In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, Jesus taught that five out of ten
(or 50%) of the people who once had a light burning in their
spiritual lanterns will not be known by him when he returns (Mt.
25:1-13). The context of that teaching is specifically for the last
generation. This same kind of incredible apostasy-warning is also
found in Mt. 24:10; 2 Thess. 2:3; 1 Tim. 4:1 and 2 Tim. 4:4. It's eternally important, therefore, that we stay ready to meet the Lord.
This is where safeguards come in!
Spiritual safeguards are real, very important and should be
taken seriously:
Similarly, Jesus told the disciples:
Peter later wrote:
We should always be looking forward and never back. Long
for heaven and that city which God has prepared for the worthy.
Peter wrote:
Ponder the following truth about how your thought
life influences your behavior:
To envy the wicked is a subtle Satanic temptation designed to
get you to stop living godly and to pursue the temporal pleasures of
this life.
For the Christian, physical death is gain (Phil. 1:21) and
better by far (Phil. 1:23). Only then will you really be at home
with your real family, that is, your heavenly Father, your Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ, and your brothers and sisters in the faith from
all parts of the earth. It's also where your treasures are.
This life is not your home! We are strangers in the world (1
Pet. 1:1) and we are to live our lives as strangers here in reverent
fear (1 Pet. 1:17). You are just passing through this life, so don't be
engrossed in the material things of this world! Think in terms of
eternity. Remember:
Indulging in voluntary conversation on a regular basis with the
darkened people of this age will take a spiritual toll after a while.
This is especially true if spiritual matters are intentionally avoided
by the spiritually enlightened.
Similarly, Paul wrote in 1 Tim. 6:20,21:
Especially destructive to one's spiritual condition would be to
marry someone who does not belong to the Lord (1 Cor. 7:39). This
is evident by what happened to Solomon when he married pagan
women. See Neh. 13:26. If you are a single Christian, please know
that it is much worse to marry the wrong person than to remain
single, though it can be painfully lonely at times!
Furthermore, he added that we must testify of him. These two
truths, internalized and acted upon, will keep us from going astray,
according to Jesus.
Witnessing to others about Christ will also add to your
understanding of spiritual things:
If only this was practiced, David would not have committed
adultery and murder, Solomon would not have turned to idolatry,
Uzziah to pride, and Saul to jealousy, murder, etc. which ended with
suicide. If such clear and powerful advice would work for kings as
the leaders over millions of people, how much more should it work
for us? Of course, the proper attitude to have when reading Scripture is to read it with a willingness to change accordingly,
either doctrinally or behaviorally.
Rather than being eager for money, we are to pursue
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. See
also 2 Tim. 2:22.
Return to Evangelical Outreach
Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble
for me to write the same thing to you again, and it is a
safeguard for you (Phil. 3:1, NIV).
The following list of safeguards are for your spiritual health
and well being. The more of these the Christian acts upon, the more
he will benefit spiritually.Rejoice In The Lord
Because the Christians at Philippi were going through (and
enduring) sufferings and struggles (Phil. 1:29,30), Paul issued the
command (safeguard) for them to rejoice in the Lord. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are
subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names
are written in heaven (Lk. 10:20, NKJV).
Remember that no Christian ever had it ideal in this
life! You are not alone with your troubles and sufferings
(Jn. 16:33; 1 Pet. 5:9). We are living in a cursed age, with
rampant deception, sin and injustice everywhere. This world is now
the devil's turf and he hates Christians. Obviously, this world can't
be the saint's haven. Paul wrote: For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for
us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So
we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is
unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is
unseen is eternal (2 Cor. 4:17,18, NIV).
Be Humble And Stay Humble
Be humble and stay humble like a little child. Jesus shockingly
warned his disciples that they would never enter the kingdom of
heaven unless they would change and become humble like little
children (Mt. 18:1-4)! And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change
and become like little children, you will never enter
the kingdom of heaven" (Mt. 18:3, NIV).
In other words, though they were saved at the moment, their
individual selfish ambitions to be greater than the other disciples
(Lk. 9:46-48; 22:24-26) would somehow prove spiritually fatal in the
future for them, unless they would become humble like a little child
who doesn't aspire for such greatness over his peers the way the
disciples were. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder.
Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be
clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud,
and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves
therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he
may exalt you in due time (1 Pet. 5:5,6, KJV).
Verse 6 from the Amplified Bible reads: Therefore humble yourselves (demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation) under the mighty
hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you).
Hide God's Word In Your Heart
Psa. 119:11 says:
Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not
sin against You! (NKJV).
