1 Timothy 4:16
“Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”
Sometimes, the only defense against the onslaught of attacks from those who desire to destroy you is your testimony. Paul warned Timothy that there would come a day when his testimony would “both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” There were three things that Timothy was to guard carefully so that his testimony would continue to be his defense.
First, Timothy was to guard his personal life. Paul said in the verse above, “Take heed unto thyself…” There were several areas Timothy was to guard. Verse 12 shows us these areas when it says, “…be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” Each of these areas had to be protected from slipping so that his testimony would not suffer.
Your personal life will either condemn you or defend you. How you act in private and in public will determine whether people should continue to follow you. You must always be cognizant that someone is watching you at all times. It is the time when you think you are all alone and that nobody sees what you are doing when you will get caught doing good or bad. I am always amazed as to how many times when I thought I was alone that somebody saw me. I am not sinless, but I am thankful that I have tried to live my life in such fashion that nobody can point their finger at my personal life. People may not like you, but they should never be able to accuse you of living wrong.
Second, Timothy was to guard his spiritual life by guarding his doctrine. You can be assured that the enemy listens to everything you say and reads everything you write. They are looking for you slip in your doctrine one time. It won’t matter if your enemy doesn’t follow the doctrines of the Word of God because their attempt is to point out your scriptural misstep to justify their compromising lifestyle. Always be careful with what you say, read and write. Be careful not to fall into the trap of always having to give something new. Attempting to always have something that “nobody has ever heard” will get you into trouble. Your best defense against going off the radar with your doctrine is to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15) When you live by, “Thus saith the LORD,” they will have difficulty finding fault with your spiritual life.
Third, Timothy had to guard his consistency. Paul commanded Timothy to “continue in them.” Being the same day in and day out will be your best defense against attacks. It was Daniel’s consistency of prayer that became his greatest defense. When they tried to find something by which they could accuse him, the only thing they could use was his daily routine of prayer. To some, doing the same thing over and over again may seem mundane, but it will be your safety net against the onslaught of attacks.
If you stand for truth, you will experience attacks from those who want to destroy you. Your testimony will be your only defense to your conscience and to those who are following you. How well you guard these three areas will determine your ability to influence others.