Are You Prepared for War? 56 Days to Go...

Greetings Brothers,
I just received an email from our brother Billy in Richmond and he stated that ever since he committed to attend the Revival Conference, our enemy has been hard at work in his life to disrupt and distract.

For me, the past two weeks have been chaotic, confusing, exhausting and stressful. I sensed more and more that I was extremely pressed for time in so many different areas and yet couldn't buckle down and get everything done. For the first time in my life I had a major outbreak of poison ivy which caused me great physical discomfort and this just added more stress and frustration. It seemed that every day was an exercise in endurance just to make it to the end and fall exhausted into bed.

So what did I do? I did the only reasonable and responsible thing. I started sleeping in as long as I could and this of course immediately short-circuited the spiritual high I had been riding as I had formerly been jumping out of bed early and digging into the Word. My prayer time that had been steadily growing more vibrant was, once again, disrupted and I reverted back into the old familiar pattern of a few guilty minutes trying to cram in a selfish wish-list that was primarily all about me? My empty prayers just multiplied my frustration and within a few days I found the newspaper more interesting for the few minutes I had before work.

The sad thing is, I was blissfully unaware of anything "out of the ordinary" and chalked everything up to just being busy....busy....busy. As I think back, when my priorities were right and I was rising early and getting less sleep, somehow I managed to accomplish more. I was reminded of Luther's quote: "Work, work, work, from early until late. In fact, I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer."

If the enemy had come at me while I was riding the crest of a spiritual high, with an obvious frontal assault, I believe I would have recognized it and not lost the past two weeks. But he is so sly and so experienced. He knows that my greatest strength can be twisted to become my greatest weakness. As I walk the tightrope between being a responsible husband, father, and employee and overcommitment and burnout, the enemy slowly shifts my eyes from my Savior, to my responsibilities and commitments. As I start of focus on all the things that I have to do, he quietly whispers that it is impossible to do everything so something must go. My flesh eagerly selects my devotion and quiet time because that is the hardest work of my day....and it is secret work that my flesh convinces me nobody will ever miss. So I cut a half-hour here, and stay in bed an hour longer there...all for a good reason. I am tired!

My Heavenly Father says that when I am weak, He is strong...that His strength is made perfect in my weakness. But I am oblivious to this truth because it is the opposite to what my flesh desires.

I must confess that for the past two weeks I have been a poor excuse for soldier. I walk into my day exposed without armor and am surprised when my everyday life beats me to a pulp. I am thankful to be back in the fight and as Billy reminded me today, we should expect the enemy to do whatever is possible to derail us on our way to Canton. Let's continue to uphold one another in prayer...especially as the conference draws close.

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 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. 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist…" (Ephesians 6:10-14)

In closing, notice the link on the right side under "A Pastor's Struggle". Read the account of a godly pastor from over 15o years ago and ask yourself...Am I prepared for war?

Your brother....back in the battle...Steve