Be On Your Guard

Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.

─ 1 Peter 5:8-9 AMPC

One of the greatest lines that came from the Star Wars movies was said by the character, Obi-Wan Kenobi: “I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.” The character acknowledged that souls from an entire planet had been lost.

Can you feel it when darkness invades your space? We live in a fallen world and darkness is hard to ignore. A battle rages among the unseen, and as believers we have nothing to fear because we know the victory belongs to us through our relationship with God.

James encourages us in our verse today to be on our guard, with eyes open and hearts aware of the schemes of the devil.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, the Holy Spirit prepared Jesus. He was fully aware of the forces of darkness. In prayer, He vigilantly prepared Himself for an unavoidable battle. Jesus’ heart was heavy with anticipation of what was to come.

The Holy Spirit will also prepare you. Take note of James’s words and then look to Ephesians 6, where you can put on the whole armor of God. Learn to be fully prepared, be strong in His power, stand your ground, hold onto your faith using the sword of the Spirit and God’s Word in every situation.

Today’s One Thing

Read Ephesians 6:10-18. Write down the different pieces of armor and how you can use them in the battle that God has fully equipped you for. Pray and ask God where you need to focus your attention for the days ahead.

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