Unguarded Moments: Towards Victorious Christian Living In A Corrupt World

mezieokolo@gmail.com

Preface

The dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty…

Psalm 74:20

By grace, believers in Christ are redeemed and are seated in the heavenly places, far above principalities and powers. That is a position of power and authority over the devil and all the works of darkness. It is the position where Christ himself is seated, as He exercises dominion over all of creation. One of the strategies of the enemy is to pull us down from that exalted position of fellowship with Christ. Every time he succeeds in this mission, victors become victims in the battles of life.

Life is a battle and everything that is given a foothold grows. But we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against spiritual wickedness in the high places (Ephesians 6:12). They do nothing but practice wickedness continually.

Scripture depicts Christians as soldiers on a battlefront set apart for special combat in active service. We fight battles with single-minded determination to defeat those powers set on blocking our inheritance of God’s promises for us in this life and the eternal kingdom (2 Peter 1:5-10); but these forces are no humans. I wish they were humans who sleep, take vacations, or get distracted. Unfortunately, we often are ignorant of their devices. Those times we are unaware and distracted are unguarded moments. And were it not for the grace of God, many of us long would have been consumed. May we not become victims because of distractions in the battlefield.

Soldiers who stand guard remain vigilant because they understand the stakes. They carefully study and evaluate the modus operandi of the enemy forces. From training days onward, these soldiers see different simulations of potential enemy tactics and they learn how to respond resourcefully and professionally to each situation. They simply think outside the box and know how and when to ask for reinforcements. In other words, these soldiers do not go out for war without learning what to expect and how to respond.

When situations arise, and casualties emerge, the soldiers rally to save their colleagues. They risk their lives in the face of danger to protect their territories. They are fully aware of the risks involved and they ready themselves for the call of duty even to the point of death (Revelation 12:11). That is serious business and the kind of training we need and expect when we go to Christian gatherings: church services, Bible studies, and revival or camp meetings. As soon as we leave the church premises and step into the community, the mission field begins and so does the battle field.

Soldiers consider it an honor to die in active service of their country. And I repeat, to reduce casualties, they stay informed of the enemies’ devices. For example, they know what land mines are, and how to identify, avoid, or nullify them. Their intelligence unit is a step ahead of the game in identifying the sophistication of enemy weaponry. They know when and how to advance to overpower their bunkers.

Not only do these soldiers understand what is at stake, they make no mistakes about it, advancing and retreating with military precision, always at their best physically, mentally, and emotionally, and never meddling with civilian affairs. They obey commands without delay because time is of the essence and the lives and souls of men are involved.

As a country invests in her soldiers and provides them with the most sophisticated and advanced weaponry, so God has equipped Christians with all we need to overcome. The stakes are high, and God will not leave us ill-equipped. And if a soldier refuses to put on the whole armor that government has provided for him, he exposes himself to serious consequences. That is why Paul admonishes in Ephesians chapter 6 about the need for us to take up and put on the whole armor of God.

Moreover, God has blessed us with twenty-four hours a day, loaded with sixty minutes per hour and sixty seconds per minute. Our hearts do not cease to beat for a second, and if they do, catastrophe happens. Science has not been able to figure out how to make the heart beat again once the natural electricity supply is cut off; and we call it death. To live, we need our heart to faithfully beat every second. So we need God every second to live. If God watches over us by the seconds, then we need to be vigilant each second as well.

People have died for mistakes made in splits of seconds. If anybody mistakenly but momentarily touches a naked wire connected to the mains, disaster could happen. I can recall times how as a young man I escaped death by fractions of seconds. We sing I need thee every hour but that is not really correct. An hour is a whole lot of time. Do you know how many people die every second in the United States alone, from all sources? In February 2009, CBS News reported that "One person commits suicide about every 40 seconds, one person is murdered every 60 seconds and one person dies in armed conflict every 100 seconds (A Murder a Minute, Retrieved March 29, 2013 from http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-204 162-524231.html). In the business of life, as in safety, time is of the essence. That is why we need to watch out for the unguarded moment.

When we are in the midst of foes, we don’t sleep. Our lives and safety depend on our watchfulness. Eternal vigilance can keep us from evil. That’s why scripture admonishes us to watch and pray continuously (Luke 21:36). Watching refers to our spiritual eyes that need to be enlightened. Our enemy the devil goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom to devour (1 Peter 5:8), but our weapons of warfare are not carnal. We need this spiritual consciousness, not so as to fear him, but so that we are not taken unawares. We should guard ourselves like soldiers, and fight.

The agents of the devil disguise themselves as agents of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). It takes a watchful consciousness to identify them at face value. What is it that we think doesn’t matter? That others are doing it does not mean we should. When we hear Him say to us Don’t touch! our duty is to obey. In the days of John the Baptist, as in the days of Samson, not many people were Nazarites, of whom it was said that no razor should touch their hairs. It is required of stewards that men are found faithful (1Corinthians 4:1-2). The instructions and commandments of God are for our benefit, and it is a privilege to be called a child of God.

What we do is important and has consequences. Certain actions we take are not sin, yet they come with prices. It may simply be an oversight of ethics. Whether or not I know that I am allergic to penicillin, I will experience the negative reactions if I ingest penicillin or its derivative. In an unguarded moment, I may or may not know the consequences of my actions; so it is unguarded. The challenge is to do what we have to do to stay guarded.

I will illustrate with something that is not sin, yet landed me in trouble. While in pharmacy school, I cannot remember ever drinking coffee. Some students drank lots of it to stay awake, but I have always been a good sleeper. So He gives His beloved sleep, (Psalm 127:2) I would tell my roommate at bedtime. You could take food and everything else from me, but not sleep at its hour.