To strengthen your own ability to resist sin's temptations,
store up God's word in your heart. You can accomplish this by
meditating in and memorizing Scripture. One method that might
work well for you is to make little flash cards with the Scripture
verse you desire to memorize on one side and its reference on the
reverse side. Verbally reading the verse(s) out loud and writing
them out will enable you to memorize almost any passage after a
while. It would also be wise to listen to the Bible on cassette tape
every chance you get, such as in your home and car.Don't Even Think About The Pleasures of Sin
Scripture actually teaches that sin has pleasure in it (Heb. 11:25). If
it didn't, it would never be a temptation. The dangers of just
thinking of sinful pleasure is also shown in Scripture: If they had been thinking of the country they had left,
they would have had opportunity to return.
Instead, they were longing for a better country -- a
heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called
their God, for he has prepared a city for them (Heb.
11:15,16, NIV).
Remember the awesome truth of Num. 11:5 where wrong
thinking is exemplified. The Israelites thought about the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic that they regularly ate while
in bondage in Egypt (a type of the world), but couldn't find
contentment with manna, their God-supplied food. Because they
focused in upon the good things they had while in Egypt, they
totally forgot that they were worked ruthlessly and their lives were
made bitter with hard labor (Exo. 1:13,14). The misery and
emptiness of their lives in Egypt had escaped them. They now,
incredibly, thought they were better off in Egypt (Num. 11:18)! The
devil will use the same type of lie on us too, especially since it
worked so well for him back then. ... We are looking forward to a new heaven and a new
earth, the home of righteousness (2 Pet. 3:13, NIV).
Similarly, Heb. 13:14 reads: For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are
looking for the city that is to come (NIV).
If you follow this principle you won't disobey Rom. 13:14b: ... Do not think about how to gratify the desires of
the sinful nature (NIV).
It is also very important that you guard your heart by not
watching adulterous TV shows and going places such as public
swimming pools and beaches. This will definitely be a safeguard for
your soul! Remember, it's possible to commit adultery and never
actually go through the physical act (Mt. 5:28). [Please see our on-line article regarding Jesus' teaching on lust.] Those who live according to the sinful nature have
their minds set on what that nature desires; but
those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their
minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of
sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the
Spirit is life and peace (Rom. 8:5,6, NIV).
Consider Jesus
To prevent growing weary and losing heart in your race, consider
Jesus: Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful
men, so that you will not grow weary and lose
heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet
resisted to the point of shedding your blood (Heb. 12:3,4,
NIV).
The word consider in Greek means contemplate. Therefore,
we are advised to contemplate the unfair, unjust and
merciless treatment the perfect, loving and sinless Lord
Jesus was subjected to from the hands of wicked, merciless
people. He didn't deserve any of it.Learn The Bible
This is the all-inclusive safeguard. Hos. 4:6 reads: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:
because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject
thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast
forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy
children (KJV).
The only way you can adequately learn the Bible is to spend
quality time in it for yourself. Start in the New Testament,
reading and rereading it so that no zealous and sincere, Scripture-quoting false prophet or false teacher can shake the true message
from your heart. Remember, we can negate our salvation by
accepting a wrong plan of salvation. By which also you are saved, if you hold fast that
word which I preached to you; unless you believed in vain (1 Cor. 15:2, NKJV).
After you learn the New Testament, move to the Old
Testament. The Old Testament was written to teach and warn us in
New Testament times (Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:11). It was also the only
Bible the earliest Christians had before the New Testament was
written! There is much in it for us today.Don't Envy The Unsaved
Read Psalm 73. Asaph envied the wicked and almost slipped
spiritually (v. 2, NIV). He noticed the prosperity they have, their
healthy bodies, them being carefree from burdens common to man
and not plagued by human ills and he thought: In vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed
my hands in innocence (v. 13, NIV).
Asaph was oppressed until he focused in upon their final
destiny (v. 17). This means don't envy the wicked because they
might be popular, happily married, with a good job, physically
healthy, good looking, live in a nice home, drive a new car and have
lots of money. They are on their way to the lake of fire where
they will be tormented forever (Mt. 25:41,46; Mk. 9:43-48;
Rev. 14:10,11; 20:10). Maintain A Biblical View Of Physical
This will be especially helpful in extreme persecution, where
martyrdom prevails.
Death And Your Life Here ... The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements
will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and
everything in it will be laid bare (2 Pet. 3:10, NIV).
Maintain The Hope Of Being Like
1 Jn. 3:2,3 read:
Jesus When He Returns Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we
will be has not yet been made known. But we know that
when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see
him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him
purifies himself, just as he is pure (NIV).
