Warning: Lion Attack Risk High

In a college class I took about student ministry games, camps, and activities, they taught us about "True danger" and "Perceived danger."

"Perceived danger" is when you are high up on a ropes course while properly tied off and wearing all the correct equipment. It is high, so your brain thinks, "Danger!" Yet the actual risk is very low.

"True danger" is often seemingly harmless things with high likelihoods of bad consequences. For instance, transporting a group of teens in a car or church van. While we are used to cars, and they don't seem dangerous, they actually are. Hands down, one of the most dangerous actions we take on any given day is driving or riding in a car.

In other words, driving to the ropes course is far more dangerous than the actual course. Even if the ropes course feels more dangerous.

There are things like that in the animal kingdom. For instance, we are terrified of sharks and bears. But did you know the odds of being attacked by a shark is 1 in 4.3 million? But I bet murky ocean water freaks some of you out. Or take a Grizzly bear. Chances of attack are 1 in 2.1 million, but you might be scared of the woods.

While your chances of being attacked by a physical bear or a shark are very low (perceived danger), your chances of being attacked by a supernatural lion are 1 in 1 (True danger). Peter warns us in 1 Peter 5:8, "Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour."

We may not always recognize or acknowledge it, but if we let him, we have a spiritual enemy that would get great joy out of ruining our lives. But we do not have to let him. Peter gives us tools to defend against the devil's attacks, and we are discovering those tomorrow. If you have ever felt spiritually attacked or oppressed by satan, tomorrow's message is going to be really helpful. I hope you will join us.

And if you think this devil stuff is weird... I agree. I hope to have some answers for you too.