There are two errors that we can so easily fall into regarding spiritual conflict: one is to underestimate the relentless and fierce determination of the evil one to destroy us and our faith. The second error is to be ignorant of both the capacity and nature of Christ-empowered resistance to overcome the power of our enemy and cause him to flee.
When, through spiritual drowsiness, we become complacent and inattentive towards God’s word, our faith is left vulnerable to serious attack. Likewise, being ignorant of Christ’s powerful resources to resist and overcome the enemy can lead to an unsettling apprehension of the evil one’s power to overcome us. Peter’s counsel to be ‘alert’ and to ‘resist’ in the confidence that the God of all grace will ‘Himself restore you and make you strong and steadfast’ is a sure antidote to the schemes of the enemy.