The Bully's Playground

Read: 1 Peter 5:5-9

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:                                                 1 Peter 5:8

     In every schoolyard and on every playground, there seems to be one kid that rises above the rest in stature and meanness. He’s known as the bully. He typically finds those kids that are the smallest and weakest, and he preys upon them like a lion on fresh meat. He picks on them (sometimes physically) until they finally break down and cry – and he usually makes fun of them for that, too! The way the world works most of the time, though, is that the small kid usually gets “his day.” Whether it is because the other kids are finally sick of the bully and gang up to help the little guy or because the little guy finally has had enough, the tough kid usually ends up humiliated. And rightfully so! He has no right to beat up on the younger or smaller ones just because he is bigger, stronger, or louder.

     That’s really all the devil is in this world – a big bully. Because he has the majority of sinners, he has the strongest arm on the physical earth; because he has the voice of the media, he has the loudest voice; and because he has been at it for so long, he has the experience of a practiced bully. So, with God’s permission, he preys upon those who are weak. He sees someone struggling with pornography so he plasters it all over billboards and store walls. He watches someone struggle with addiction so he bombards the television with images of people seemingly enjoying those vices. He observes someone coping with loneliness so he comes and tells them that they are all alone in this world and that there is no help. The world is not a friend; they are nothing more than helpless cheerleaders who are just thankful they are on the bully’s side. The devil cares not to bully them because he knows he can already make them do anything he bids them do.

     The devil can be defeated just like any other bully, however. James 4:7 says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” When Christians have finally had enough of his bullying, they will stand together and stand up to him. It might even take only one brave Christian to do the job of many. Satan will certainly never be completely defeated until the world ends, but one day God will step in and put a stop to all of the devil’s antics. He will no longer have the ability or freedom to tease or harass us anymore. Until that day comes, we must stand firm against that cowardly bully, whom we call the devil.

 

Quote of the day: “Satan is perfectly willing to have a person confess Christianity as long as he does not practice it.”