THE LYIN' LION
The Lyin’ Lion
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
1 Peter 5:8
It’s truly amazing how God made each and every one of us. We are all so different. The way we think, act, laugh, play, work, love, parent, etc. It’s all so different and it’s also very much on purpose. In the beginning God said “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;” and from that God made both men and women. God is infinitely wide and infinitely deep, and it won’t be until heaven that we begin to grasp that level of infinity. We can have a glimpse of that here on earth, though, when we look around at all the people around us. As different as we are from one another, God is that expansive! Sometimes we get caught in a trap though. Instead of celebrating our differences and marveling at Gods workmanship we fall into the trap of comparison. We look to other people and think and wish we are as good as them or we fall into the other trap and think how much better we are than other people. Either way we have fallen into a trap that the Devil laid out for us and we didn’t even realize we were falling in. When we read this verse, that word “prowl” stands out. That’s a sneaky word, it’s not one that’s bold and proud, rather, it’s dangerous and quiet.
So how does this apply to me as a parent of a youth student? Let’s start on the simple side. How often do you feel like you’ve failed as a parent? Do you feel like a failure right now? What dictates that failure? Is it because you’re comparing yourself to another family? If you’ve fallen into the trap of comparing yourself and your family to others around you, it’s time to set yourself free. Jesus isn’t in heaven calling you failure, instead He’s interceding on your behalf. Maybe you’ve done something as a parent that you’re embarrassed about. Let the Holy Spirit correct you and guide you. As we seek the Holy Spirit as a parent it gives us a chance to get out of the weeds and see your family situation from the perspective that heaven has of you and your family.
YOU GOT THIS! Don’t let the devil beat you up and eat you up. The other word I love in this verse is towards the end. “seeking whom he MAY devour”. This means that somewhere in this process we give permission to fall into his traps. We work really hard to teach our kids to ask “Mother, may I” and we give permission to them yes or no.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
Psalm 91:13
So when this stupid Lion, our enemy, comes prowling we exercise our authority to NOT fall into his trap. He’s prowling around seeking whom he MAY devour and we simply say, “No you MAY not, now get under my foot!”
God loves you and your family so much that he sent his Son, Jesus, to die for you. He died for the forgiveness of our sins, for salvation, and to give us the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and guide us. It’s time to seek the Spirit and let him speak. Follow what the voice of God says and watch your family go to new levels!
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
1 Peter 5:8
It’s truly amazing how God made each and every one of us. We are all so different. The way we think, act, laugh, play, work, love, parent, etc. It’s all so different and it’s also very much on purpose. In the beginning God said “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;” and from that God made both men and women. God is infinitely wide and infinitely deep, and it won’t be until heaven that we begin to grasp that level of infinity. We can have a glimpse of that here on earth, though, when we look around at all the people around us. As different as we are from one another, God is that expansive! Sometimes we get caught in a trap though. Instead of celebrating our differences and marveling at Gods workmanship we fall into the trap of comparison. We look to other people and think and wish we are as good as them or we fall into the other trap and think how much better we are than other people. Either way we have fallen into a trap that the Devil laid out for us and we didn’t even realize we were falling in. When we read this verse, that word “prowl” stands out. That’s a sneaky word, it’s not one that’s bold and proud, rather, it’s dangerous and quiet.
So how does this apply to me as a parent of a youth student? Let’s start on the simple side. How often do you feel like you’ve failed as a parent? Do you feel like a failure right now? What dictates that failure? Is it because you’re comparing yourself to another family? If you’ve fallen into the trap of comparing yourself and your family to others around you, it’s time to set yourself free. Jesus isn’t in heaven calling you failure, instead He’s interceding on your behalf. Maybe you’ve done something as a parent that you’re embarrassed about. Let the Holy Spirit correct you and guide you. As we seek the Holy Spirit as a parent it gives us a chance to get out of the weeds and see your family situation from the perspective that heaven has of you and your family.
YOU GOT THIS! Don’t let the devil beat you up and eat you up. The other word I love in this verse is towards the end. “seeking whom he MAY devour”. This means that somewhere in this process we give permission to fall into his traps. We work really hard to teach our kids to ask “Mother, may I” and we give permission to them yes or no.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
Psalm 91:13
So when this stupid Lion, our enemy, comes prowling we exercise our authority to NOT fall into his trap. He’s prowling around seeking whom he MAY devour and we simply say, “No you MAY not, now get under my foot!”
God loves you and your family so much that he sent his Son, Jesus, to die for you. He died for the forgiveness of our sins, for salvation, and to give us the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and guide us. It’s time to seek the Spirit and let him speak. Follow what the voice of God says and watch your family go to new levels!
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