THE UNGUARDED HOUR

Again and again in the New Testament, believers are commanded to "watch", "be sober" & "be on guard". Jesus said in Mark 13:37, "what I say unto you, I say unto ALL: watch!" Therefore, these instructions are as relevant to us today as they were 2000 years ago to those who first received them. We are to watch for His coming (Mark 13:35), watch against the thief, the enemy of our souls (Mark 13:36 & 1 Peter 5:8), watch against false doctrines and deception (Matthew 24:4 & Acts 20:31) and watch against the weakness & works of the flesh (Matthew 26:41 & Luke 12:15).

If indeed we are to watch for/against all these, then there is no time a believer can truly afford to let his/her guard down. Why? We do not know the hour of His coming (Matthew 24:42), the thief is always on the prowl (1 Peter 5:8), deception keeps getting worse and worse (2 Timothy 3:13) and the flesh is something we will have till we leave this earth (2 Corinthians 5:4). So, there's no holiday from watchfulness! It is in that hour, that unguarded moment when we think we have arrived, attained or are infallible that the devil easily gains a foothold (Ephesians 4:27).

One of the easiest times for a believer to let down his/her guard is immediately after a victory. When you've just received your healing from a long-standing health challenge, you've just taken the victory over oppression, you've just led a soul to the Lord or you've just gotten some supernatural promotion. At times like these, it's so easy to let our guard down and not abide in God's Word and in that holy romance with His Spirit. It's so easy to not fast, not fellowship with other believers as we used to. At other times, it's the opposite. When we are discouraged or going through stuff, it can be so easy to let our guard down and start saying the wrong words, making the wrong confessions, ignoring the fellowship of the Spirit, forsaking the assembly of the saints. In both scenarios, it's the trick of the enemy to gain a foothold in our lives, but we can stand against it! Like David, we can choose to encourage ourselves in the Lord (1 Samuel 30:6), we can find strength in God. Pressed but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8&9)....that's us! And when our victory is manifested, we do not get distracted & rest on our oars or let down our guard, rather we do what Paul did: forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, we press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:13)!

How exactly do we keep watch, how do we maintain our guard?

1. Meditating and doing the Word of God (Philippians 3:1, Acts 20:31&32 & Psalm 119:11)

2. The fellowship of the Spirit (2 Timothy 1:14 & Jude 1:20-21)

3. The fellowship of the saints (Hebrews 10:25, Acts 20:28-31, 1 John 5:16 & Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

4. Wisdom: FLEE every appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22)

Brethren, whether we are aware of it or not, we have an adversary, the devil and he is very wily. He is not a lion but like a roaring lion, he goes about seeking whom to devour. The bible says to resist him (1 Peter 5:8&9). We must not be ignorant of his devices, his craftiness, but at the end of the day, the most important thing to remember is that though we have an adversary, we also have One who is called the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls (1 Peter 2:25) and He is not only willing but also able to KEEP us from falling and to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy (Jude 24). So don't be anxious or fearful about falling or failing, rather rest in His love & grace, let His grace carry you and keep you even as you do what the Word of God tells us to do. As you watch, as you pray, as you keep your guard up, constantly remember & rejoice in this: JESUS is able to keep you! SHALOM.

                                              By: Adewumi Jesutola