20. Guard Duty
"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong" (1 Corinthians 16:13). Not all combat is present-tense action. Much of the warrior's time may be spent in combat readiness – in case something happens, in case combat occurs. Some of that waiting may be structured and it may seem to go on a long time without anything happening at all. In that case, it's called guard duty!
It can sometimes seem boring and repetitive, but guard duty can be a huge responsibility. Those posted on watch may be responsible for making sure hostile elements do not break into a given area or dangerous prisoners break out. If a warrior fails in guard duty – if he or she lets dangerous elements slip by – it can lead to disaster. In bad situations guard failure can lead to the endangerment of whole squads, platoons, or worse.
Spiritually the warrior of the Way is frequently assigned guard duty, too. In fact, that aspect of Christian combat readiness is necessarily a constant one. The orders we are given regarding guard duty are clear – as we see in the following examples from the words of Christ himself:
"Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come" (Mark 13:33). "…Be on your guard against all kinds of greed…." (Luke 12:15). "Be on your guard. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him." (Luke 17:3 HCSB). These orders from our Commander-in-Chief can be added to many others that were inspired throughout the Bible. Notice just a few of the examples we find:
"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it" (Proverbs 4:23). "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong" (1 Corinthians 16:13). "… be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position" (2 Peter 3:17). "…guard yourselves from idols (1 John 5:21 HCSB). "Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit..." (2 Timothy 1:14).
As the last example indicates, the biblical writers understood that often we need direct help to fully obey these orders, and they did not hesitate to request support to do so. Notice the words of the warrior David in this regard: "Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips" (Psalm 141:3). David understood that although he, like all of us, was assigned to this particular guard duty, he needed significant help to do the job properly.
In the New Testament we see the apostle Paul knew that kind of guard support was promised to those who request it:
"… the Lord is faithful; He will strengthen and guard you from the evil one" (2 Thessalonians 3:3 HCSB). "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds…" (Philippians 4:7). These are reassuring scriptures, indeed. But we must always remember that the Christian responsibility of guard duty is not just intended to protect us as individuals. Like any warrior called to keep watch, our responsibility is not only to guard our own selves, but also our families and fellow warriors – as Paul made clear: "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock …" (Acts 20:28 HCSB).