“Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour.”
(First Epistle of Peter, chap. 5, verse 8*)
Have you ever seen a person in complete concentration? Usually, when we need to accomplish something very intricate or even risky and dangerous, our mind and body mobilize in such an extraordinary way to face the unusual challenge. Our muscles are in a state that allows the entire concentrated strength of the body to be directed towards a very minimal physical or intellectual action. Why? Because success or failure in a specific situation often lies in the precise adjustment of a seemingly negligible small action at the exact right time. Since we do not know when the exact time would be, we assume it may be NOW, at any given moment.
When the Apostle Peter speaks to the scattered Christians in Asia Minor in his second letter to them, he encourages them to be sober. The term sober is strongly associated with the consumption of alcohol or other types of opiates, so when we hear it, this is our first association - not to be under the influence of alcohol. The word for sober used in the original Greek text is νήφω (néphó), and besides sober, abstaining from wine, according to James Strong's dictionary, it metaphorically means calm, attentive, measured, observant.
Sobriety impacts attention, concentration, calmness, reactions, observance, and mental endurance on both physical and spiritual levels. The quoted passage does not speak of alcohol or other substances from which we must abstain, but rather about something spiritual. A little earlier in the passage, the apostle advises believers not to worry about anything but to cast their cares on God, for He cares for us. “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you” (First Peter, chap. 5, verses 6-7*). To be fully concentrated and attentive, we must maintain such balance and sobriety in our minds to be ready at any moment to resist the devil's attempts to devour us. However, it is clear that what can stand as an obstacle to concentrated attention and sobriety are the worries and difficulties that we choose to handle ourselves. Our energy is directed towards less important, albeit real problems, while the real danger patiently waits in the shadows as the lion awaits its prey.
What do alcohol, drugs, and all other opiates actually do to the brain? They alter, distort, slow down, or completely block its abilities for perception and, consequently, adequate reaction. The same happens with our spiritual person when we allow spiritual opiates to keep us away from a sober mind. In this case, Apostle Peter speaks about the cares, problems, those “giants” in our eyes, which obscure our spiritual vision, cast a shadow over us, and prevent us from noticing the lion hidden in the grass. There are various spiritual opiates - pleasures, pursuits, ambitions, career, vanity, money, power, problems, worries. In many places, sobriety is mentioned immediately alongside faith. As in the Second Epistle of Peter, so in the First Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians, we see that the sober, calm, vigilant, and observant spiritual person is a believer, or in other words, trusts in God.
There will be reasons for concern, there will be problems and cares, trials, temptations, spiritual opiates that will fight to cloud our vigilance and spiritual balance.
But trust in the One who cares for us can keep us from intoxication. Faith will keep our minds free from responsibilities we cannot handle on our own, will remove the burden that comes from the unnecessary, the fruitless, and even the harmful so that we remain observant, in full concentration, and spiritual balance, so that when the enemy attacks, we can respond prepared and on time.
“When people say: “We are in peace and safety,” then suddenly, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, destruction will overtake them and no one will escape it. But you, brothers, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you as a thief, for you are all sons of light and sons of the day – we are not sons of the night or of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. Those who sleep, sleep at night; and those who get drunk, get drunk at night, but we are sons of the day and let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate and the hope of salvation as a helmet, for God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (First Epistle to the Thessalonians, chap. 5, verses 3-9*, the bold text is ours)
*Biblical quotes are according to the text of Bible, New Translation from the Original Languages © Bulgarian Bible Society 2013.