Today's Devotional

December 6, 2002

Subject:  Spiritual Terrorism

Luke 21:34 - "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares." 

This weekend there will undoubtedly be many commemorations of the "day that will live in infamy."  It was 61 years ago tomorrow, (December 7, 1941), that we were the victims of a surprise attack.  Of course, now we are all acquainted with how suddenly that can happen, thanks to 9/11.  We frequently receive alerts from the State Department, FBI and others of an impending terrorist attack.  They urge us to be cautious and on the alert.

Well, think about that in a spiritual context.  There is a spiritual terrorist lurking about every day attempting to catch us with our guard down because, like all terrorists, the enemy will attack us without warning and at our weakest points.  However, as in the verse above, if we are drunk, hung over and worried about stuff in this life, then surely, he will succeed in reeking spiritual terror on us and those around us.

So how do we prevent this?  Step 1 in the spiritual terrorism prevention handbook is to be equipped/armored.  We must first know that their is an impending attack.  If we believe this, we will be prepared.  That means the armor of Ephesians 6 is necessary.  If this is foremost in our minds, then this prevents the "cares of this life" from distracting us and making us vulnerable to spiritual terrorism.

Our problem is not Osama Bin Laden, but as scripture says in Matthew 10:28 - "...fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul:  but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

Carlen