Don't Let Your Guard Down
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Every so often I go through a situation and all of the sudden a scripture comes to life for me in a new way. That happened to me just last week. A scripture I have known for years and years was given new meaning in my life. All of the sudden I knew exactly what it was talking about, it became real and personal for me. That is why I love the Bible so much; it really is living and powerful! It breaths life in me and heals my heart. I love it!
Recently we got new puppy. I know, I know bad idea….I have stated in the past, without hesitation that I DID NOT want a puppy. That apparently doesn’t mean anything, however she is so pretty and she is a good girl. I am a sucker what can I say? When I take Roxy outside to go to the bathroom I have to watch her like a hawk, if I turn my head for even a moment she is gone, if I get the least bit distracted I lose track of her. This reminded me of another situation I was dealing with, a situation recently where I just felt under attack, spiritually. I know that may sound a little wacko but bare with me here for a few minutes.
Matt and I have felt for the past year that we must make our marriage a serious point of prayer. We have felt that our marriage is our strongest asset, we are better together, we are strong together; we come as a package deal. So we knew that as we move into our twelfth year of marriage the possibility would be there for things to become familiar and we felt strongly that our marriage may come under attack. We have seen that over the past year, but thank God we have been about to talk and communicate and move forward by working hard and operating in forgiveness.
We have felt strongly not just about our marriage but marriage across the board. Marriage is a intended to be an example of our covenant relationship with Christ; it is suppose to reflect that image and therefore is vulnerable to serious attack. There are so many things that can come in and hurt a marriage leaving it broken, we must guard what we allow to enter into our relationships, we have to stay constantly alert for the sake of our families.
As I was praying about it one morning last week I felt like the Spirit of God spoke this to me, “don’t let your guard down, be watchful”. Immediately this scripture popped into my head, “8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.” (1 peter 5:8-9a) The devil is real and he really is trying to trip us up. Now we can’t blame every problem on him, because we make bad choices. I think his best weapon is giving us the option to do what we shouldn’t do. He puts it out there and then taunts us with it, forcing us to make a decision. Then guilt and shame set in when we make the bad decisions, guilt and shame keep us form telling the truth and being honest. The devil’s best weapon is our secrecy.
It is imperative that in our Christian walks and in our relationships we stay alert and don’t let our guards down. Just like taking the dog out, if I look away for a second I lose her. We need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus or we will get distracted with mess. What does that look like in our lives on a daily basis? It looks like prayer and worship, it looks like meditating on scripture, it looks like spending time with people who will encourage you and add value to you. There are days I don’t read my Bible (gasp) there are days I don’t pray or worship at all, but there are rarely days when I don’t do any of them, almost always one of those things makes it into my day. When I go too long without prayer or meditating on scripture it affects EVERY AREA of my life. That is what it looks like to take your guard down.
This scripture just took on a whole new meaning when I thought about standing guard for my life, my marriage and my kids. Standing guard like a momma bear looking out for her cubs. So that the Devil knows you don’t mess around here. Any little opening we give the Devil he will take it and run with it. I believe with all that I am that there is a real enemy, there is evil in this world, a darkness that covers the earth. If you don’t believe me open your eyes and look around. The only way to combat the darkness is for Christians to wake up and stay alert, to be light in the midst of darkness. That is rarely done with shouts and anger; it is done through prayer and love.
In your life what are your weak areas where are you vulnerable? It may be the areas you are strongest that are going to come under attack. Recognize where these areas are so that you can be prepared and be awake. Stay on high alert; don’t take your eyes off for even a second. Guard you spirit, guard your life. Be watchful so that the things you love most don’t get stolen from you.
Luke 10:19 (NKJV)
19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
