Developing an Impassable Guard

Control yourselves. Be on your guard. Your enemy the devil is like a roaring lion. He prowls around looking for someone to chew up and swallow. – 1 Peter 5:8

In Jiu-Jitsu, if you are careful to keep your guard impassable then the fight is complete. However, if your guard is passed you are left in a vulnerable position – subject to be dominated through side mount, full mount, knee on the stomach, etc.

In our spiritual walk, like Jiu-Jitsu, we must guard ourselves so as not to give an opening to the opponent to work in our lives. The enemy, the devil who comes only to steal, kill and destroy is given an opening when we fall into the trap of temptation and gratify the desires of our flesh. Such temptation can come in the form of getting too comfortable or desiring to rest a bit where we allow ourselves to relax and become careless. It is here, where before we know it, we have been dragged away and are playing the opponent’s game.

Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. – James 1:14-15

For the opponent to be able to pass your guard, they must use some form of manipulation to find a way of weakening your defenses, for example, by digging their forearms into your inner thigh. When your guard is strong, the opponent attempts to pass by way of a continual pressing in and inching out, attempting to slowly wear you down until an area of weakness or temporary opening is found and then taken advantage of. It is our responsibility to ensure our guard remains secure by keeping our grip, not giving in to attacks, and to counter attack. Before you know it, if you are not keeping watch, a little carelessness here and cutting corners on the technique there (see Trust the Technique) next thing we know we find ourselves in the enemy’s territory, vulnerable to attack. Being mounted, swept, and thrown without even realizing what happened. Same is true in the spiritual sense, where we give room for the enemy to edge his way in, little by little. The goal of the opponent is to thwart and evade your attempts to gain a dominate position, ultimately to derail you from your purpose and objective, which to realize the victory.

On the mat we earn points by establishing a good position and we win immediately by bringing our opponent into submission. In our spiritual walk, as Christians we are not called to provoke or directly fight our opponent, who is satan. Rather, God, who is our all-powerful Deliverer, has provided us the victory over any and every battle through Jesus. When Jesus went to the cross, God placed all our rebellion and sinfulness onto His son. It is in His burial, resurrection, and now seated at the right hand of God, that the victory has been won. Jesus has already fought our battles and it is through our turning to Him that we have access to this victory.

An impassable guard is achieved by taking our thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5), bridling our tongue (Psalm 39:1, James 1:26), guarding what we see and expose ourselves to (Matthew 6:22), using discernment in the company we keep (Proverbs 13:20), knowing the Word (John 8:31-32), being careful to keep it (Deuteronomy 8:1) and loving our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31). But above all else, an impassable guard comes from setting our mind on what is above: loving God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our strength (Deuteronomy 6:5, Luke 10:7). If we are diligent in walking this out, by God’s grace and mercy, we are guaranteed immeasurable success and victory.

We are more than conquerors through him that loved us. – Romans 8:37b

Written by Amy Passos

About Amy Passos

Amy is the Managing Director of Team Passos Jiu Jitsu. She is a believer and witness that Jesus performs miracles and uses Jiu Jitsu as a tool to change lives. Amy has a background in organizational development and international economic development. She is passionate about entrepreneurship and business to advance human flourishing. She believes that the most beautiful thing in life is someone enjoying the work of their hands while pursuing their passions to realize their purpose and potential. Amy enjoys cycling, strength training, traveling, and exploring life.