One fateful evening, I was preparing to write pharmaceutical chemistry exam the next morning, and was scared even to my bones. I was clueless as to what to expect, and could not convince myself I was ready for the exam. As nervousness built up in me, I decided to drink a cup of coffee. The rest, they say, is history. I was not asleep, yet I was not awake; I lost concentration, was disoriented, restless – you just name it and I experienced it. I have never felt so miserable in my entire life. The next morning, I wrote the worst exam of all my training.

At that time, our professional exams covered questions from materials over several semesters. Following the exam period, for scaling purposes, a faculty exam board would adjudicate and meditate over the students’ final grades. I must testify that I passed because when they worked out the grades, they decided to add certain marks across board, and my borderline grade definitely benefited from their grace! I was so happy (in fact happier than those who passed with flying colors) because I didn’t have to go through that hassle a second time (not to mention that I never really liked pharmaceutical chemistry anyway!)

Had I not drunk coffee that night, I probably could have studied a few more hours or at least slept well in preparation for the D-Day. This happened 14 years ago, but it feels like yesterday to me. While the foregoing example is about coffee, it could have been a one night stand with a HIV-positive student and the ensuing consequences of the sin. That is how we take wrong turns in our Christian walk. But God delivered me. For we overcome the enemy by the blood of the lamb and by the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11). Your testimony has word; speak it.

Do people deliberately backslide? Why is it called backsliding instead of backfalling? It usually doesn’t happen like lightening, and does not follow the all-or-nothing rule. It is done a step at a time, sometimes unconsciously and unnoticed. Before long, we begin to reason with the devil like Eve did. If Christ and God’s grace are taken out of the picture, the devil is smarter than we are. Did Eve intend to disobey God from the start? The tempter stood at a distance, watching for her unguarded moment, and he came at the right time.

Watch out for moments of isolation. Those are very ripe times for the tempter because it is easy to get distracted and be caught unguarded. Some people are married, yet are lonely. Husbands and wives, watch out for it! The devil is wrecking homes because we are unguarded on the home front. The multiple effects are seen in the larger society, evidenced in the number of divorce and suicide cases even among Christians. It is alarming and very worrisome.

When he shows up, the devil begins his interaction with something that catches our attention – It could be soccer, or football, politics or academics. When he gets our attention, then he quickly moves a step further to advance his agenda. Through the agency of an unsolicited compliment, some kind words, a pat on the back, or the holding of another’s hand, we lose our guard. Ask Delilah for the details regarding her plan to seduce Samson. She relentlessly entreated him until his guard relaxed and he revealed the secret of his strength. Then she had him sleep on her lap, just so that she could shave him bald. Each time the devil gets us at our unguarded moment, he shaves us bald.

We need to stay in the place of prayer and in communion with the Spirit of God. When we feel like the Spirit of God is at arm’s length, we need to declare a fast, call a solemn assembly, seek Him diligently, and invite Him to take His rightful place in our lives, businesses and affairs. Our salvation is now nearer than when we first believed, and we must do our very best to guard this salvation that was once and for all delivered to us free, yet at a huge price. Christ died so that we can live. He was poor so that we can be rich, and He was bruised for our transgression. If we continue to transgress, then we crucify Him a second time (Hebrews 6:6).

Live life and be victorious in the battles of life. Christ died young so we are not permitted to die unfulfilled. We will spend eternity in heaven so why be in a hurry to leave when we have not finished our assignments here. The devil and his agents have numerous strategies but those who know their God shall be strong and do exploits (Daniel 11:32). When men sleep, the enemy comes and sows weeds (Matthew 13:25). Thank God for His grace that is sufficient for us. We can live lives worthy of our repentance (Luke 13:3; Acts 26:20).

In this book, we will discuss unguarded moments as they relate to actions that may or may not be sin per se, but have consequences that do not add to the expected spiritual, emotional, and psychological growth and development of a Christian. Such actions are taken as a result of ignorance, negligence, omissions, commissions, for-grantedness and the like.

Believers in Christ, who are redeemed by the blood of Jesus, have a life to live now on earth and a life in the eternal kingdom. Salvation guarantees eternal life, but unguarded moments rob us, not just of eternal life, but also of the benefits that are available for us here on earth. It is the will of God for us to live like kings and princes, unguarded moments make us live like beggars and paupers. God has provided for us to be victors, unguarded moments make us victims in the battles of life.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but it leads only to destruction. A field that is left fallow grows weeds, a moment that is left unguarded leads to errors. One error can terminate your life or truncate your destiny. Beware!

CHAPTER 1

The Moment Principle

therefore sin shall not have dominion over you

Romans 6:14

Everything happens in a moment. It may take years or months or weeks or days to prepare, but it happens in a moment. Labor may go on for hours or days, but a baby is born in a moment. For a lifetime we may have gathered a hoard of information, but a decision about what to do with that information is made in a moment. It may be what to eat, where to go, or major decisions like which car to buy, which school to send a child, or who to marry.

We may actually spend a lot of time considering other alternatives, but at the right moment we settle for one. That moment of decision is critical - it makes or mars us. Sometimes, at the point of decision we have forgotten some of the odds for and against the option we choose. In some situations, we suddenly realize we made a wrong choice, and we probably jettison it for the next alternative.

Different factors inform the decisions we make. Sometimes, we are overwhelmed by a desire to get the approval of a spouse, a friend, a mentor, or a parent. At other times, our decisions are influenced by the society – the multitude sensitivity.

We live in a generation that follows the crowd. Everything is done by democracy which, simply put, means let the crowd decide from a multitude of options. And sometimes, it can be a single person’s vote or influence that tips the