Do you know why a Christian should be spiritually vigilant?

Dictionary.com has a simple definition for the term “vigilance,” simply meaning a “state or quality of being vigilant; watchfulness.”

An admonition to “be vigilant” is wise in just about any area of life. Take, for example, this warning from scripture about being vigilant to not be lazy with our lives:

“A lazy person is as bad as someone who destroys things,” Proverbs 18:9.

Talk about a truthful warning! Craig Larsen shares a news report that exemplifies how destructive being lazy can be, especially in our work:

“According to the Associated Press,” reports Craig Larson, “on December 14, 1996, a 763-foot grain freighter, the Bright Field, was heading down the Mississippi at New Orleans, Louisiana, when it lost control, veered toward the shore, and crashed into a riverside shopping mall.

One hundred sixteen people were injured, parts of the wharf were demolished, as well as significant damage incurred to neighboring shops, restaurants, and hotels.

Says Larson: “After investigating the accident for a year, the Coast Guard reported that the freighter had lost control because the engine had shut down. The engine had shut down because of low oil pressure. The oil pressure was low because of a clogged oil filter. And the oil filter was clogged because the ships crew had failed to maintain the engine properly.”

A little laziness — lack of vigilance — can cause a great deal of damage, including in our spiritual lives. The Bible warns Christians to be vigilant people, especially for two key reasons:

1. We have an enemy as dedicated to our destruction as God is to our salvation. Steve Green, who sang six years with Bill and Gloria Gaither, told about getting to know some of the work crews in the large auditoriums where their concerts were held. The Gaithers prefer concerts-in-the-round, which means extra work for the “riggers,” who walk the four-inch rafter beams — often a hundred feet above the concrete floor — to hang sound speakers and spotlights. For such work, understandably, they are very well paid.

“The fellows I talked to weren’t bothered by the sight of looking down a hundred feet,” says Green. “What they didn’t like, they said, were jobs in buildings that had false ceilings — acoustical tile slung just a couple of feet below the rafters. They were still high in the air, and if they slipped, their weight would smash right through the flimsy tile. But their minds seemed to play tricks on them, lulling them into carelessness.”

Satan’s business is not so much in scaring us to death as persuading us that the danger of a spiritual fall is minimal. It’s no wonder, then, that the Apostle Peter exhorts us to be vigilant about such an enemy, describing the danger like this: “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.,” 1 Peter 5:8-9.

2. On our own, we’re not nearly as strong as we think we are. Jeffrey Anselmi tells the story about how a large tree, which over the years had become a stately giant, was found lying across the pathway in a park after a violent storm one night. Nothing but a splintered stump was left. Closer examination showed that it was rotten at the core because thousands of tiny insects had eaten away at its heart. The weakness of that tree was not brought on by the sudden storm; it began the very moment the first insect nested within its bark. And so we are warned to be vigilant …

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life,” Proverbs 4:23.

“Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” Matthew 26:41.

“For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded,” 1 Thessalonians 5:5-6.

Scotty