Will You Be Caught Off Guard?

Have you ever had an experience when you were caught off guard?

Reflect on that experience for a moment and think about the phrase caught off guard.

Why were you caught off guard?

There could be an array of reasons. You might have been distracted or tired. You might have had laser focus on something else. Or it might have been that things were going so well that you just weren’t watching.

Do you remember the fall of ancient Babylon? King Belshazzar and his nobles were caught off guard. It was a time of peace and they were partying. On that night the Medes and Persians marched right in and took over without a fight. Read about it in Daniel 5.

There have been attacks on Christianity all over the world going all the way back to the first century. In the U.S., however, we have not felt the same kinds of threats because we have freedom of religion! Yet, as good as that is, Christians must recognize that God never promised us peaceful surroundings and the respect of those around us.

We must not be fair-weather Christians, that is, faithful only when the circumstances are favorable. We must be spiritually alert at all times.

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

—1 Peter 5:8–10 (ESV)

More than ever, we who are Christians need discernment. That is the ability to tell the difference between things. You know the humorous expression: “If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck….” The idea is that even if the duck is disguised, a person can still discern that it is a duck by the way it walks and talks.

Regarding spiritual matters Jesus said:

Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act.

—Matthew 7:15-16 (NLT)

He later said to His disciples:

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

—Matthew 10:16 (NKJV)

In the U.S. we have enjoyed many years of peace religiously. What have you done in this time of religious peace and rest? Have you been preparing yourself for the day when things might change? Have you been watchful? Or will you be caught off guard when religious peace and rest are taken away?

Are you able to discern between good and evil? Right and wrong? Can you distinguish between God’s standard of equity and love and all the jargon of our day masked with words like equity and tolerance? Are you equipped to identify the false prophets of our day, those who use smooth and religious-sounding words but do not speak the truth of God’s word?

Will you take the time to read Ezekiel 33:1-6?

After reading God’s word, I am watching the changes in our society. I am sounding an alarm!

Mark Stinnett

July 4, 2021