.jpg)
Mornings With Jesus
Mornings With Jesus
The Sentinel's Challenge: Staying Vigilant Against the Enemy | Joshua Scott Zeitz
The spiritual battlefield requires vigilance, especially when we're at our weakest. Drawing from 1 Peter 5:8, we examine how the enemy operates "like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour" and what this means for our daily spiritual practices.
Have you noticed how your worst decisions often come when you're tired, hungry, stressed, or overworked? This isn't coincidental. As one pastor wisely observed, "When emotions are high, decision-making is low." These vulnerable moments are precisely when spiritual vigilance becomes most critical—and when the enemy is most likely to attack. The warning that Satan will "take you to hell with a hangnail" vividly illustrates how even small compromises can lead to significant spiritual derailment.
True sobriety and vigilance extend beyond abstaining from substances. They involve carefully guarding what we allow past our "eyes, ears, and mouth gates." Every heart contains an invisible throne that can only be occupied by one entity: either Jesus reigns supreme, or we attempt to usurp His rightful place through neglect and self-centeredness. The good news? No matter what decisions we've made in the past, we always have the opportunity to make the next right one—to bend our knees and surrender to the King of Kings.
Join us as we explore what it means to stand as sentinels in God's kingdom, remaining sober, staying vigilant, and witnessing for the One who is infinitely worthy. Remember: life is connected, and when we guard our hearts with all diligence, we're not just protecting ourselves—we're preserving our testimony and witness to a watching world.
Hello and welcome to Mornings with Jesus, your daily dose of encouragement. I am your host, joshua Scott Zeitz. Today's encouragement comes from 1 Peter, 5 and verse 8. It reads Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour. Perhaps you've heard this song before. Oh, be careful little eyes what you see. Oh, be careful little ears what you hear. And be careful little lips what you say. Why? Because the Father up above is looking down in love. Oh, be careful little eyes what you see. Listen, the enemy is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour and, as I heard a pastor say one time, he'll take you to hell with a hangnail if you let him.
Speaker 1:What does that mean exactly? Well, as my pastor says, when emotions are high, decision making is low. Have you ever noticed how oftentimes we make the dumbest decisions when we are tired, hungry, stressed or overworked? Why is that? Because it's in these moments that we aren't thinking clearly. It's in these moments when our minds are foggy and our capacity to make good, solid, wise decisions is hampered. Our judgment is skewed. You ever notice the signs on the road that warn us against driving while drowsy?
Speaker 1:Being sober and staying vigilant doesn't just refer to abstaining from getting drunk or getting high, although this is certainly advisable, especially if we are to be a witness for Jesus. It also means keeping our eyes fixed on him at all times, taking practical steps to avoid and abstain from all appearance of evil. For example, if you're struggling with fear, but watching horror movies or listening to the news report every night before bed and when you wake up, this is probably not the best way to keep sober and vigilant. Listen, we have learned already that it's the enemy who is the twister of all things good and holy, not God. God has created things holy and wholesome for us to enjoy, like food, work, sex and all sorts of amazing things. But when we use these things to satisfy our cravings only, or use them as a means of attempting to make us happy or fill a void on the inside, these things that were once meant for good will now begin to backfire and slowly erode away at our souls. In other words, each of us has an invisible throne on our hearts. It can only be occupied by one person at a time. Either we keep sober and vigilant and allow Jesus his rightful place on that throne, or else we continue to usurp his authority by steadily neglecting intimacy with him and placing ourselves on that throne instead. Now, I know it sounds harsh when said like that, but the good news is this no matter what decisions we made in the past, we have the opportunity to make the next right one. We have the chance right now to bend our knees and surrender our hearts to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, not because he is some uncaring or unempathetic entity in the sky, but because he, as our Creator and as our Father, seeks to know us and for us to know Him. He desires what is best for us. Therefore, we ought to, as good Christian soldiers, stand as sentinels, keeping watch with all diligence, with sobriety, for anything that seeks to steal, kill or destroy. Remember, life is connected. So when we guard our hearts by keeping a careful watch over what comes past our eyes, ears and mouth gates, we are also protecting our witness for Jesus to others. So my challenge for you and I today is this let's be sentinels in the kingdom of God, remaining sober, staying vigilant and being a witness for the one who is oh so worthy. I want to end with an amazing passage of scripture found in Proverbs to further drive home.
Speaker 1:Episode five of Sin Week. My son, attend to my words. Incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes. Keep them in the midst of thine heart, for they are life unto those that find them and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth and perverse lips. Put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left. Remove thy foot from evil. That's Proverbs 4, 20 to 27. Until next time, remember what you make happen for others, god will make happen for you.
