5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
8 Be [c]sober, be [d]vigilant; [e]because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But [f]may the God of all grace, who called [g]us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, [h]perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:5-11
We are called to be clothed with humility. Humility is the character or Christ manifested in our lives. When we walk in humility we walk in a place of surrender. The reason many struggle and walk in defeat is because of pride. When we allow pride to rule in our hearts it gives the enemy a foothold into our lives.
We are called to humble ourselves before the Lord and He will exalt us in due time. God has a due time and a due season for all things. Often times when the Lord has called us, He will begin to reveal to us the dreams and plans He has for us. But the mistake we often make is that we want to accomplish it all right now and fail to understand that there is much preparation that needs to take place.
We are called to resist the devil standing firm in the faith we have in Christ Jesus. The devil was defeated at Calvary and the authority we have has been given to us through Jesus Christ. But we are called to endure because throughout this life we will face trials that God will use to mold and shape us. He is perfecting within us the character and nature of Christ. This is often accomplished through the suffering we face. Often times it is in the place of suffering that we learn to let go of our own strength and power and simply rely fully upon the Lord.
Peter as he writes this uses these four terms: perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. Each of them point to the deeper work that Christ does in our lives. Every trial we face has an eternal purpose. It doesn’t happen by accident or chance, but through it the Lord is perfecting within us His nature and His character.
The Father's Heart 