Alertness: A Spiritual
Reinforcement
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil
walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may
devour.” I Peter 5:8
Alertness
“You know his proven character…” Philippians 2:22
Alertness is the character trait for the month of October. Listed below are suggestions that could be used
as a springboard to partner with NRCA teachers in instructing and explaining this principle to your
children.
Definition - Being aware of what is taking place around me so I can have the right response; the state of
being watchful and prompt to meet danger or an emergency; being quick to perceive and act; being in a
state of readiness; the ability to anticipate right responses to that which is taking place around me
Antonym – unawareness; carelessness
Key Verse – “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion,
seeking whom he may devour.” I Peter 5:8
Related Hymns. Sing these Songs with Your Children! Focus on Songs about Alertness.
• Be Careful Little Eyes What You See
http://www.gospelsonglyrics.org/songs/o_be_careful_little_eyes.html
• Yield Not to Temptation http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/y/i/yieldnot.htm
• Work for the Night Is Coming http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/w/o/workfort.htm
• Count Your Blessings http://biblestudycharts.com/HH_Count_Your_Blessings.html
• Dare to Be a Daniel http://nethymnal.org/htm/d/a/daretobe.htm
• I Am Resolved http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/a/iamresol.htm
• Will Jesus Find Us Watching? http://www.hymnpod.com/2009/09/04/will-jesus-find-us-watching/
• Open My Eyes That I May See http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/p/openeyes.htm
Bible Verses Related to Alertness - Spend several evenings looking at just one of these verses at a time.
Don’t forget to ask your children the questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? And How? Discuss
with your family what each verse teaches about the character quality of Alertness, and give vital
application of how this quality can be applied to your family. Choose several verses to memorize together
as a family. (The synonym Watchful has been substituted for the word Alertness.)
• But you be watchful in all…2 Timothy 4:5
• be serious and watchful…I Peter 4:7
• Be watchful and strengthen the…Revelation 16:15
Bible Stories as a part of your family devotions. All of these stories emphasize Alertness.
• Joseph’s alertness to immorality in Genesis 39
• Philip’s alertness to evangelism in Acts 8
• David: an example of failure to be alert (2 Samuel 11)
• Mordecai’s alertness saved the king’s life (Esther 2)
• Paul’s nephew’s alertness saved Paul’s life (Acts 23)
Character Definitions of Alertness
• Exercising my physical and spiritual senses to recognize the dangers that could diminish the
resources entrusted to me
• Being aware of what is taking place around me so that I can have the right response
Learn and Apply the "I Wills" of Alertness
• Keep my eyes and ears open
• Recognize and heed warning signals
• Choose to do right before I'm tempted
• Tell others of danger
• Stay away from unsafe places
Alertness in the Home Includes:
• Looking for and praising ways that family members have displayed good character
• Sensing that seemingly harmless activities could lead to bad influences and wrong friends
• Being aware that participation in certain activities and wearing certain clothing could attract the
wrong friends and weaken the trust of authorities
• Practicing preventative maintenance with household appliances and personal health
Activities
Teach your children the importance of acting immediately to warning
signals. Point out street signs and the proper responses to them. Using coffee stirrers, cardboard,
markers, and hardening clay, have your children make road signs for their toy cars.
Many school textbooks and some storybooks include discussion questions at the end. If you
have access to such books, consider using them for regular bedtime stories with your children.
(Bedtime stories are often more popular than television.) Use the prepared discussion questions, or
come up with your own. Asking questions after reading a story will help your children develop the
disciplines of alertness and reflection.
Airplane formation pilots offer a spectacular demonstration of
finely honed precision both on the ground and in the air. Formation pilots review minute details both
before and after each flight. When flying in tight formation, the alertness of each pilot is not only
crucial to successful coordination, but it can be the difference between a thrilling display and an
horrific disaster. If you are interested in planning a family outing to an air show, click on the link
below for information about the Warbirds Over Monroe Air Show, Monroe, NC, November 3-4,
2012.
http://www.warriorsandwarbirds.com
Alertness is a simple yet powerful concept. Used wisely, alertness to surrounding
circumstances can give you an edge on approaching dangers and emerging opportunities. Those who
are careless are destined to be frequently caught off guard and thus overwhelmed by problems that
could have been easily resolved, if only they had been noticed earlier. Make cookie-cutter cookies
with your children. Encourage them to have fun shaping the raw dough. After baking them, point out
how difficult it would be to reshape the cookies. In a similar way, difficulties solidify character. It is
never too late, but it is always easier to form right decisions before facing difficulties. Alertness can
be a valuable aid in avoiding wrong decisions thus avoiding difficult consequences.