ON ALERT

One of the most elite military special operations forces in the world uses a colour-code system to explain the different levels of combat readiness. I think we could use their system for the Christian life as well: White: Soldiers are relaxed and daydreaming. They can easily be attacked.
Christians who live like this are not reading the Bible regularly or spending quality time with God. They are easy for the devil to distract and mislead.

Yellow: Soldiers are relaxed physically but alert mentally. For us, this is like we know and worry about the dangers of temptation and the way the devil distracts us from God, but we don’t feel able to do anything about it.

Orange: Soldiers are physically prepared, mentally alert and ready to fight. Christians who have this alertness are engaging regularly with God, the Bible and other Christians. They are wearing the armour of God (EPHESIANS 6:11) because they are sticking close to Him, not just once a day, but throughout each day; talking with God, and trusting His Spirit within them to lead and provide in every situation (V.18).

Red: As in orange, soldiers are ready to fight. The difference is experience. This is the growth of the Christian life—as we rely on God for all things, we “stand firm” (V.14) in Jesus more naturally and instinctively because we see again and again that trusting in Him is the only way to win our battles.

Wherever we are—at school, in a shopping centre, on a football pitch, even at church—we need to be ready to stand firm “against the devil’s schemes” (V.11). He is always looking to attack and distract us. So we must always be alert and ready to talk with God and rely on His strength.

Thinking It Over . . .

Which colour describes you at the moment? How have you been handling temptation recently? Are you reading and studying the Bible regularly?