Guard Duty

“Guard Duty”

By

Pastor M.L. Maughmer, Jr.

Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life”.

OPENING:- When I was in the U.S. Army I remember we had to pull guard duty manytimes. The purpose of guard duty was to ensure that either, other soldiers, equipment, or areas were protected from the enemy. I can recall that in basic training or boot camp we had to memorize 3 General Orders and the first one was I will guard everything within the limits of my post and quit my post only when properly relieved. This general order stated that my purpose was to make sure I did everything within my power to protect my post and that I could not quit or stop guarding my post unless I was properly relived. When we were properly relived there was a password that was spoken between the person on guard duty and the one that was reliving them. If the improper password was given you were not properly relived. The safety of all that was being guarded depended upon you the person on guard duty. If something went wrong or the enemy was able to get access into that which you were responsible for guarding, then you were held accountable and punishment was inevitable.

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n our text the Bible says Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life”. The word keep is better translated as "guard – which means to keep watch."

It is imperative that we guard our hearts from the attack of the enemy. Ephesians 6:12 says “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places]”.

What is Spiritual Warfare?

Understand that the term Spiritual Warfare is not found in the Bible; however, the concept of spiritual warfare is taught because the things that we fight against are of a spiritual nature. To generalize the term of Spiritual warfare is an aggressively active approach to resist the devil, to raze his kingdom and all enemies of God. Spiritual warfare is the trials, tribulation, and storms that come into our lives, which causes faith to be reinforced and released and demonstrates the power of God to a world that is blinded. Spiritual warfare in the life of a true Christian will do as the Bible says in 2nd Peter 1:5-7 “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.” It causes a Christian to become more and more rooted and grounded in God, to achieve another level spiritually, and to become a mature spiritual Christian. However, if you do not understand the weapons that the enemy uses then you will not be able to defeat the enemy but fall victim to them.

Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life”. This is advice to protect us in spiritual warfare. Why:- because one the heart is the seat of your desires, you can never truly do something if your heart is not in it. The heart in the physical is what pumps the blood, which is the life source to all other parts of the body. If the heart fails the body dies.

Genesis 3:1 says “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden”? And he said unto the woman Notice:- the avenue by which the serpent used to get to the heart of Eve. Her spoke to her WATCH THIS:- before she could even respond to the serpent something had to happen on Eve’s part and that was that she had to listen to what it had to say.

One of the main avenues the enemy will use to fight against you is your ears. Why:- because this is such a rapid access to your heart. I can tell you something in your ear and cause you to believe it in your mind, then it’s just a matter of time before what was spoken into your ears pollutes your heart.

Colossians 2:8 says “Beware (WATCH OUT) lest any man spoil you (CAUSE YOU TO BECOME CONTAMINATED – POLLUTE YOU HEART) through philosophy and vain deceit (MAN”S OPINION & POISIONOUS WORDS) after the traditions of men, after the rudiments of the world (OPERATING IN AND THROUGH CARNALITY) and not after Christ (SPIRITUAL).

Genesis 3:2-3 says “And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die”. Eve listened and then started to communicate with the serpent. WATCH THIS:- When we let down our defenses and listen (give ear to) the words of the enemy and then carry on a conversation with them you end up dying