What does 1 Peter 5:9 mean?

In the previous verse, Peter urged his Christian readers to be sober-minded and alert because our enemy is after us. That enemy is the devil—Satan—and his agenda is to "devour" Christians. His intent is to cause real and lasting harm to us and, especially, to weaken our trust in the Father. Here, Peter tells us how to respond to the reality of the devil.

First, we can and should resist Satan. When the battle comes, fight back. This language is striking because Peter has repeatedly told believers to submit to those in authority. This even includes kings and governors who were part of the system of persecution so many Christians would face. He has written that slaves should submit to masters and wives to husbands—not based on that person's worthiness but out of submission to God. But when it comes to the devil, Peter's command is to do the exact opposite of "submission." We must say no. We must fight.

How? By standing firm in our faith. From the snake's first conversation with Eve, to Satan's temptations of Jesus in the wilderness, the devil has always sought to undermine our trust in the God of heaven. His goal is to weaken our dependence on the Father who loves us and is strong to meet our needs.

Satan may make use of persecution to accomplish this. Peter writes that many in the world at the time were facing the same kind of suffering. Many continue to do so. The devil may attack our faith in other ways, as well, but the strategy for fighting back stays the same: Trust God more; increase our reliance on Him. Say "no" to the devil and "yes" to the Father.