4. Be Vigilant in Guarding Your Heart
The Bible teaches that the heart is the source of life’s actions, and protecting it is essential. Vigilance helps us guard our hearts from harmful influences that could lead us astray.
- Proverbs 4:23 (NKJV): “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”
This verse underscores the importance of diligently guarding our hearts. Everything we do—our decisions, attitudes, and behaviours—flows from what’s in our hearts. In fact the way we think, shapes our lives, it shapes our actions (Proverbs 4:23; “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts” GNT). Therefore, being spiritually vigilant about our thought-life, helps us keep our hearts pure and aligned with God’s will.
- Matthew 15:19 (NKJV): “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.”
Jesus explains that the actions and sins we commit start in the heart. For example, if person commits fornication, it first occurred in the mind. If a person steals, the act of stealing first occurred in his thought-life. Hence, spiritual vigilance involves being cautious about what we allow into our mental realm, whether through our thoughts, the media we consume, or the people we associate with.
5. Be Vigilant in Day-to-Day Life
Vigilance is also needed in our everyday lives—how we live, the choices we make, and the people we allow to influence us. We need to be cautious not only spiritually but also practically.
- Ephesians 5:15-16 (NKJV): “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
Paul instructs believers to be wise and careful in their conduct, making the most of every opportunity because the times are full of evil. This is because the world and its system is under the control of the evil one (1 Peter 5:19b; “and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.” NKJV)
Spiritual vigilance helps us avoid wasting time on things that don’t honour God and focus on living wisely. For example, many believing parents allow their children to watch TV for recreational reasons and sometimes to keep them occupied so that they can achieve their daily objectives. However, these days, you have to vet the content being shown on children’s TV programs, as many subtly and indirectly promote the LGBT agenda to our young children. Therefore, as believing parents, we have to be vigilant about such things.
Another example is the get-rich-quick schemes advertised on social media. They make these schemes seem genuine with proven results, but if you are not spiritually vigilant as a believer, you may fall victim to scammers who are out to dupe you of your financial resources.
- Matthew 7:15-16 (NKJV): “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.”
Jesus warns about false prophets, emphasising the need for vigilance in discerning who we listen to and follow. Sadly, there seems to be an increase in the number of false prophets and teachers. Many of them have a large following on social media platforms, where they teach heresies and prey on people’s needs to satisfy their own desires. As a consequence, we must be spiritually cautious about whom we trust and allow to influence and mentor our faith and decisions. Jesus said, ‘By their fruits you will know them’ (Matthew 7:20). Therefore, check for their fruits and seek guidance from the Holy Spirit. Aim to be rich in His Word yourself, so that when they peddle things that go against Scripture, you will quickly discern them.
6. Be Vigilant to Protect Your Salvation
Vigilance also involves being watchful to protect your salvation, avoiding the traps of sin and the influence of worldly pleasures that could lead you away from God.
- Philippians 2:12 (NKJV): “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
Paul’s call to “work out” salvation suggests that we must actively guard and nurture our faith in Christ. Vigilance ensures that we don’t take our salvation lightly but live daily in reverence and dedication to God. In the world we live in today, there are many distractions that can potentially steal our salvation or cause us to lose it. For example, TV programs for entertainment can begin to overshadow the time we should spend praying or reading God’s Word. Slowly and progressively, we become spiritually impoverished while our flesh is constantly being fed with what it wants. Eventually, the desires of the flesh become so strong in us that they automatically and easily overpower the desires of the Spirit. This is a precarious spiritual state for a believer to be in.
- Hebrews 2:1 (NKJV): “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.”
This verse serves as a warning to remain vigilant in holding on to the truth of God’s Word. Without spiritual vigilance and concerted dedication to spend time in God’s word, there’s a danger of drifting away from the faith.
7. Be Vigilant Against Worldly Deceptions
The world is full of distractions and deceptions that can lead believers away from God’s truth. Being vigilant helps us recognize and reject anything that contradicts God’s Word.
- 1 John 2:15-16 (NKJV): “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”
Believers are called to be vigilant against the enticements of the world, which can pull them away from God. Vigilance helps us stay focused on eternal values rather than temporary, worldly pursuits.
Summary
Being vigilant is not only a spiritual command but also a principle that applies to every aspect of a believer’s life—spiritual warfare, prayer, studying and meditating on the Word, overcoming temptation, guarding the heart, and protecting one’s salvation in Christ. Spiritual vigilance keeps us alert to the dangers that can harm our faith and walk with God, enabling us to live wisely, resist temptation, and maintain a close relationship with the Lord. It allows us to be watchful and discerning, ensuring that we walk in the light and not fall prey to the snares of the enemy, the world, or our own flesh.
God bless you, in Jesus Name. Amen
Altar call: For anyone reading this article who is not saved and wants to be part of the family of God or you want to re-dedicate your life back to Jesus, please repeat this out loud. “Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that I have sinned against you. Lord Jesus forgive me of my sins. I repent of my sins. Lord Jesus come into my life and be my Lord now and forever in Jesus Name
Prayer: Holy-Spirit my God, please help me to prioritise reading God’s word, prayer and living a holy life over the distractions out there in the world, in my daily walk with God, in Jesus Name
Feast of Light Word Ministry
Resource: Be Vigilant (1) – Feast of light
