In the soccer league Zeke played in, they didn’t have goalies. If a kid could dribble the ball close enough to attempt a shot, it was considered a success. For some kids, if they could just kick the ball it was a success. But one team he played, every time the ball went on their side of the field, one of the players would immediately run straight to the goal and guard it. It wasn’t always the same player, so you could tell they had been coached to do this. Sometimes the players didn’t get the memo and three of them would run back to the goal (which would in turn cover the entire goal). They were going to guard the goal and not let the ball get in (but even with a goalie, they weren’t super successful at it).
For that team, guarding the goal was very important to them. Similarly to the coaches telling the team to guard the goal, we are told that we should be on guard.
Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus. 14 Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.
2 Timothy 1:13-14 (NLT)
Paul is telling Timothy to guard the good news about Jesus with the greatest care. He tells him to treat it like a precious treasure. Lately, I have become more and more aware of the spiritual battle that is going on around us. Every day we are right in the middle of it. The word guard in 2 Timothy 1:14 comes from the Greek word phylassō, meaning to keep from being snatched away, preserve safe and unimpaired. If the enemy can steal the knowledge of all we have through Jesus and the love that He has for us, he wins. We are useless without that. But if we can keep that guarded in our heart, there is nothing that we can’t do.
Even those who are ever so well taught cannot keep what they have learned, any more than they could at first learn it, without the assistance of the Holy Spirit. We must not think to keep it by our own strength, but keep it by the Holy Ghost.
Matthew Henry
As much as I wish I could, I can’t guard the treasure through any of my own means. Think of how many people you know that are grumpy in the morning and blame it on not having coffee yet. I can be one of those people that is grumpy in the morning, but it is usually a result of me not waking up in time to spend time with God.
“Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places… Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Eph 6:11-12, 17 (NLT)
Paul reminds us that it is a spiritual battle and the Holy Spirit is our weapon. We can attack and keep the treasure from being snatched by the rhema words of God. As soon as Paul finishes telling us that we are in a spiritual battle and that we need the armor of God, he follows it by telling us to pray in the Spirit at all times (Eph 6:18). By praying in the Spirit, we are unleashing the Holy Spirit to fight on our behalf.
Jesus also tells us that we will receive power through the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). There is power in the Holy Spirit, and we can stand firm knowing that. It does not rely on us to be strong, but rather to submit to God and all Him to be our strength.
In order for me to effectively follow Jesus’ command to love Him and love others, I must guard the precious truth that I have been entrusted with. In order to do that, I must rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit, I am just a sitting duck for the enemy to easily prey on.
until next time…