Be Watchful
Brothers and sisters in Christ, prepare your hearts for war. For such a time as this, you have been called into the Great battle to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Keep in mind that Jesus was the forerunner Who sacrificed Himself for you, enduring the fiery temptations of hell, and now sits at the right hand of the Father interceding on your behalf.
Jesus said after He was raised from the dead, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”
“Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”
Remember Christian soldiers, you are not alone in this battle. After His triumphant ascension into heaven, the Holy Spirit was sent to dwell within you as evidence of your adoption and to direct you in all righteousness. You have been given His eternal word, so that you can recognize truth and prevent yourself from being deceived.
The Bible, also known as the sword of truth, when understood and followed, will give you victory in every circumstance.
Paul writes concerning this in the midst of persecution, “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Paul also informs us the word of God always accomplishes its purpose, saying, “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.”
Christian, “Be sober- minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
Jesus said concerning Him,“He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks lies, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” The Devil, also known as Satan, is a thief who comes for the purpose of stealing, killing, and destroying.
It’s important to recognize that Satan storms the heart with his wicked lust and aims to ignite the fallen passions that need to be resisted. His desire is to have you, and you must subdue him with the word of God. He will use the riches of this world to send up intoxicating fumes that poison the heart. He wants to lure you into evil under the pretense of good. So build yourself up in the most holy faith so that you do not fall for deceptive lies.
Christian, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”
“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Never forget “that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.”
Therefore, run with all your strength, forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead. Place all of your hope completely upon the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, for in Him you have obtained “an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.”