The Bible compares man's spiritual enemy to a "roaring lion." To fight against its evil's schemes, a Christian author shared how it works through understanding the behavior of the ferocious animal.
"Why am I exploring the predatory behavior of a lion? Because according to the apostle Peter, understanding how a lion hunts is crucial to knowing how to shut down the devil's attacks," Kyle Winkler, a mobile app creator and author, wrote on Charisma Magazine.
In 1 Peter 5:8, the apostle warns Christians to "stay alert" against the devil, who like a lion, is "looking for someone to devour." Though it is one of the most feared creatures in the animal kingdom, the author revealed that the lion actually has a small heart and lungs, making it one of the slowest runners among the animals. And thus to subdue its prey, it does not chase but rather stalks.
Fighting Back Against The Enemy
For people to protect themselves against their spiritual enemy, Winkler shared two things on how a lion behaves in order to counter its evil strategies.
First, its roar.
The author said that the name "devil" means "slanderer" in Greek. Hence, the enemy weaponizes slander against a targeted person. However, like a a lion wherein most of its roars are just "mock roars" which are only meant to intimidate its victim, the enemy uses lies to hurt a person and damage his reputation.
Winkler said that the devil likes to shout about a person's "faults, failures and inadequacies." He cautioned that though the accusations of the enemy can only be heard by its target, its roars can reverberate in the mind until the person falls for it.
But the author pointed out that as Christians were cleansed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the enemy's words are powerless on them.
"You need to know that like a lion's roars, the devil's words have no merit. As a Christian, you are a new person in Christ who is defined by His character. This means that even if an accusation contains some truth about something you did in the past, it has no bearing on who you are today because God calls you new!" he declared, citing 2 Corinthians 5:17.
Finally, the attack.
The author said that there are two ways in which a lion launches its attack - mind and mouth.
As he stated earlier about the animal's inability to run fast, it subdues by observing its prey, aiming for the head. In the same way, the enemy targets the mind of an individual.
"Since the mind is the control center for our lives, this is an extremely effective strategy. If not countered, the enemy knows that a single negative notion dropped into your head works its way down from there," Winkler warned.
Another way is by inciting a person to question the Word of God.
In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, the Apostle Paul said that "all Scripture is God-breathed." Therefore, everything written in the Bible is true. But the enemy will try to instigate a person to doubt the Word of God.
"His intention is to paralyze you with toxic emotions and behaviors that result from agreeing with his slander," Winkler cautioned.
Knowing that the attacks of the enemy can be countered through the help of God, he urged his readers to never fear.
To explore further into this topic, the author shared about his new book, "Shut Up Devil: Silencing the 10 Lies Behind Every Battle You Face," discussing how to keep the enemy from getting into the mind and influence a person's behaviors and emotions.
In conclusion, Winkler encouraged the Christians to declare the truth of God's Word in order to fight the devil's attacks.
