FIVE SIMPLE RULES – Part 1

“Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong. And everything you do must be done with love.” (1 Cor 16:13-14, NLT)

This simple scripture passage highlights very important aspects and essential qualities of a successful and victorious Christian life. I refer to them as the “Five Simple Rules” of triumphant Christian living and they are: (1) Be on guard; (2) Stand true to what you believe; (3) Be courageous; (4) Be strong; and (5) Do everything you do with love.

In the next five blogs I shall briefly review each of these rules of the victorious Christian life starting with this one.

Rule #1: BE WATCHFUL

“Be watchful”! This  exhortation immediately leads me to think of the soldier who is on look-out duties. He has the awesome responsibility both for his own safety and those of his comrades to stay awake, alert and vigilant. Indolence or a lapse in attention can readily hand the opposition the precious opportunity to sneak up unobserved and do real damage.

"Christian", the first thing you must learn as far as holding on to what you have received in redemption is concerned, is that you have an enemy, a spiritual enemy – not flesh and blood. Being a child of God immediately puts you in opposition to the devil and his wicked spirits. I can tell you right now that they are not thinking good thoughts about you, but thoughts of evil.

Jesus said the enemy of His followers does not seek access through the door but tries to sneak in through the window. He tries to gain illegal access. So what do you do in such a situation?

“Be sober-minded, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour”. (1 Peter 5:8, NLT)

Apostle Peter identified the believer’s enemy thus: “your adversary the devil”. Your adversary is on a deadly mission “seeking someone to devour”; and your adversary "prowls" - subtly waiting for the chance to launch a surprise attack. Be watchful: do not give him the chance.

In Christ Jesus, it is the will of God for you to have a rich and satisfying life. And when our Lord Jesus referred to our adversary as “the thief”, He told us a lot about his nature and agenda: “the thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). Again the element of surprise is key to his plans.

How very vital, therefore, it is for every Christian to be alert and vigilant. "Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation..." (Matthew 26:41). The concern and urgency expressed by our Lord Jesus in this caution can hardly be mistaken.

Give the devil no opportunity to gain the advantage over you: “Be Watchful”! You have some thing in Christ that your enemy wants to  “steal”. What he cannot steal he will try to “kill”. And if he cannot deprive you completely by stealing or making a thing appear dead to you, he will seek to “destroy” – that is, seek to render "unfit for purpose" that which should otherwise be of benefit to you. Against all of these threats, maintain a watchful disposition.

“Guard your heart with all diligence..!” is the counsel of a wise Father:

"My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech." (Proverbs 4:20-24)

The primacy of our heart as the enemy’s attack target and the centrality of God’s word to the effectiveness of our watch cannot be over-emphasized. Ignorance of the will of God and of the devices of the enemy will severely undermine our alertness:

"Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do" (Ephesians 5:17).

"...so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his design." (2 Corinthians 2:11, ESV).

Emphasizing the urgency of spiritual vigilance in our day-to-day life is not paranoia; it is essential to victorious living. Child of God, your enemy the devil is real, subtle and deceptive; and he does not consider any aspect of your life off-limit. If he can have his way, the consequence can be truly devastating, but God who causes you to be victorious gives you the grace to stay alert and see through the tricks of the devil. 

Stand in grace and be watchful!