8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
The world can sometimes be a scary place. There are dangers that abound - conflicts between individuals, groups, and even nations. And, there is a spiritual enemy with whom we have to deal. The enemy comes to destroy us spiritually, to drive us apart from God and place us at odds with other people. He aims to render us ineffective for the Kingdom. But, we have the tools to fight - powerful spiritual weapons through which we can resist his schemes and triumph over temptation.
There's a passage in 1st Peter chapter 1 that speaks to the concept of spiritual alertness:
13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
16 because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."
Cristian Garcia is a Miami native and a linebacker for the University of Florida football team.
ABC News reported that he had picked up a gig working as a security guard at an establishment called 101 Cantina in Gainesville, and last Friday morning, as he was taking out the trash, he witnessed a scene that he felt was untoward.
Garcia noticed that there was a woman pinned against the dumpster who was apparently unconscious, and a man was with her - Garcia believed that an unwanted advance, an assault, was in the process of occurring.
He made the decision to intervene. According to Garcia, he grabbed the man "by the shoulders" and he was involved in "a physical altercation with him in a nearby alley," according to the story. He said the man "began to get violent" and threw punches before he slipped and "busted his face on the floor." He said that the man and his friends ran away after the fall.
His co-worker, Leroyea Simmons, filmed the incident.
Garcia says that he appreciates the positive attention he has received for his actions, but implied that the focus should be placed on the gravity of sexual assault. He said, "The attention has been cool, but a horrible act happened that night." And - he said this: "God put me in the right place at the right time."
He recommends that if people find themselves in a similar situation they should demonstrate common sense and call the authorities. Garcia said, "Act cautiously."
The Gainesville Sun reports that Christopher Shaw, a 34-year-old man, was arrested and placed in jail with a half-million-dollar bond. A police spokesman said he believes this is not the first time he has engaged in this type of action. The newspaper reported the incident took place about 2:20am.
The article quotes a student who had received a text notification of this act from the university. She said: “I think everyone should be aware that it can happen and they should know the precautions and the steps they can take to avoid the situation and also to contact other people for help." And, this is in an area where there have been a number of these types of assaults, and is apparently quite a bit of underage drinking.
I really don't know anything about Cristian Garcia's faith walk, but he did speak of God placing him at the right place at the right time. I think that can be instructive for us. We need to be so sensitive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit that when He desires to place us in a situation where He can use us, we're there. But, if He has a purpose for us, we can know that He will be directing us to be in the position to perform that purpose.
And, we need to make sure that we are not in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sometimes by our own choices we can be somewhere that we don't need to be. We need to be wise to the potential for danger. Spiritually speaking, we can use discernment and make sure that we are not in a vulnerable place, a place where we are outside God's will.
But, all in all, we can be alert, ready to take necessary action. That doesn't mean we're out trying to be a hero in all our situations. Where there is a need, we can depend on the Lord to help fulfill that need, and maybe even to rescue someone from danger - physically, or spiritually.
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There's a passage in 1st Peter chapter 1 that speaks to the concept of spiritual alertness:
13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
16 because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."
Cristian Garcia is a Miami native and a linebacker for the University of Florida football team.
ABC News reported that he had picked up a gig working as a security guard at an establishment called 101 Cantina in Gainesville, and last Friday morning, as he was taking out the trash, he witnessed a scene that he felt was untoward.
Garcia noticed that there was a woman pinned against the dumpster who was apparently unconscious, and a man was with her - Garcia believed that an unwanted advance, an assault, was in the process of occurring.
He made the decision to intervene. According to Garcia, he grabbed the man "by the shoulders" and he was involved in "a physical altercation with him in a nearby alley," according to the story. He said the man "began to get violent" and threw punches before he slipped and "busted his face on the floor." He said that the man and his friends ran away after the fall.
His co-worker, Leroyea Simmons, filmed the incident.
Garcia says that he appreciates the positive attention he has received for his actions, but implied that the focus should be placed on the gravity of sexual assault. He said, "The attention has been cool, but a horrible act happened that night." And - he said this: "God put me in the right place at the right time."
He recommends that if people find themselves in a similar situation they should demonstrate common sense and call the authorities. Garcia said, "Act cautiously."
The Gainesville Sun reports that Christopher Shaw, a 34-year-old man, was arrested and placed in jail with a half-million-dollar bond. A police spokesman said he believes this is not the first time he has engaged in this type of action. The newspaper reported the incident took place about 2:20am.
The article quotes a student who had received a text notification of this act from the university. She said: “I think everyone should be aware that it can happen and they should know the precautions and the steps they can take to avoid the situation and also to contact other people for help." And, this is in an area where there have been a number of these types of assaults, and is apparently quite a bit of underage drinking.
I really don't know anything about Cristian Garcia's faith walk, but he did speak of God placing him at the right place at the right time. I think that can be instructive for us. We need to be so sensitive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit that when He desires to place us in a situation where He can use us, we're there. But, if He has a purpose for us, we can know that He will be directing us to be in the position to perform that purpose.
And, we need to make sure that we are not in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sometimes by our own choices we can be somewhere that we don't need to be. We need to be wise to the potential for danger. Spiritually speaking, we can use discernment and make sure that we are not in a vulnerable place, a place where we are outside God's will.
But, all in all, we can be alert, ready to take necessary action. That doesn't mean we're out trying to be a hero in all our situations. Where there is a need, we can depend on the Lord to help fulfill that need, and maybe even to rescue someone from danger - physically, or spiritually.
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