KEEP YOUR GUARD UP!

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

1 Peter 5:8-9

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I’ve had the privilege to travel all over the world in my nearly 65 years of life, more than 50 countries and counting. Of course, this globetrotting has often put me in unfamiliar places where I wasn’t familiar with my surroundings. In those instances, there’s a famous saying that would always apply:

“Keep your head on a swivel.”

The gist of this saying is grounded in the matter of always staying alert and aware of what’s going on around you. I think the technical term is more like “situational awareness” and I have gotten in the habit of always applying it when I am out and about in a foreign place. It has served me well in ensuring I stayed safe and out of potential trouble.

As we turn to our scripture passage for today, we see where this principle also holds relevance from a spiritual perspective. Look again at verses 8 and 9 from the fifth chapter of 1 Peter. There we read the following:

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Here the Word of God is demanding that all Christian believers have their heads on a swivel, always “alert and of sober mind”.

Why?

Because the devil, our enemy for as long as we live on this earth, is always on the prowl “like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”. And since he is always on the prowl, there is no time to let down our guard. There’s definitely an important element of persistent vigilance in the Lord’s command.

The call is to resistance, to stand “firm in the faith” which is really telling us to stay grounded in the Lord, in His strength and power which will always provide us what we need to ward off the advances of the enemy. And as an element of our protection against Satan, the scriptures provide further guidance in the sixth chapter of Ephesians.

... 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. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the Heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert. Vv. 10-18

Friends, every day we step out onto the battlefield of life to do battle with an enemy that only wishes us harm. Thankfully, we won’t fight alone as long as we keep our guard up and our full armor of God on, for when we do, we will always find a blessed protection from the One who will is our Refuge, Strength, and ever present Help (Psalm 46:1).

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.