“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” (1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV)
So often my time is taken up by one thing --- illness. I tend to forget the normal things of life, which can be easy to do when I never feel good.
Many things in life change when chronic illness enters the scene. We have new ’props’ in our life -- physical therapy, medications, limitations, pain. We have to make adjustments, concessions, even change our way of living. But one thing that should not change is paying attention to our spiritual lives. We should continue to grow in the Lord. Just because I am sick does not mean the enemy is any less interested in throwing obstacles my way. For he “prowls around like a roaring lion.”
Have you ever seen a nature program about lions in the wild? They do prowl around until they find something to kill and eat. Then they are satisfied, but only for a short time, for when they awake after sleeping with a full belly, they will begin to prowl again.
Sometimes I am an easy target. I lie down because I cannot stand or sit any longer; I may not be able to read because my eyes hurt; I may be hurting all over and just focus on that. What circumstances to not be alert!
But God instructs us to resist the enemy. How? By “standing firm in the faith”. I open my Bible and begin to read, to pray, to think about Him. If I am saturated in the Word, I am better able to resist evil forces. If I am in communion with God, I will be more alert and self-controlled.
Another help in standing firm is fellowship with other believers. For some of us, it is difficult to go anywhere; for others, impossible. Family and internet friends are vital!
We have the ultimate Protector! Jesus Christ has already won the war. Though the battles continue, God provided His Son for us. We can stand firm in Him.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Priscilla Ervin, Arlington, Texas, lives with Fibromyalgia, chronic Epstein Barr and other health issues. She is thankful for her friends and family, and the love and understanding they show her.
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