In 1 Peter 5:9, “stedfast” refers to strength when one is being attacked, while “stedfast” in 1 Corinthians 15:58 refers to a quiet spirit as one serves the Lord patiently, steadily and is not easily moved.

Apostle Peter, living in a time when Christians were hunted down for believing in Jesus, encouraged believers to remain “stedfast in the faith” (1 Pet 5:9) by being “… sober (and) … vigilant” (1 Pet 5:8). Being sober and vigilant are like two sentinels that must guard our hearts, helping us to be stedfast in the faith, and not to backslide.

One way to be “sober” is to abstain totally from alcohol. When a person is drunk, he cannot have a sober mind. In the spiritual sense, a sober mind is one that has been sanctified by the Word of God. And God’s Word teaches us His will as to how we are to live our life. While we as believers have been given the mind of Christ, our mind is still filled with our past worldly knowledge and is still bombarded today by the world’s philosophies. We therefore must continually study God’s Word. It will help us to respond correctly to the world.

Being “vigilant” in Peter 5:8 describes one who is already awake and who must keep being awake. (Another meaning of being vigilant describes one who is asleep and needs to be awakened.) Being vigilant is for the purpose of doing what is right, and we may have to pay a price for doing what is right in God’s sight.

Today, we may not face the same persecutions that early Christians during Peter’s time faced. But “your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet 5:8) still applies to us. The devil is a slanderer. We have to be aware of him and his methods.

If we allow the things of the world today to suck us away from God, it shows that we are not vigilant. The world may offer us fame, fortune, recognition, work/life balance, etc. May we be “… sober (and) … vigilant” (1 Pet 5:8) to see that these worldly things do not point to God, or lead us closer to God.

May we be strong enough to also help other believers who face similar temptations. We are to provoke one another to be stedfast (just like Jonathan and David), and show Christian care and concern to one another. God puts us here on earth for a purpose. Let us be stedfast, and help others to be stedfast too.