The end
of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. ~ 1 Peter 4:7
When we are not “on guard” we will always be caught “off
guard.”
When hit with a pretty serious illness, or the loss of a
loved one, or the loss of a job, or a huge bill, people often say, “I never saw
that one coming.” And they say that
because they’ve been “caught off guard.”
But that begs the question, how does one stay “on guard,” so as not to
be “caught off guard”?
The answer is in the gospels.
Jesus tells the parable about watchfulness, “But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was
coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken
into,” (Matthew 24:43; Luke 12:39). The
point Jesus is making is not for you to sit on your front porch with a shotgun
all day and all night to ward off intruders.
Rather, be watchful and alert through
prayer. It’s in those intimate times
of listening that the Holy Spirit reveals what to be on the look-out for, or
for what or whom you are to pray.
1 Peter 4:7 says to have sound judgment, which means to have
control over your thoughts. If your
thoughts are running amuck, the still, small voice of the Lord won’t be able to
break through the noise in your head or at least won’t be loud enough for you
to pay attention. Therefore, you need to
take authority over your thoughts so
that you may accurately perceive the
Truth.
This scripture also says to be of sober spirit, which means
to be calm and watchful. When your emotions
are going here, there, and everywhere, you’re never able to be on guard and
will always be caught off guard. But the
Bible declares that we should never be caught off guard.
The end of all things is near; therefore save your mind so that
with full understanding you can accurately discern and decide authoritatively
and remain calm and watchful—be on guard—so that you are able to pray. ~ 1
Peter 4:7
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