Female land iguanas of the Galapagos islands typically lay between two and twenty eggs. When the young iguanas hatch, close to three to four months later, their parents are nowhere to be found. It takes the hatchlings about a week to dig their way through the debris piled above the eggs by their parents. Almost as soon as the iguanas take their first step from the nest, large snakes, hawks, and herons often stand ready to rob them of their lives. The young iguanas must continue to be on their guard for the first year of their lives until they have grown large enough to defeat these predators.
As terrifying as that sounds, it is not much different from the way Satan attacks young Christians. He stands waiting to attack them from all sides. Unfortunately, he doesn’t stop attacking once young believers are a year old (in the Lord). The devil will continue to attack us as long as we have breath, trying to destroy our witness and demolish our confidence in the Lord.
In 1 Peter 5:8-10, the Apostle Peter writes, “Stay alert! Watch out for your greatest enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. In His kindness, God called you to share in His eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, He will restore, support, and strengthen you, and He will place you on a firm foundation.”
How can we survive the attacks of the devil?
First, the scripture above indicates that we are to Watch. We know that Satan is sneaking around ready to pounce on us at any time. We have to keep a watchful eye out for him wherever we go and in whatever we are doing. He’s sneaky and is out to trick us.
Second, we need to Stand firm and Be Strong. When Satan attacks and tempts us, we need to hold fast to Jesus and move forward in our faith with boldness. We need to not let the devil steal from us whatever spiritual ground we’ve already gained.
Finally, we should Remember we are not alone. When Satan attacks, it’s easy for us to believe that we are the only one suffering for our faith. It’s comforting to know that other members of God’s family around the planet are going through what the same attacks and consequences as we are.
Young Galapagos island land iguanas have it tough, but if they make it through their first year, they are safe. We, unfortunately, don’t have it as easy. We need to continually heed these words of Peter to Watch, Stand Firm, Be Strong, and Remember. If we do, the Bible says that God will restore, support, and strengthen us, and He will place us on a firm foundation.”
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