Get Up & Defend Your Home!

“Get up, get up, defend your home; the Redcoats are coming!”  These are the famous words of Paul Revere and Thomas Dawes as they rode through the colonies warning the Minutemen of the incoming British soldiers.  It’s also the words my grandfather, who took me in at one month old, and raised me in his home, spoke daily.  I woke to these words and the smell of bacon frying every morning.  It was an endearing phrase to me, as they came from the wise old man who seldom spoke.  In fact, it’s one of the few things I can remember him saying to me.  (I’ll share the other one sometime in the future).  Anyway, back to the ranch, I decided to pass the tradition to my own two children.  So every morning I woke them with, “Get up, get up, defend your home; the Redcoats are coming!”  One morning, my sleepy eyed son groggily asked, “Mom, who are the Raincoats?”  Needless to say, a short history lesson followed and the seed was planted that eventually lead me to become a high school history teacher.

This morning, February 9, 2019, I woke up and spoke these words to myself (not aloud, of course).  But nevertheless, I thought of them as an inner motivation to get myself out of my cozy bed.  The scripture that came to me was the one about the roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.  I looked it up for accuracy:  “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”  (1 Peter 5:8).  In my analogy, the Redcoats are the adversary, although I love the British people today, prior to the American Revolution, they were not so cherished by many of our colonial ancestors. 

As Christians, if we think that our enemies will simply leave us alone – we are sadly mistaken.  Once we begin trying to become more intimate with God and live the lives we were created to live – there is resistance, distraction, fear… the roaring lion.  We must realize that we are called to defend our territory:  our minds, our health, our homes, our children, our friends, our communities, our governments, and ultimately our world.  Yet, this epic battle begins in our actions and homes on a daily basis.  When thoughts of fear or disappointment or rejection begin to invade our peaceful minds – we must defend ourselves.  When our health is threatened, or our friends are facing difficulties, or our children or grandchildren are faltering – we must take action. The Bible teaches us that our weapons aren’t guns or spears or the muskets used by the Minutemen.  The scripture puts it this way:  “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:14-18).  To simplify this – we must live our lives based on the truths we find in the Word, we must realize that we aren’t perfect, but Jesus was, and He covers our imperfections.  We must believe that God’s love is more powerful than evil – that requires faith.  We must willingly give God entry into our lives, not just once at an altar, but daily.  Then, we must use the Word as our guideline as we deal with the daily issues in our lives – relationships, health, wealth, and entertainment…everything! 

So my dear friends, “Get up, get up, defend your home; the Redcoats are coming!”  But remember the rest of the story of the American Revolution, the underdogs won!  And because of their willingness to fight against the giants in the world at that time – you and I are Americans.  In the words of Lin Manuel Miranda, “Rise up, rise up, it’s time to take a shot.”