Welcome to Day 2419 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2419 – Standing Nose-to-Nose With the Adversary – Daily Wisdom Putnam Church Message – 07/07/2024 Our Fiery Ordeal – Standing Nose-to-Nose with the Adversary. 1 Peter 5:8-14 Last week, we compared worldly success with Biblical success. We settled on the formula for Biblical Success: submission to others + humility before God - worry of the world = genuine relief. Today’s passage is 1 Peter 5:8-14, on page 1892 of your Pew Bibles.  8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. Final Greetings 12 With the help of Silas,[b] whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. 13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ. We now arrive at the end of Peter's powerful letter of hope in hurtful times. Peter sounds the battle alarm (5:8-14). He draws the army's attention to their spiritual opponent, who is planning his evil strategy behind their fiery trials (5:8). He tells the soldiers of Christ how the enemy can be defeated (5:9). He reminds us that the fierce conflict will soon be over and that we will one day emerge as victors (5:10). Finally, he points to Christ, who will ultimately triumph and exercise dominion over all (5:11). — 5:8 — Whoever lives under the impression that Satan doesn't exist is living in a dream world. Peter identifies and describes the devil in 5:8 in clear, unmistakable terms. Satan goes by several titles throughout the Bible. In 5:8, Peter uses the terms “enemy" (antidikos) and “devil” (diabolos). Diabolos refers to how he falsely accuses God's people.  In Revelation 9:11, he is called Abaddon and Apollyon, meaning “Destroyer,” titles that refer to his destructiveness. It could refer to a single divine being or multiple evil beings. These and other labels for the adversary describe him as a dangerous, destructive deceiver who slanders and accuses us at every opportunity. Revelation 12:9-10 describes Satan’s