stood out to me as I read this verse, something different than I had noticed before. Peter calls us to sobriety – balance and discipline – because our enemy is on the prowl. BUT…In our intoxication of imbalance and disorder we become numb and deaf to the enemy as he circles around us, ready to attack. Our guard let down.
I don’t think it is by chance that Peter uses the imagery of a “roaring lion”. The roar of a lion, that sound, is eerily intense and ferocious. How can it be then that the devil comes around us roaring with the fierceness and intensity of a lion and we are often oblivious?
We live intoxicated.
We live intoxicated with worries, fears, to do lists, fame, fortune, safety, security, keeping up with the Jones’s, and on and on. In our intoxication with these seemingly important thoughts and activities, we topple out of balance, losing our sobriety- our center, our balance in life. Our ability to be alert and to have a sound mind fades.
Balance. Discipline. These tools lead to an alert cautiousness, a sobriety where we are capable to hear from miles away the roar of our enemy. Sobriety of mind, body and spirit gives way to to be able to recognize lies and schemes from the enemy we have fallen prey to for far too long. It’s time to sober up fellow believer, and bring into line our truth with God’s Truth.
Be Sober.
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