Look at this picture above. Do you see the rutted road which leads off into the distance of what appears to be an uncertain path? Think of this as you are walking or driving down this well-worn road, not knowing what to expect as you begin your day.
Where does your mind wander off to each morning? Are you bombarded with long to-do lists of things left undone from the previous day? Perhaps you have a big report or hard conversation today with someone you work with. Maybe you have someone in your home who is ill or needs attention you simply do not feel you have the energy to deal with today. Bills are piling up, and so are the laundry and the dirty dishes, and the gutters are overflowing. Where do you start? Where do you begin?
You and I are on a “Battlefield.” A “Battlefield of our mind and our life.” This isn’t new to those living today. No, it has been so since the beginning of time. Walking out of a cave long ago could mean you are no longer hunting for your meal of the day, but you were the meal being hunted. Do you realize you are still being hunted right now?
Who is hunting you?
Simple, Satan is hunting you. Our scripture reference today is 1 Peter 5:8; “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” NIV
You and I must have a clear mind, on which we have order and peace about the day and days ahead of us. 1 Corinthians 14:33 tells us: “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace – as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.”
Confusion and Fear and Indecision are not from God but from the pit of hell. Satan’s sole purpose since he was thrown down from heaven is to take as many humans as possible with him right into the burning lake of fire, where God promised He would throw him. We must understand that Satan is the “father of lies”. We find this in John 8:44.
We are to put on our full armor of God each morning and be on the battlefield of life and of our minds. Ephesians 6:11 tells us, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” The full armor of God may be found in Ephesians 6: 10 – 18, “ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
How do you proceed each morning? For years I have been writing and talking about our “Vertical Relationship” with God. Simply put, we are not to be like this photo to the left. We are to be in alignment with God and put Him first in everything we do and say. We must think and hold captive all those extraneous thoughts which creep into our heads all day long. We must recognize the schemes of Satan to get off at the very next exit ramp, where he can keep us distracted and our focus away from God.
Your Vertical Relationship is very important to navigate the battlefield of your daily life. Once you give the enemy a small crack in your thinking and or actions, he has you. How do you combat this and keep your mind and life fully focused on your Heavenly Father and all the good He has for you?
If you are a believer, a follower of Christ, then you have at some point learned that God, in all His infinite, everlasting being, has actually made this part very simple for you and me. The problem is the enemy loves to take what is given to us and twist it just ever so slightly enough to cause us confusion and veer off course during our day and our lives. This is how we wind up in such a confused mess.
We don’t know who we are. We don’t know how to think and make decisions. We become frozen and look for an escape root to numb the pain of indecision. We turn to social media, binge-watching, gossiping, shopping, buried in work, exercise, eating, alcohol, drugs, pornography, and a laundry list that Satan has dreamed up to keep us off course.
In order to keep our vertical Relationship on track, we need only to follow Commandment #1 – “You shall have no other gods before me.” You can find this written in Exodus 20:3. See, this simple language is clear. Everything listed in the previous paragraph essentially super cedes God. Therefore, the thing you choose to “escape” to becomes your “god.” Get it?
Well, I will end here for this month, and remember your Heavenly Father wants only what is best for you today, tomorrow, and for eternity. Satan’s plan is not God’s plan for you.
