“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8 NLT)

 

The Bible doesn’t tell us how long Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden before temptation reared its head. The devil certainly had heard God’s warning to Adam: “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die” (Genesis 2:16–17 NLT). In narrative of Genesis, the tempter appears almost immediately with his wily pitch.

His immediate appearance reminds me of Jesus’ parable of the Sower in Matthew 13. As the farmer scatters seed, some of it falls on the footpath. Birds quickly swoop in and devour it before it has a chance to grow.

If you’ve ever dropped a French fry outside a McDonald’s in a heavily birded area, you can probably picture the scene. Birds suddenly seem to appear out of nowhere. If you live near a beach, you know there are seagulls that will swoop in and fly off with your lunch, your small dog, or your children.

Jesus said, “The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts” (Matthew 13:19 NLT). This is one of the many reasons we need to pray for people who have just come to Christ. The devil will be at their door with temptation, doubt, and an onslaught of other things.

Remember that wherever God is blessing, the devil will be opposing—immediately. He isn’t going to wait a year. He isn’t going to wait a month. He may not even wait an hour.

You can be walking out of church when temptation suddenly strikes. You think, “What’s going on? Why here? Why now?” The fact is that Satan wants to undermine what just happened in your life. He opposes immediately. He always will.

The apostle Peter wrote, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 NLT).

The devil knows all too well the power of God’s Word. According to Matthew 4:1–11, after Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit led Him to the wilderness, where He fasted for forty days. The devil appeared to Him there in His weakened state. Three times the devil tempted Jesus to deviate from God’s plan. Three times Jesus responded by quoting Scripture. Finally, Jesus commanded the devil to leave, and the devil went away.

The devil knows what will happen if the seeds of Scripture start to take root in a believer’s life. He knows that a heart in which the words of the Bible are hidden is hard to access. He knows that a life guided by the Word of God is hard to disrupt.

 

Reflection question: How can you keep the devil from snatching away a nugget of wisdom from God’s Word in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

 

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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&ldquo;Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.&rdquo; (1 Peter 5:8 NLT)
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The Bible doesn&rsquo;t tell us how long Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden before temptation reared its head. The devil certainly had heard God&rsquo;s warning to Adam: &ldquo;You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden&mdash;except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die&rdquo; (Genesis 2:16&ndash;17 NLT). In narrative of Genesis, the tempter appears almost immediately with his wily pitch.
His immediate appearance reminds me of Jesus&rsquo; parable of the Sower in Matthew 13. As the farmer scatters seed, some of it falls on the footpath. Birds quickly swoop in and devour it before it has a chance to grow.
If you&rsquo;ve ever dropped a French fry outside a McDonald&rsquo;s in a heavily birded area, you can probably picture the scene. Birds suddenly seem to appear out of nowhere. If you live near a beach, you know there are seagulls that will swoop in and fly off with your lunch, your small dog, or your children.
Jesus said, &ldquo;The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don&rsquo;t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts&rdquo; (Matthew 13:19 NLT). This is one of the many reasons we need to pray for people who have just come to Christ. The devil will be at their door with temptation, doubt, and an onslaught of other things.
Remember that wherever God is blessing, the devil will be opposing&mdash;immediately. He isn&rsquo;t going to wait a year. He isn&rsquo;t going to wait a month. He may not even wait an hour.
You can be walking out of church when temptation suddenly strikes. You think, &ldquo;What&rsquo;s going on? Why here? Why now?&rdquo; The fact is that Satan wants to undermine what just happened in your life. He opposes immediately. He always will.
The apostle Peter wrote, &ldquo;Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour&rdquo; (1 Peter 5:8 NLT).
The devil knows all too well the power of God&rsquo;s Word. According to Matthew 4:1&ndash;11, after Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit led Him to the wilderness, where He fasted for forty days. The devil appeared to Him there in His weakened state. Three times the devil tempted Jesus to deviate from God&rsquo;s plan. Three times Jesus responded by quoting Scripture. Finally, Jesus commanded the devil to leave, and the devil went away.
The devil knows what will happen if the seeds of Scripture start to take root in a believer&rsquo;s life. He knows that a heart in which the words of the Bible are hidden is hard to access. He knows that a life guided by the Word of God is hard to disrupt.
&nbsp;
Reflection question: How can you keep the devil from snatching away a nugget of wisdom from God&rsquo;s Word in your life?&nbsp;<a href="https://disciple.harvest.org/spaces/17592429/feed?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestDiscipleship">Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!</a>
&mdash;
The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology.&nbsp;This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."
&nbsp;
All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
<a href="https://go.pddr.app/glpodcast">Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast</a>
<a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-partner/?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestPartners">Become a Harvest Partner</a>

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God’s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from Pastor Greg Laurie, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you. 

*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God&rsquo;s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from&nbsp;<a href="https://harvest.org/about-greg-laurie/">Pastor Greg Laurie</a>, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you.&nbsp;
*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology.&nbsp;This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Greg Laurie provides commentary on the day's Bible verse.

Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions

The devil wants to keep God’s Word from taking root in your life.