Guard Duty

(Proverbs 4:13 KJV)  Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.

Again we see the reminder to “keep” (guard NASB) (5341) what God has given us.  Guard duty is important in any army.  We are currently staying on a military base in a foreign country.  At the gate is an armed guard who stops every car and checks every ID.  My wife wonders what one young woman with a pistol can do if the barbarian hordes decide to charge the gate.  Not much but if she is doing her job she will have backup before the base is overwhelmed.  Guard duty is not about stopping an enemy army.  It is about alerting your support that there is a danger.  It is about making it hard for the enemy to execute nefarious plans. 

When we are alert and watching it does not mean that we are equipped to deal with evil on our own.  It means we recognize evil for what it is.  If a Roman legion began to approach the front gate of a Marine base they could do some serious damage if the guard is asleep.  If he is alert and on task they will be helpless.

So?  Be alert.  Make the forces of evil work for every step they take.  Ask them for the password, “He is Risen”.  He is risen indeed.