Nothing else matters to a gazelle when it’s running for its life. Without focus and intensity he will be devoured by the lion chasing him. And the same is true for us when we’re not wholeheartedly committed to pursuing God’s best throughout our life and relationships.
There’s a time to graze leisurely and a time to run for our life. And evil will take us out when we don’t discern our time wisely. Peter presents our adversary the devil like a roaring lion on the hunt. And so we must stay alert and watchful to know how to resist and flee his schemes.
For instance, it’s easy to take our marriage and sex life for granted. And while there are certainly seasons to rest and enjoy the ground we’ve already covered, we must not become too complacent and drop our guard.
Evil is seeking to steal, kill, and destroy the oneness our marriage represents and our sexual union equally embodies. But like a prowling lion, this is rarely a full frontal attack. Instead, he sneaks up from behind with various distractions, suspicions, and fears. You don’t deserve your wife. And she doesn’t really love you the same way you love her. This might not last forever.
These lies start to feel true when we let our guard down. But it’s not enough simply to recognize the lie – we must now utterly reject it and flee. We must run like a gazelle back toward God’s best.
And, at its best, our running is more focused and intent on pursuing God’s light more than we’re running from darkness. It’s much better to keep the intensity of our gaze and focus on Christ than on the evil one chasing us.
In the end, bring a gazelle-like intensity to your pursuit of God’s best. Don’t let evil keep you distracted and take you out.
