Humble, Self-Controlled, and Alert
I Peter 5:5-11 In Proverbs 16:18 we read, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." Peter as a stubborn fisherman may have had to learn many things the hard way; (Like many of us) but, when he got himself straightened around, he made sure he knew how to fly straight. In the area of pride, he'd "been there, done that." One can see the lessons he learned peeking out of our scripture. Even when he feels he knows all the answers, he still needs to listen, especially when God is trying to speak to Him. Even when we think our way is better; remember that God knows the whole situation, not only beginning to end, but also from the perspective of everyone involved. Peter's advice is to submit to God's direction and plan, in other words, yield our will to His. His promise is that He will exalt us in due time. When people exert their wills over others the overridden get left out, God says that at the appropriate time we will be exalted. If we can yield our wills to Him then the next logical step is to be able to give Him all our anxieties (cares, worries, etc.) And let Him handle them. It is safe to do that because He cares for us. As Paul says in Romans 8:28 "In all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." The yielding to Him, and casting our cares upon Him, prepares us for the next step - now we can be free to deal with the road ahead of us. We have an enemy, he wants to destroy us by any means at his disposal. Verse 8 "Be self-controlled and alert", in the sense that our vision is clear and undivided so that we know to whom we are submitting ourselves to. Even though Satan sometimes looks like an angel of light - he is not, he's looking for someone to devour. Don't let that someone be you. Resist him!!! As James 4:8 says "Come near to God and He will come near to you."
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