Week 9 | Thursday
Thursday – Eye Spy
Written by Jillian Walters (Jefferson Campus)
Ephesians 6:18
“…With this in mind, be alert…”
I think back to when I first learned to drive. I grew up learning to drive in a car that didn’t have alert lights on the mirrors nor backup cameras, so my head was on a constant swivel, checking my mirrors over and over and looking over my shoulder to back up anywhere. While I am no longer a new driver, when I purchased a new car or have rented cars for trips, the same is true. I am in a new environment with different blind spots, so my head is on a swivel, checking and rechecking every angle and driving with a bit more care. But as time goes on, I get used to the car. The familiarity of the size or how hard to press the gas becomes second nature, and in truth, I am not as attentive as I first was.
In our faith, we are sometimes like this too. Whether we were raised to love Jesus or came to know Him at a later age, time dulls the senses. But in this passage, Paul reminds us to “be alert!” Just before this verse, he told us that the enemy is prowling around, and our battle is against the spiritual, not the visible. So he tells us that in light of the kind of battle we are fighting, we must remain alert. For the Christian, you can remain alert in both proactive and reactive ways. To remain alert in proactive ways, you must use all the armor of God that Paul mentions in verses 13 – 17, but beyond that, we must remain alert to the enemy’s potential footholds in our lives. We must avoid situations, places, and even people that we know will lead us into temptation. There are boundaries that we must establish to prevent the opportunity for sin from even showing up. We must remain alert and not become inattentive to our spiritual health, driving on autopilot. Every day is a new battle, so we must pick up our spiritual weapons of prayer and connection with the Lord and fight! Don’t get caught lying down on the job!
Beyond what you can do for yourself, you also need people to serve as your side and rearview mirrors. They will provide you with vision where you may have a blind spot. These aren’t people who simply tell you “good job” or what you want to hear. These are people who are standing guard against the enemy’s schemes with you! They’re the driver in the next lane, honking at you the second you begin to cross the yellow line. They see you from a different angle and keep you in check. They can only do this, though, if they know the FULL picture. If they can’t see the whole car, how can they know if a single wheel has crossed the line?
Other times, the enemy is unavoidable, and we have to be alert to his attempts at deterring us from following Christ. But when life comes hard, do we see the enemy at play? Do we realize that he is whispering lies? Do we see him trying to wear us down and exhaust us enough that we stop praying, praising, thanking, and glorifying God? Do you see his craftiness? Be alert, friends. We must view all things through the lens of spiritual warfare and not fall victim to simply putting life in cruise control.
Reflection Questions:
- What is an area of temptation in your life for which you need to establish boundaries?
- Who in your life can you tell the whole truth to all the time that will hold you accountable to biblical standards? What routines of accountability can you set up with them?
- Have you felt under attack lately? Evaluate this attack and determine if it could be spiritual warfare. If it is, why is the enemy attacking you, and how can you stand firm against him?
Prayer Prompt:
“Omniscient Lord, you see and know all things. Help me to be wise in my decisions to protect myself against preventable sin. Likewise, when attack is unavoidable, give me eyes to see the enemy at work, and may it drive me to you and your word as my first source of comfort and guidance.”