Keep Your Guard Up
- Sep 14, 2016
- 3 min read
Let's Get Ready To RUMBLE!
In the sport of boxing there is a tactic that boxers use to protect themselves called “keep your guard up”.
In doing so, the boxer is able to:
Protect his/her face;
Protect his/her upper body;
It is a defensive stance as the boxer is defending him/herself from intended attack. As long as their hands, their guard is up, they can withstand the attack. They are still in the fight, they can still win.
Have you ever seen a boxing match where the boxer keeps their guard down…and still wins the fight?
I didn't think so. But, remember when Moses' hands had to be elevated in order to win against the Amalekites?
“So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.” ~Exodus 17:10-13
There are so many things happening in these 4 verses:
Moses was not directly involved with the fighting, but was key in it’s outcome;
Moses’ hands had to be in a specific position in order to assure God’s protection and blessings;
Moses grew tired of holding his hands high, which would have affected the outcome of the battle;
Moses had assistance from Aaron & Hur to keep his hands up to assure an Israelite victory;
Moses and the Israelites were victorious.
As item #1 indicates, sometimes with the fights we have in life, we may not be directly involved, but we’ve got to keep our guard up in order for God to work through us for others. The testimony may be someone else’s to tell, not ours, but we play a significant part for the greater good. Keeping up our guard can be keeping others lifted up in prayer. Lifting our hands up in prayer on behalf of others that may be in fights and struggles. 1 Timothy 2:8 says, “Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.”
As in item #2, our hands must be lifted toward God in praise and thanksgiving for His continued protection and deliverance from the enemy’s attacks. Praises go up, blessings come down. Raised hands go back Aaron when he blessed the Israelites. Raised hands symbolize our dependence on a most high God; for protection, for comfort, for strength as it says in Psalms 143:6, “I spread out my hands to you; I thirst for You like a parched land.”
As in item #3, sometimes we may tire of keeping our guard up, so to speak. We want to give up and throw in the towel, but we have to persevere; God is our strength during our fights. He would never take us this far in our journey just to have us quit. Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Look at item #4, we’re not always alone in our fights. We need the support and encouragement of those close to us to help us keep our guard up. This is why is it crucial to know who is praying and supporting us and not just anyone. Not everybody in our corner is our Cutman. A Cutman is the person in a boxer’s corner that helps prevent serious injury in a fight. He gives the boxer water, massages his sore shoulders, speaks encouragement into that fighting spirit... He’s got our back basically. John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one, than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
And in item #5, when the last bell rings, when the ring announcer pulls the mic down and announces, “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” ~1 Corinthians 15:57 The Lord will raise our hand as victorious. Amen?
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