February 21, 2017

Guard: February 21, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY FEBRUARY 21, 2017.
GUARD

DEFINITION:

Protect; keep safe; be cautious; a means of defense; watch over; look out.
SCRIPTURE:

For false Christ’s and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect, if that were possible. So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. Mark 13:23.

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again and it is a safeguard for you. Philippians 3:1.


KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

As believers in Jesus we are commissioned by Him to be stewards (guard) the gospel. The power to proclaim the greatest news in heaven or on earth was not given to the angels but to redeemed men and women on this earth.

Some think that only ministers are to preach but every Christian is to be a witness to guard the good news of the gospel (I Timothy 6:20).

When we are told to guard the gospel, it means first of all for us to study God’s Word daily and know what it says so we can guard against those who speak words that deny the truth of God’s Word.

Secondly, we are to tell others the true gospel message and exalt Christ by our actions daily. The best sermons are both seen and heard. God expects us to be His witnesses and to guard the good news of the gospel that is to rule our lives. If we do not live what we preach we deny the validity of our faith.

To guard our faith we must guard ourselves from the evils of the world we live in. Our parents regularly reminded us to be alert and guard ourselves from things in life and people that could lead us into a sinful lifestyle. As parents, we had great concern for our own children that they would be alert and on guard against Satan’s temptations and not be led astray. Spiritually, children and adults need to guard themselves against false teachings concerning the scriptures and against Satan, the great deceiver of the whole world Revelation 12:9. The Bible has been taken out of our schools so it is especially needed for parents to protect their children from the false teaching they receive in school.

The third chapter of Philippians is noted as one of the great chapters in the Bible. In it Paul gives his personal testimony and speaks of the principles that governed his life. His desire was always to guard the gospel, to grow in the Lord and to become more Christ-like. That should be our goal as well.

In this chapter Paul emphasizes that a believer must guard his faith against false teaching and he gives us practical advice to safeguard our faith. Take the time today to read this third chapter.

During trials in life we can be especially vulnerable to Satan’s attempts to destroy our faith. We can guard our faith during the trials of life by rejoicing in the Lord. When we focus on rejoicing in the Lord the trial becomes insignificant. As we walk our daily walk we face physical and spiritual challenges and we must face them straight on. It is important not to allow these trials to take our eyes off Jesus, because Satan will use them to destroy our faith.

Satan loves to have his evil-minded followers belittle our Lord and our faith in Him by making us feel that the Lord has forgotten us because He allows us, as believers, to suffer trials.

Peter also warns us in I Peter 5:8 to be on guard and watch for the devil and false teachers because they are our enemies and are on the prowl to destroy us. Satan seizes every opportunity to overwhelm us by enticing temptations, so we can never let our guard down allowing Satan any kind of an open door into our lives. So always be on guard and watch out!

The greatest thing that “rejoicing in the Lord” does for the believer is that it places and keeps a person in the presence of Christ. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35-39). We will face trials in this sinful world but there is no trial so big that it can separate us from our Lord.

Paul faced so many trials in his life including being stoned, beaten, being homeless without food and water, and being imprisoned but he always continued to rejoice in the Lord. The source of Paul’s joyous contentment, no matter what his circumstances, was knowing Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior.

Rejoicing in the Lord according to the apostle Paul is the sure way to guard your faith in the midst of the trials of life that you will face. In Philippians 4:4 he said it twice,” Rejoice always in the Lord.”

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in John 1:1.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

PRAYER:

Keep me alert today to guard my actions against Satan’s temptations and to watch out for false teachings that will lead me astray and destroy my faith in my Lord and Savior. Keep me rejoicing in You always.


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