Essential # 9 Hydration – Stay Alert

Stay alert [Ephesians 6:18b]

Staying hydrated while in the backcountry is vital for our survival – just as staying alert in our daily walk with the Lord is vital for our survival. We are continuing with our Ten Essentials for the Backcountry and the Ten Spiritual Essentials for a victorious life.

Please Note: the podcast goes into more detail this post is an outline of the topic.

The body needs water to carry out many essential functions, such as balancing the internal temperature and keeping cells alive. As a general rule, a person can survive without water for around three days.

The benefits of water are numerous such as: breaking down food, maintaining oral health, and maintaining our body temperature. Water lubricates and cushions our joints, spinal cord, and tissues. Water is essential for sweating and the elimination of waste. Proper hydration also supports efficient kidney function, aiding waste filtration and preventing kidney stones. During physical activity, we can lose up to 6 to 10 percent of our body weight through sweating. Hydration affects strength, power, and endurance. Dehydration during intense exercise can lead to serious conditions like decreased blood pressure and hyperthermia.

So, it’s obvious that water is essential for not only regular living but also while we are on our backcountry adventures. As we move into the spiritual essentials let us remember that they are called essentials for a reason. If you look up the word essential you will find that it means that something is extremely important, or a thing that is absolutely necessary.

STAY ALERT! These two words are powerful, and they pack a punch with significant meaning. It sums up the entire reason we need these ten essentials! Just as water is essential for our physical survival, being alert is critical to our spiritual survival and even possibly our physical survival.

Being alert is being aware of the environment and dangers that are around you. You are not asleep or ignorant of what the world is throwing at you or what they are trying to do. You are mindful and fully informed because you are in the Word. You are awake to what is happening within your mind and in society. But most importantly you are on guard, alert, and awake to the schemes and tactics of the enemy.

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. [1 Peter 5:8]

Any thought that is against the Word, it’s not of God, so therefore that thought is from the enemy. Such things as negative self-talk, depression, fear, anxiety, stress, doubt, confusion, jealousy, laziness, or anything else that contradicts the promises that God has given us.

Sadly, many believers are sleepwalking and clueless about what is happening and are even asking why.  They live in fear and anxiety and unfortunately will do whatever anyone tells them to do. They are not in the Word so they will listen to what the world is telling them instead of listening to what God has clearly shown us how we are to respond to things, in these last days.

That girlfriend is the reason that we need these essentials to keep this already defeated little jerk away from our thoughts, friends, family, homes, and health. Remember he has no power except the power that we give him. We MUST STAY ALERT and not allow him or any of his cronies sneak in.

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. [Ephesians 6:12]

BENEFITS OF STAYING ALERT!

• We already know there is an enemy and we also know his stupid tactics so we should not be caught off guard or surprised by what he does.
• We can immediately determine what is from God and what isn’t. Basically, if it’s good it is from God, if it’s not good then it is from the evil one.
• We can stop anything that comes into our minds BEFORE it takes us down.
• We can stop all negative self-talk and depressive thinking.
• We can eliminate fear, anxiety, stress, doubt, and confusion.
• As 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, we need to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. [2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV]

• We can be sure that wrong thoughts are not invited into our minds for a visit.
• Those thoughts are not allowed to park; meaning there is no need to mull over these thoughts.
• Absolutely no camping is allowed. Once they camp, it will be a downward spiral.

Those ungodly thoughts need to be kicked out and the Word of God needs to be brought in immediately.

We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. (NLT)

To emphasize how important it is to STAY ALERT, I’m simply going to share a few more scriptures that are clear about how important this essential is.

I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following. Watch out! Remember the three years I was with you my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many tears for you. [Acts 20:29-31]

Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man. [Luke 21:34-36]

For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. When people are saying, everything is peaceful and secure, then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape. But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. [1 Thessalonians 5:2-8]

So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. [Matthew 24:42]

And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert! [Mark 13:33]

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. [1 Corinthians 16:13]