Esther 9-10 | Acts 7:1-21

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

In the closing of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he writes, “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13, ESV). What was Paul encouraging the Corinthians? The first part is to “Be watchful” or in the NIV translation it says, “Be on your guard.” The verb structure of it is an imperative, which is a command to do the action.

If we ever watched any contact sports, like mixed martial arts or boxing, we will know the importance of having our guard up. People who have trained for MMA fighting know the seriousness of keeping their guard up because they are aware that they are going into a cage, where they are going to have punches or kicks thrown at them, so they are constantly on guard against their opponent. This then begs the question: if the MMA fighters spend time preparing for the fight, fully expecting that a punch is coming, how do they get hit then? Answer: their opponent attacks from unique angles.

Likewise, we have a very real adversary who tries to infiltrate our lives by coming in through the side door and through unique angles. If we are not on guard and watchful, our opponent is testing the walls or the integrity of our lives and looking to take us out. If one way is not working, he will try to sneak in from another angle. He is persistent and seeking opportunities to knock us down by coming in ways that we are not expecting. May we take some time to reflect and ask ourselves: are there any parts of our walls—our life—that are susceptible to attack? Areas of weakness where the defenses might be soft? Areas where the adversary seemingly keeps attacking time and time again in the same space?

Who are we inviting into our life to keep watch alongside us? In the Ancient Near East, when nightfall would come, there were watchmen who were posted on the wall to guard over the city, watching for any enemies seeking to infiltrate and attack the city. Although each watchman was assigned a certain part of the wall to keep guard over during the night, the most important thing is that they did it in community. There was interdependence as they watched over the walls of the city.

We need to be watchful as we stand guard over what comes into our life, our families and our homes, but we cannot stand guard by ourselves. Like the watchman who guarded the city at night in community, whom do we have to be watchful with?

PRAYER

Marvellous God, there is a real adversary out there ready to take us out. I ask that You reveal to me others I can stand on guard with. Thank You, Lord.