Vigilance

Sometimes timing is everything. I was running errands the other morning, and things were not going well. The plan was to hit the ATM outside of one bank, withdraw money from an account we have at another bank, and then go through the drive-thru of the bank I was actually standing in front of and deposit the money I'd withdrawn in that account. Why not simply transfer money online? Good question. Bank to bank transfers take days, and we had a payment that was about to be withdrawn from our account to.day! Wasn't gonna be no messin' around; we had to get this done. So, I arrived at the bank. Just as I slid my card into the ATM, it dawned on me: my PIN hasn't worked since they sent me my new card. Sure enough, the transaction was denied. Ok. I got back in the car, figuring I'd call the bank right then and there and get things squared away. By the third attempt, reality was beginning to set in: the system didn't recognize my card and I had to take this up facie ad faciem. I drove to the other bank. Customer service was a breeze, I got waited on immediately; new card, new PIN, life was good. So, I went to the ATM outside of that bank. TRANSACTION DENIED. The Customer Service associate watched me from the window. I plopped down in front of her once more and attempted to convince her this was not 50 First Dates, I was not 10-second Tom, and there were no cameras. Let me check with my manager, she replied. As she stood, a woman with her two children walked past; Mom was in tears. When the associate returned, she began to caution me heavily about the dangers of bank fraud; it turns out, this woman had just had her accounts completely wiped out. Her family was leaving on vacation the next day, and they had nothing. The fraudulent attack was such, the bank offered no restitution; there was nothing to be done. My heart broke. As the associate began to work quietly across from me, I began to pray; I haven't stopped since. Timing, God's timing. Had my morning gone as I had planned, I never would have witnessed such an important lesson in security. Had my morning gone as I had planned, I would not have been present to spend the next few hours covering her situation in prayer before the only One who can help. Had my morning gone as I had planned, I'm not sure I would have paid quite as much attention when the Holy Spirit whispered the word vigilance to me.

What I learned was, it's not enough to be careful, it's not enough to be wary, the people of God have got to be vigilant! Think of walking across a small stream. A line of stones creates a path from one side to the other. You remove your shoes --you know, just in case. Your toes grip the edge of flat stones, you slowly, carefully streeeetch from one stone to the next. OH! Almost, but you throw your arms out to your side and regain your balance before you land in the drink. One more stone and now --careful! that bank is slippery!-- you've made it! Your prudence has paid off. Now, imagine those same stones; this time they span a much deeper river, heavy with rain from the day before. Alligators charge down from the banks and snap at the slightest movement; poisonous asps have been known to warm themselves on the stones; present in the water itself is a rare, flesh-eating bacteria which once introduced to a human host could cause a worldwide contagion. You've got to make it to the other side. Will mere caution suffice? Do you want to be careful? You've got to be vigilant! You've got to be awake, aware, and counting on trouble. And compared to being pursued by your Adversary, the Devil, you are perfectly safe on that river.

It's that serious. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us Satan is like a roaring lion, roaming the earth and seeking someone, anyone he can devour. John 8:44 says he was a murderer from the beginning and is the father of lies; there's not an ounce of truth in him. In his second letter to the believers in Corinth, Paul tells them the devil blinds minds and masquerades as an angel of light. He is a ravenous and immoral predator, looking to eviscerate and eliminate anyone he can catch off guard; and while he cannot succeed in harming fatally those covered by the blood of Jesus, he can make our lives more than miserable if we allow. He can't be trusted under any circumstances and if he's speaking to you, he's lying. He will deceive and destroy artfully, expertly, and unapologetically. We must expect his attack, we must recognize his weapons, and we must remain armed and armored to the teeth. We have to know the voice of the Shepherd and follow His call alone. We have to know who we are and whose we are. We have to recognize there are counterfeits out there and train ourselves to be experts in the Authentic. We have to be vigilant: alligator-snakes-bacteria in the river vigilant; bank fraud-lure you into giving all your account information vigilant; roaring lion-murderous fiend-false angel of light vigilant. And we have to so thoroughly, so intimately know the Truth, that a lie will immediately trigger the alarm. May he who has ears to hear be vigilant.