On Guard!

Occasionally you may see a monarch butterfly chase a bird.

This is very unusual, since birds normally chase and eat butterflies.

But God has protected monarch butterflies by giving them a flavor that makes the birds sick.

Likewise, God can enable us to rout our enemies.

In  2 Peter 3:17-18 we read this:

“You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”

Warning signs are everywhere in our culture, and for good reason, because the truth of God’s Word is being ignored.

There’s danger ahead so we need to know what the danger is, where it is, and how to avoid it.

Peter gave a caution and a cure.

The caution is “be on your guard” and the cure; keep on growing in grace and intimate knowledge of our Savior!

Peter’s mental picture was of a flood of false teaching, knocking believers off their feet and sweeping them away.

Rather than being swept away by error of our culture we are to be steadfast by continuously growing in Christ’s grace.

We do this by consciously depending on His power, His promises from the Word, and by getting more intimately acquainted with Him day by day.

The command to grow is an appeal of our will.

Our human will plays a decisive part in our experience of spiritual growth.

We must choose to remove the hindrances to our growth and at the same time actively nurture the conditions which promote our spiritual growth.

We are to allow our spiritual roots to go down deep into Christ by relying on Him and drawing our spiritual nourishment from Him.

It’s much like riding a bicycle.

You have to keep moving forward or you’ll fall down.

The same thing is true in your Christian walk.

Just as your physical muscles must be continually exercised by proper use, your spiritual senses must be exercised.

Otherwise, we will become easily shaken, tossed to and fro by our culture’s false teaching.

The warning is clear to be on guard and keep on growing!

Blessings!
Pastor Ken Keeler, Director of Church Ministries