1 Peter 5:8 NIV
[8] Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
I recently saw a post-match interview with a mixed martial arts fighter named Connor McGregor. The interviewer relayed Connor McGregor’s own words to him before the fight took place, saying:
“I knew his right hand was twitching. I knew when that right hand was going to come, he would regret it. I knew it.”
Apparently, Connor McGregor studied his opponent, saw the weakness, and capitalized on it as he anticipated that his opponent’s eagerness to strike would leave him vulnerable, which ended up being true when McGregor countered with a knockout punch.
He studied his opponent as his opponent became cocky. Then he used what he learned against him and ultimately defeated him. Our enemy is much like this, but much worse. Our enemy studies us day and night. He’s never without eyes on us, yet we act as if he isn’t a threat. We act as if he is a defeated foe. We don’t need armor against a defeated foe. We don’t need to fight against a defeated foe. When we believe these lies, our hands begin to get twitchy, and the enemy waits for the perfect opportunity, that we ourselves give him, to strike.
So, what do we do? We remove the opportunity from him. We don’t need to strike, we just need to build. Build what? The Kingdom of our God. When we focus on building the Kingdom of God, the attacks of the enemy don’t land the same as when all of our focus is on him and what he has done. When we are about our Father’s business, our Father is about us. He will defend us, we just need to remain in Him.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Give No Opportunity.