How to Be Vigilant

How to Be Vigilant

WWJD. Surely you have encountered this sequence of letters. It stands for: What Would Jesus Do? It is a question we should ask ourselves much, much more often. What would Jesus do today, in our time, in our situation? Sometimes it will not be that easy to find an answer. At other times, the Bible gives very precise answers. 

One of them is in 1 Peter 5:8: “Be sober, be vigilant!” Is it not remarkable how concretely God speaks to us here? This here is a demand. We have no other choice! If you want to stay a child of God, you have to be vigilant. This is exactly what Jesus would do. He Himself set the example therein.

And now? Are you vigilant now, after you read this passage again? That would be so nice, would it not? Now it is just a question of how we translate this command in our everyday lives. How is one vigilant?

It will be crucial for us that we are clear about why we need to watch. The second part of the above verse gives us the answer: “Because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

The media reported in January on the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Survivor witnesses shared how, as children, they were cruelly separated from their mothers and in most cases never saw them again. Pause for a moment. Can you imagine being such a child – to have to experience something like this? How terrible that would be. But is that not exactly what the devil tries to do? He wants to separate you from your Father in heaven. He wants to snatch you from the scope of God’s protection. To him every means is fair. And he will try with all his might to bring sin in your life, because he knows that sin separates you from God. Therefore it says: Be sober, be vigilant!

It is very important that you know your own weaknesses. What are the biggest temptations for you? Where has the devil perhaps even managed to make you fall? Take some time again and think about it. Maybe it would be good for you to also write it down.

If you know your weaknesses, then try to avoid imminent danger. A proverb says, “Those who put themselves in danger, will succumb therein.” It has unfortunately been confirmed thousands of times. By no means be indifferent or flippant toward this, because that would only cause you to become careless and fall asleep. To go out of the way of imminent danger will require discipline and self-control from us again and again. How would it be if you would once examine your daily routine? At which point are you exposed to great danger? For example, for David the time of relaxation was a huge problem. Is that familiar to you? How can you avoid this? Ask God for wisdom. Perhaps it will also help you to talk to someone about it or to pray together with someone. But even if we know all our weak points, it will not prevent the devil from setting traps for us.

For Joseph there was a time where he was tempted to enter into a sexual relationship with a married woman. How did he react? Joseph was wide awake. First of all, it was immediately clear: This leads to sin. And he knew that it would have consequences for his relationship with God. In other words, he immediately raised the alarm. We need to do the same. When temptation approaches you, take it a step further: What will be the result? Be aware of what it means to be separated from God and sound the alarm.

God has given us a very good resource here, a red flag of sorts. It is our conscience. Have you ever noticed how your conscience attempted to prevent you from committing a sin? It seems as if there is a small voice prompting you: Leave it. Do not do it. Do something else. Do not say it, etc. At other times, you realize that your heartrate even increases because inside you, a fight has broken out – the struggle between good and evil, between action and inaction. Maybe you are just a step away from sin. It is now time to wake up.

The best thing you can do now is pray. Pray that God gives you the strength to resist temptation. I am convinced that Joseph did the same. Yes Jesus even said to His disciples: Watch and pray! And when you pray, rely on the Bible passage in 1 Corinthians 10:13, and believe it.

WWJD? In His struggles, He watched and prayed.

Niko Ernst, Herford (DE)