What Now? Be Prepared

 The year 2021 is on the horizon and many hope it will be a year of returning to normal. This past year has certainly been disruptive to our usual experience of life. The isolation and limitations placed upon us have left many wounded and afraid. There is a need to go beyond where we have been. God and His Word are essential guides for those who believe in Messiah Jesus and His coming kingdom. There are many places to find direction within the pages of God's revelation to us. Over the past few posts we have considered the truths found in the familiar prayer found in Matthew 6. "What now?" is a question that should lead us to our Heavenly Father for direction. We need to realize that the advancement of His Kingdom is not derailed because of a virus or an election. We need to recognize our dependence upon the Lord day by day and be quick to forgive and support those who share our faith and strive for faithfulness. All this is well and good. However, God is wise enough to alert us to another reality.  As we attempt to look forward we dare not be naïve concerning the opposition we will face. Our enemy has come to rob, kill and destroy. That has been his plan and desire from the beginning. The battle continues today. 

Knowing this, our Lord told His disciples to pray, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." Satan and the evil spirits that invade our lives want to rob us of our freedoms, our worth, and our purpose in serving the Lord. They come to kill the unborn, the elderly, the young through war and social unrest. They hold an unrelenting desire to destroy families, communities, and the fellowships of believers. The path they propose may appear to be one of light and prosperity, however, the way may be the road to addiction and destruction. The way of temptation is one of enticement urging us to experiment with new things that appear benign on the surface but conceal the poison that draws us away for truth and into the snare that grips us and leaves us wanting. We need to pray that we would be aware, alert, and sensitive to the way of temptation. Paul warned those in Corinth, "And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14). We dare not deceive ourselves into following our desires into the shadows of compromise and delusion. Thus, we must pray that we will not be lead into temptation or to allow ourselves to be tested in areas of personal weakness. We are warriors for God's kingdom and be are to be prepared for the battle. "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" (Ephesians 6:13).

There is a second aspect to this prayer. We are not only to avoid being lead into temptation we are also told to pray for deliverance. "Deliver us from the evil one" is the given prayer. There are times when we need to be rescued for the evil one, or from evil, as some translate this prayer. The meaning of the Greek word for evil is pretty broad.  It is translated as labors, annoyances, hardships, peril, pain, and trouble. If we are honest the "evil one" is adept at ruining our day with hardships and damaging friendship through annoyances. His attacks are often subtle and deceitful. How much damage has come to your attitude from some "idiot" driver who cut you off? We need to be aware of our need to have our Deliverer present with us all the time. Well, He actually is. We are the ones who are unaware. Perhaps praying for sensitivity to our Deliverer's presence could help blunt the evil one's attack and keep us on the path of righteousness while avoiding that other path.

What Now? If we are to move forward and to advance God's kingdom we have no option but to cling to our Heavenly Father. Temptation and the assault of Satan and his minions will never cease until the Lord returns and His kingdom comes in all its fullness. We must pray to avoid the siren call to the shadows of death and be all the more aware of the presence of our Deliverer. Each day is a new opportunity to live out the Spirit's fruit and walk in step with our Lord and Commander. And each day is a battle to be fought and, by His power, won. "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12). "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37). Tomorrow is yet another day to answer the "What now?" question. Perhaps the real question concerning moving forward is, "Are we prepared?"