How will we be like Jesus? We too will have a glorified body of
flesh and bones like his (Lk. 24:39; Phil. 3:21), that is, a tangible
body that can enter a room with the doors locked (Jn. 20:19) and
disappear from a location (Lk. 24:31).Pray To Stand Firm In All The Will Of God
In Col. 4:12, we read: ... He (Epaphras) is always wrestling in prayer for you,
that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature
and fully assured (NIV).
Be quick to pray about everything you face, casting all your
anxieties on God (1 Pet. 5:7). Pray for other people, too.Sing And Make Music In Your Heart To The Lord
Eph. 5:19,20 read: Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,
always giving thanks to God the Father for everything,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (NIV).
Keeping a tune of thanks and praise in your heart to the Lord
will help you greatly in your spiritual battles. Focus in upon what
you have, not what you do not have but would like to have!
In other words, learn to be content in your non-ideal
circumstances. This is a safeguard in itself. Paul wrote: ... for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be
content (Phil. 4:11, NKJV).
Remember, he was in chains and in prison when he wrote this
(1:13), yet he was content! Furthermore, he wrote: But godliness with contentment is great gain. For
we brought nothing into the world, and we can take
nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing,
we will be content with that (1 Tim. 6:6-8, NIV).
Avoid Godless Chatter
The godly, like Timothy, can become increasingly ungodly through
godless chatter. Hence, the following warning came from Paul: Avoid godless chatter, because those who
indulge in it will become more and more ungodly
(2 Tim. 2:16, NIV).
All secular TV shows are prime examples of godless chatter.
They also promote a value system which is of this world and highly
antithetical to the Scriptures. ... Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing
ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some
have professed and in so doing have wandered from
the faith (NIV).
The danger of godless chatter, as well as so-called knowledge
which is contrary to Scripture, is evident from this.Stay Self-controlled, Alert And
This is the way we can protect ourselves from our spiritual arch
enemy, who is not in the lake of fire yet, but continues to try, and
often succeeds, in hurting Christians:
Continue To Resist The Devil Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil
prowls around like a roaring lion looking for
someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the
faith, because you know that your brothers throughout
the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings (1
Pet. 5:8,9, NIV).
The seriousness of our spiritual warfare is shown here. Also
regarding being self-controlled, alert and resisting the devil,
remember this: those who enter the kingdom of God will have to be
more self-controlled, alert and faithful in resisting the devil than
Solomon, the Apostle Judas Iscariot, the unnamed disciples of Jn.
6:66, etc. who didn't enter the kingdom!Avoid Bad Company
Surprisingly, the Bible teaches that Christians are to avoid
certain people (Prov. 20:19; 22:24,25; 24:1; Rom. 16:17,18; 1 Cor.
5:11; 2 Thess. 3:6-15), places (Prov. 4:14,15; 5:8; 2 Cor. 6:17) and
things (Prov. 20:3; Acts 15:29; 1 Thess. 5:22; 2 Tim. 2:23; Jam.
1:19,20). Not to avoid these when you can, is to needlessly open
yourself up to spiritual danger. Paul wrote: Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good
character (1 Cor. 15:33, NIV).
Please note, according to that reference, bad company tends
to adversely affect the Christian and not the reverse. This, however,
does not mean that we willingly should never associate with the
unbeliever, for we are called to evangelize them. Jesus ate with
the sinners, but he did so with an evangelistic motive only,
not to socialize with them. Know That Persecution Comes To All Of The
Jesus told his disciples:
Godly And You Must Testify About Jesus All this I have told you so that you will not go astray
(Jn. 16:1, NIV).
To find out what this is in this verse that we must do so we
won't go astray, we must go back to chapter 15. There we will see
the Lord assured the disciples that the world would hate and persecute them (15:18-20)! I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith,
so that you will have a full understanding of every good
thing we have in Christ (Philemon 6, NIV).
A good, reliable, easy-to-read translation like the New
King James or the New International Version will help you
greatly in learning the Bible. Especially avoid the Living
Bible and the New World Translation. Fear God
We are told to fear God for he can destroy our bodies and souls in
hell (Mt. 10:28; Lk. 12:5). This command to fear God is past (Deut.
10:12,13), present (1 Pet. 1:17), and future (Rev. 14:7). While the
fear of man will prove to be a snare (Prov. 29:25), only good can be
said about the fear of God! If you continue to fear God, it will
keep you from sinning (Exo. 20:20).Keep A Clear Conscience
Paul cited the reason why he personally kept a clear conscience: And I have the same hope in God as these men, that
there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and
the wicked. So I strive always to keep my
conscience clear before God and man (Acts
24:15,16, NIV).
Paul kept a clear conscience because there would be "a
resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked." Similarly, Paul
told Timothy he also needed to hold to faith and a good conscience.
