Daily Devo
Obstacles and Illusions
By: Mae Archila
Monday, March 16, 2026
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
As I studied 1 Peter, I came across two interesting words, illusions and obstacles. An illusion is defined as a deceptive appearance, a false impression, or an inaccurate belief. An obstacle is something that blocks our way or hinders our forward progress.
Satan loves to use illusions, deceptions, and false beliefs to cause spiritual blindness. God's Word says Satan blinds the minds of unbelievers to keep them from understanding the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4) but he loves to attack believers too. Satan is a master of illusions and obstacles, and he uses both of them to prevent us from believing God’s truth. If Satan can't immediately devour us, he will set out roadblocks, traps, and obstacles to inhibit our spiritual growth.
In our opening verse, Peter uses the analogy of a roaring lion to show us how dangerous Satan is. In nature, lions attack the weak, sick and young, and they love to target animals that aren't part of a herd or group. Satan loves to attack the spiritually weak, and anyone that has the "illness" of disobedience and a lifestyle of repetitive sin. If we are doing life alone and we don't have any Christian friends, we are especially vulnerable to Satan's attacks.
If you've ever read military history, you'll find terms (techniques) like Block, Disrupt, and Turn. In wartime, military engineers create obstacles and barriers that are designed to disrupt their enemies' forward progress. Satan uses similar tactics to block our spiritual growth, disrupt our faith, and turn us away from God.
As Christ followers, the best way to overcome Satan's obstacles is through God’s Word. We may not be military engineers, but we can use those same military concepts we just mentioned in our spiritual battles.
To Block Satan's attacks, we must ...be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:10-11
To Disrupt Satan's plans, we must lean on God’s promise to fight for us: For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory! Deuteronomy 20:4 (NLT)
Finally, we must Turn away from anything that connects us to the enemy and move closer to God. Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
When Satan places obstacles in your path, God will help you overcome them! Remember, The Lord is fighting for you!