My friend, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” I Corinthians 16:13 says so. Yes, God wants to give you the grace to guard yourself so that you can stand firm in the faith. You can be courageous, and you will become strong. What should you guard? Guard your heart. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from your heart”. Your heart controls your whole life. When the Pharisees condemned Jesus and His disciples for eating without washing their hands and not following rituals, Jesus said, " It is not your hands which bring uncleanness, it is your heart which brings all the sin and uncleanness in your life. From the heart come wrong thoughts, evil thoughts, slander, lust and wickedness”. That is why Jesus says in Revelation 3:20, “I stand at the door of your heart, and I knock. Hear My voice. Open your heart. Let Me come in.” The Lord says, “Give Me your heart, My child. I want to make it My home.” Guard your heart with Jesus in it. Let the thoughts of God trigger everything in your life, for the Lord says His thoughts are far higher. As He comes into you, His high thoughts will lift you up to high places and make you walk in heavenly places with Him.

Secondly, guard your heart against greed. In Luke 12:15, Jesus said, “Watch out. Be on your guard against all kinds of greed.” Life is not the abundance of possessions; life must be full of God’s blessings and God’s nature, and that is true riches. Hebrews 13:5 says, “Be content and do not have covetousness”; then the Lord says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” We often claim that promise, but when we look to possessions as our security, God will not be there in our lives. Today, repent. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all blessings will be added to you, your children, grandchildren and generations. Thirdly, guard against rash talk with your lips. Proverbs 13:3 says, “Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin”. The words of our mouth and the meditations of our heart must be acceptable to God; then they will be acceptable to men, and words of wisdom will flow out and bring honour in the family, across the nation and before God. The book of James says, “The tongue is a fire that can burn every relationship and allow the devil to come and sit inside”. A little girl once oppressed by an evil spirit was prayed for, and when the preacher asked why the spirit came, it said the mother had cursed her daughter, calling her “devil,” so it entered, thinking it was called. Let us be careful how we speak, especially about our children. Call your child God’s gift, call your husband God’s image, and God will make your words come to pass. Whatever you say, you will have.

Fourthly, guard against unbelief. I Corinthians 16:13 says, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” Moses told Joshua in Joshua 1:5 and 9, “Be strong and of good courage.” Never allow fear, doubt or unbelief, or it will destroy you, and the Lord will not be with you. “Believe, and you will see the glory of God”. Joshua believed and asked the priests to step into the Jordan, and the river split so Israel could enter the promised land. Fifthly, guard against the deception of the devil. II Corinthians 2:11 says, “We are not unaware of his schemes”. Satan tempted Jesus, but in Matthew 4:1–4, Jesus overcame him with the Word of God, and satan left Him. Then the Holy Spirit came with power and anointing, and angels served Him. The same blessing will come upon you when you do the will of God; nothing can stand against you, and those who do the will of God will live forever. Yes, your ministry, your family, your name and your possessions will live forever. Finally, guard against false prophets. Matthew 7:15 says, “They come in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ferocious wolves”. I John 4:1 says, “Test the spirits”. True prophecy testifies about Jesus. Those who do not confess Jesus Christ as Saviour and only glorify what satan or evil people have done are false prophets. May the Holy Spirit guide you. Guard yourself, stand firm in the faith, and you will be more than a conqueror.

PRAYER: 
Heavenly Father, give me grace to guard my heart. Let Jesus dwell fully within me. Remove every greed, unbelief and rash words from my life. Make me strong and courageous in my faith in You. Protect me from every deception and false prophets. Let my words bring life and honour to You. Help me to stand firm in You every day and be more than a conqueror.  In Jesus’ mighty name, I pray, Amen.