TWO PRIORITIES TO EMBRACE. By Pastor Fernando

SCRIPTURE
"Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong. And everything you do must be done with love."
1 Corinthians 16:13-14

OBSERVATION
As Paul closes his letter, he gives a direct exhortation in the form of a locker room speech. These 5 instructions must be considered priority in or lives. But this morning I want to focus in the first two. First, Paul encourages poeple to be on guard. The reality of our warfare cannot be overlooked. We are in battle. And if we put our hands down, the enemy is going to take advantage of such mistake. We must keep our guard up at all times.

Second, we are also to stay true to what we believe. As we read about the people of Israel in the book of Judges, we see the complete opposite. They believed in God, but lived in a way that did not honor Him. They neglected their relationship with God and they traded their devotion for God for the worship of local idols. Not staying true to what we believe will create a fatal inconsistency and destroy our relationship with God.

APPLICATION
The best fighters are the ones that give no opportunity to the enemy by keeping their guard always up. I've been noticing how easy is for the enemy to get me when for some reason or another, my guard is relaxed. Maybe I feel that the enemy will not take advantage. But the truth is that the enemy will waste an opportunity to attack. He is patient waiting for my guard to be down. I cannot put mu hands down. I cannot give up doing what is right. As tireing as it could be, I cannot let my hands down, I must remain in the offensive, always expecting the punches of the enemy.

Also, I need to watch the ares where I cmpromise my beliefs, especilly in small details. I don't think tha I will go a worshp some idols, but I know how easy is to not stay true to what I believe. I believe that daily devotions are important, but I will not do my dvotions every day. I believe that quick repentance is the key to deal with unresolved sin, yet sometimes it takes me too long to humble myself before God. I need to be more carefull in this, staying true to my convictions, even when it hurts to honor them.

PRAYER
Lord Jesus, I cannot folow these principles on my own. I need your help. Let me be mindful of the deception that the enemy always uses to punch me in the face. Let me keep my guard up at all times. Help me o avoid distractions. Also let me see the importance of staying true to my beliefs. I don't wnat inconsistency between what I believe and what I do and between my words and my actions. Amen!