"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong" - 1 Cor 16:13 (NIV).
Many people around the world with valuables feel a need to take on a guard. A typical job description of a guard normally includes an expectation of someone who will be on alert making sure there is no interfearence from intruders. A good guard is constantly on the watch and is tuned to sense anything that could border on intrusion and quickly warn the concerned. Guards tend to be muscled as they may have to fight off or scare away dangerous intruders.
The Christian life requires of us to be constantly on guard. This is because there is an enemy constantly hovering about us ready to intrude and cause harm. This happened to the Lord Jesus himself. Once after predicting the events leading to his crucifixion, "Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!' (Mathew 16:22). But Jesus was very alert. "Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns" (vv 23).
Jesus was on guard, quick to sense that an enemy was prowling about and had to be warded off. That enemy is never asleep. As Job 2:2 notes, "And the LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” Satan is of course on a mission to "kill and destroy" (John 10:10).
Effective guards must have weapons that can aid them in warding off the enemy. One of the weapons the Lord has given us is the power of his word. When Satan once sought to tempt Jesus, up on a mountain, after a fast, he was duly rebuked: "Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Mathew 4:4). May the power of His word indwell in us to fend off the enemy, Satan, in all his guises.
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, may I constantly be on guard against Satan's schemes and through the power of the Word cast him off asunder, this I pray in Jesus's name.
Related upcoming events
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02/05/2024 - 03/05/2024 All day“That is why for Christ’s sake I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10)
We all crave to be blessed in life. But was there a believer who was so blessed beyond any circumstances without experiencing some sort of discomfort, in one way or another! A person may apparently be blessed in every single way yet have one troubling matter that constantly drives him down to his knees.
The one mightily blessed with riches may have a family situation that leaves him ever on edge. Someone who seems to be at the height of his profession may be living with an ailment that keeps him ever on tentacles. The one blessed with abundant health might from time to time be dealing with financial woes.
Why do such troubling situations plague even believers? One explanation could be found in the Apostle Paul’s life. Called into ministry and endowed with many gifts, including amazing revelations from above, yet he had a matter that constantly drove him on his knees. “Therefore in order to keep me from being conceited, I was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger from Satan, to torment me” (2 Cor 12: 7).
Paul would often cry out to God to free him of this particularly troubling matter. But the Lord came back with, “My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in your weakness” (2 Cor 12: 9).
The comfort of this lesson is that God is completely aware of whatever might be ever troubling us. Moreover, it could be purposely there, that we constantly place our faith in Him, other than relying on our strength and resources, especially as He blesses us in other uplifting ways.
Prayer for today: Lord Father in heaven, today I pray that whatever matter is constantly troubling me, I know it is for a purpose and you are in total control, to bless me even more, this I pray in Jesus’ name.
