Watch and be Sober

“Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” (1Thessalonians 5:6)

Paul is comparing living in darkness and living in the light. He relates it to the night and the day. He tells the believers of the church in Thessalonica, “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” (1Thessalonians 5:5) He says this because sin is conceived and carried out in the darkness.  The darkness doesn’t have any part of God. “This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” (1John 1:5) 

Night is the time for sleeping, and the whole world sleeps at night, but the children of God are watchful and keep vigil during the nighttime when sin is being carried out. Paul tells the Thessalonians to watch and be sober, in other words pray. Jesus at the garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives, tells Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, “...My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with Me.” (Matthew 26:38) Sin was being conceived.  Jesus knew it.  They were planning to arrest Him.  Judas gave the Sanhedrin the details of Jesus’ movements.  They planned to take Him at night and went to the garden of Gethsemane to find Him and arrest Him in the night.

Not only was Jesus praying about what was to happen to Him, but for Judas, for the men of the Sanhedrin that were to commit the gravest of sins, for His disciples that would be filled with fear, run and leave Him to face the trial alone, and for Peter who in the flesh would react violently by using his sword to cut off the high priest’s servant’s ear and then deny Jesus three times.  All this would happen that night. Sin would rein that night. Jesus tells His disciples, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41) What a word for us that is.  “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation...” Sin is near in the night, in the darkness. Be watchful and vigilant praying that you will be kept from the temptation that is coming, the sin that you can fall into, the sin the tempter is bringing to destroy you. Be watchful. The world can rest and sleep. But we have to watch and prepare our hearts to obey God and not sin. Jesus tells us as He told His disciples, “...Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:46)

In the Parable of the Weeds, a man sowed good seed in his field, but the enemy came and sowed tares or false grain while he slept. God has plans for us.  They are good plans for prosperity, health and a good life. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (Jeremiah 29:11) We’re expecting God’s peace, a good life and success in whatever we do, but while we sleep, the enemy will plant tares to spoil those plans. But persevere and continue as if the tares were not there.  In the end, the good of the plans will be harvested and the tares will burn up. Don’t get distracted. Don’t give up. Watch and pray. “Let us not sleep as do others...,” but watch and pray.

Be ready. “And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.” (Luke 12:39) We don’t know when and how the enemy will come against us, but we can be ready. Prepare yourself so that when he does come, we are ready.  We are protected.  We are in the shadow of the Most High God. We are covered by His wings. His shield of Truth is protecting us. His angels surround us. And only with our eyes do we see the destruction of the wicked. (Psalm 91)

And how can we do this?  “But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.” (1Thessalonians 5:8) Put on the whole armor of God. (Ephesians 6:13) And persevere. One careless slip, act of laziness, frivolousness or indulgence in the flesh can have dire consequences. “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.” (Hebrews 10:35)