You would think that “truth” would be easy to recognize. Often it is not. Why? We have to acknowledge the existence that we don’t WANT to acknowledge. We want to believe that we’re only grappling with our own flaws and God. We don’t want to believe that someone is prowling for our failure, our dismantling, our shame. But Peter tells us exactly that! In his first letter to the early church, he says this: “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He PROWLS around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.“

This is so important: the key to our defense is recognizing danger. What police officers call “situational awareness” is what Peter says here: “Stay Alert! Watch out. . .” I do that in parking lots at night, when I’m in crowds, when I travel, or when I’m in any situation where safety boundaries aren’t evident.

Do you exercise that kind of alert mind when you hear things and read things? Do you require the people who are saying or writing to demonstrate proof, or do you trust inherently? I remember hearing someone say, “Trust, but verify.” Most of us don’t. Because we don’t, we set ourselves up to replace truth with half-truth, replace demonstration with assumption. So Peter cautions us to be aware that we’re not in a world without an enemy. We have an enemy that hates, schemes, slanders, accuses, tempts, and lies to us.

Jesus warned us: “In this world you will have trouble, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” So it seems logical to raise our guard and lean into Him as we walk through our choices and opportunities. Will you recognize the danger and stay alert, so you can recognize the Truth?