Peter ends his letter to the persecuted Christians in Asia Minor addressing the seriousness of spiritual warfare. While we have this great gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, we are instructed to lead by example, be humble, and love other people, among other things. After all, God encourages, equips, exalts, and enables, so as a Servant, these things will radiate in His people. But it's not an easy thing to do, particularly as Satan wants that power and aura extinguished, and the best way to do that is to get people to doubt God's Word and as such, discourage them from acting and applying it in their lives. Peter characterizes Satan as a "roaring lion seeking whom he may devour." A lion is about 600 lbs of pure muscle, and if one goes after you, you don't stand a chance. So Satan tempts, appealing to the flesh in order to make you weak so you can't stand strong. God uses the power of His word (as Jesus Himself effectively demonstrated by application), which was how He persevered without failing once. The fact that the world is broken the way it is by sin, shame, disease, and death, goes to show you which people choose the most. The question is; which one are you putting your stock in? Added to this message, is more Christmas music and an advent reading and prayer.