The reason was to safeguard his faith from becoming shipwrecked
like that of Hymenaeus and Alexander: Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping
with the prophecies once made about you, so that by
following them you may fight the good fight, holding
on to faith and a good conscience. Some have
rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.
Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I
have handed over to Satan to be taught not to
blaspheme (1 Tim. 1:18-20, NIV).
Be Careful To Read And Obey The Bible
Before Israel ever had a king, God taught Moses how the kings
could assure a strong spiritual walk for themselves. God told Moses: Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his
kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of
this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the
Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall
read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to
fear the LORD his God and be careful to observe all the
words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may
not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn
aside from the commandment to the right hand
or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his
kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel
(Deut. 17:18-20, NKJV).
The kings were to write their own personal copy of the
Scriptures for themselves, which they were to carry with them and
read daily. If done, they would consequently fear the LORD and
follow God's commands. Then pride, through their powerful and
exalted position, their great riches, etc. would not deceive them into
thinking themselves better than others and straying from God's
commands.Test The Spirits
The Apostle John informs Christians not to be gullible: Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the
spirits, whether they are of God; because many
false prophets have gone out into the world (1 Jn. 4:1,
NKJV).
The testing of all teachings, dreams, visions, experiences, etc.
must be with the standard that God has given mankind, namely his
written word (2 Tim. 3:16,17). Walk In Love
Dozens of times throughout the New Testament we are commanded
to love. Perhaps one of the most important truths about the welfare
of our own faith is linked to this thing we call love: For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor
uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith
activated and energized and expressed and
working through love (Gal. 5:6, Amplified Bible).
Your faith is energized by your love and your love is adversely
affected by sin (Mt. 24:12)! Love is patient and kind (1 Cor. 13:4).Help God's People
The unnamed writer of Hebrews stated: Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that
produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed
receives the blessing of God. But land that produces
thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being
cursed. In the end it will be burned. Even though we
speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better
things in your case -- things that accompany
salvation. God is not unjust; he will not forget your
work and the love you have shown him as you have
helped his people and continue to help them. We
want each of you to show this same diligence to
the very end, in order to make your hope sure.
We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those
who through faith and patience inherit what has
been promised (6:7-12, NIV).
According to that passage, to make our hope sure (v. 11) we
are to help God's people to the very end. (Compare to Mt. 25:34-40.)
According to other passages, salvation and eternal life are our hope
(1 Thess. 5:8; Titus 3:7). Faith and patience are exalted in Heb.
6:12.Flee The Desire To Get Rich
The New Testament often mentions greed (Mk. 7:22,23; Lk. 12:15;
Eph. 5:3; etc.) and its ability to exclude one from the kingdom (1
Cor. 6:9,10; Eph. 5:5-7). It, therefore, should be apparent that this
sin should be carefully guarded against. Paul wrote Timothy about
this: But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we
brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing
out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be
content with that. People who want to get rich fall
into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and
harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and
destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds
of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered
from the faith and pierced themselves with many
griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and
pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love,
endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of
the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were
called when you made your good confession in the
presence of many witnesses (1 Tim. 6:6-12, NIV).
Please note, Paul told Timothy to flee the desire to get rich (v.
11) and stated why such was so important. Some Christians have
wandered from the faith over this! Clearly, a man of God can yet be
plunged into ruin and destruction through the desire to get rich. So
alongside the command to flee sexual immorality (1 Cor. 6:18) and
idolatry (1 Cor. 10:14), we are also informed here to flee the desire
to get rich. Make Your Calling And Election Sure
After our salvation, we are to put forth every effort to add to our
faith, according to the Apostle Peter. For this very reason, make every effort to add to
your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and
to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control,
perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to
godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness,
love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing
measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and
unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is
nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has
been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my
brothers, be all the more eager to make your
calling and election sure. For if you do these
things, you will never fall (2 Pet. 1:5-10, NIV).
We Must All Go Through Many Hardships
The ministry of Paul and Barnabas included strengthening and
encouraging real Christians to remain true to the faith. In part, they
did this by teaching them: ... strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to
remain true to the faith. "We must go through
many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,"
they said (Acts 14:22, NIV).
Again, Christians are in an intense, spiritual battle. Hardships
will come even to the most devoted saints. We are told to endure
them. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ
Jesus (2 Tim. 2:3, NIV).
This issue of endurance is very important because sometimes
our powerful prayers will not remedy the situation the way we'd like
them to! This will be especially true when Rev. 13:7 is fulfilled. He was given power to make war against the saints
and to conquer them. And he was given authority
over every tribe, people, language and nation (NIV).
www.evangelicaloutreach.org