“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone he can devour.” 1 Peter 5:8.
I am in Florida this week on sort of a working (writing) vacation. The setting is beautiful, with clear blue skies, lots of greenery, and a soft blue lake. The temperature today (I’m writing this in early November), will be a high of 81 degrees. The view out my condo window is inviting. It invites me to go outside and walk on the dock, sit in the swing, and swim in the lake. However, there could be a serious problem – potentially life-threatening.
If this were a lake in Colorado, I could swim in it – it might be a tad cold – but I could still swim in it. However, in Florida, there is a problem. You see, there are signs all around the lake that warn of the presence of alligators. Most of the freshwater lakes in Florida contain alligators.
Now, if I were to get in the water for just a short swim, would I be attacked by an alligator? It is difficult to know. Am I willing to take the chance? Not me!
Similarly, as we make daily decisions about what situations we are going to put ourselves in, what moral risks we are going to take, thinking we can come out unscathed, we would be wise to remember the Apostle Peter’s warning. The devil – much like those alligators – is on the hunt for who he can take down, who he can convince to compromise their values, who he can get to walk away from God. Much like the alligator warning sign by the lake, Peter says, “Be alert!”