Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, SEEKING whom he MAY devour. (1 Pet. 5:8)
Have you ever read a Bible verse a thousand times, and then when you read it one more time, something pops out at you that never had before? That happened to me recently with the above verse, particularly the capitalized words. What this tells us is that Satan can’t just attack anybody. If he could, then there would be anarchy worldwide(well, at least worse than it is now). The devil comes to rob, destroy and kill. We would be seeing a whole lot more of robbing, destroying and killing if Satan had his way. But no, the verse says that our adversary must SEEK someone that he MAY devour. Who does he devour? Only those persons who allow him to do so.
This begs the question- who in the world would allow Satan to devour them? Well, the first part of the verse answers the question- those who are not sober (self-controlled) and vigilant. This begs the further question: "How does one become sober and vigilant?”
I am sorry to say there is no shortcut answer to this question. Ultimately, it boils down to TIME. Spending TIME in the word. Spending TIME in prayer. Spending TIME in bible study classes. Spending TIME in the fellowship of other believers. Spending TIME doing acts of righteousness. Spending TIME in worship. Spending TIME reading great Christian literature. Spending TIME listening to sermons and Bible teaching in the car instead of Rush Limbaugh.
Have you ever thought why we use the term "spending time?” The term "spend” means to use up, exhaust, or pay out. Once something is spent, it’s gone. All is not lost, however, if we get something in return for what we spend. What are you getting in return for the time you spend doing--whatever? Are you pursuing those things that will take the big bull’s-eye off your chest for the devil to aim at? If not, you are making yourself a target. There is no doubt about it. And no one wants to be chewed up by the devil. It is not a pleasant experience.
This is an immensely personal challenge. Nobody can spend your time but you. Put another way, if you do not spend time pursuing God, who is going to do it for you?