Hostility

Sometimes hostility is really appropriate.

Possible Hostile Moments:
1. "I asked for ______ to be done and it wasn't… again."
2. "The person in front of me drove under the speed limit."
3. "I forgot to 'spring ahead' Saturday night."
4. "The neighbor kid started a garage band."
5. "You spent how much?"
6. "It's not fair!  All my friends are…"

Sometimes hostility is really appropriate.  Just none of those times!

Peter wrote, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith…(1Peter 5:8-9).

The word resist in the original language is defined as, "to oppose someone, involving not only a psychological attitude but also a corresponding behavior — to oppose, to be hostile toward, to show hostility."

How do you be "hostile" to the enemy of your soul?  Does it involve anger and shouting and satan camouflage so you can sneak up on him?    Do I get to call him names and tell him where to go?

Peter gave the weapon for aggressive hostility against the enemy of our souls, "standing firm in the faith."  Hostility to Satan has little to do with my reaction to him, it has to do with my position in Christ.

If "the faith" was faith in the stock market that would not bug Satan.  If it was faith in our own talent or ability it would have no impact.  If we stood firm in the faith of our knowledge he'd yawn while devouring.  But, we are hostile to the enemy of our souls by standing firm in our faith in Jesus Christ the risen Lord.

So, if we can share a focused definition on hostility as the byproduct of standing firm in Jesus, if we can acknowledge that it's not a focused hostility but a focused faith, if we can trust the fact that it's the victory of Christ not our muscles that the enemy cannot confront - then let's get hostile.

Having a Hostile Day,

Pastor Dave