1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.
1 Peter 5:8-9 (excerpts) Be alert and of sober mind. …standing firm in the faith…
As I study scriptures, I often look up words even when I think I know the definition. I am usually rewarded by finding new insights and unique twists that deepen my understanding. Such is the case with today’s scriptures.
To be alert is more than a cursory glance around one’s surroundings and it is more than staying awake. If one is truly alert they are keenly and vigilantly aware of all that is taking place around them and they know in an instant if something is amiss or not as it should be. With relation to the influences and teachings of the world which seep into our minds through a myriad of sources; being alert is the ability to know when the message given does not match up with Christ’s teachings. It is knowing that something is amiss and it doesn’t match up with our faith and belief in God.
To most of us, our immediate thoughts on the word sober is the association of abstaining from alcoholic beverages but this is only one sense of the word; there is a deeper meaning. It is being clear minded without distortion or wavering. In relationship to our faith, it is clearly knowing what you believe and why you believe it.
When I study today’s verses, I get a deeper sense of what it means to be alert and sober while living in today’s world. It causes me to make every effort to be clear minded about what I believe and why I believe it. It also causes me to be vigilantly watchful of those things which would attempt to draw me away from keeping my Heavenly Father first in my life.
Gracious Heavenly Father,
We confess that we are not always as alert and sober in our faith as we should be. There are so many false teachings, concepts, and ideas seeping into our minds that promote worldly views instead of your Truth. Guide us, direct us, lead us in the way we should live. May we stand firm in our faith.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen.
The devotional Alert and Sober appeared first on Write From My Heart at
https://writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com
email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com
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