AWAKE!

Friday, August 24th> Luke 4: 13; Ephesians 4: 27;  1 Peter 5:8; 2 Corinthians 2: 11

Because satan is an opportunist, what  are some "opportune" times in our lives to be watchful for his attack?  The alarm has gone out from God's people to AWAKE for a reason.  We are children of a most Holy, loving God Who has nothing but good towards us.  So even in our trials, the end result will produce good in us so that people can see us and give glory to our God.

But what tends to happen is we enter a season of trials, which God allows as His Fatherly way of strengthening and maturing us, and the thief begins to sneak his own purpose into the mix.  This perpetrator, whom we call satan, tries to find ways to shut us down, render us comatose and numb, and wrap us in this cocoon of despair until the trial passes.  Here's where God would not have us be ignorant, but understand (be enlightened about, come into the knowledge of, and AWAKEN" to)  His will in the middle of the situation (Ephesians 5: 8-21).

The enemy wants to use these aggravating, rough times to keep us silent about how faithful God is.  He wants us so consumed with our trials that we don't have the time or the compassion to see the needs of others and lift them up.  So again we sound the alarm: AWAKE! Don't be deceived. Don't fall for his numbing, paralyzing tactics.  In times of sorrow, distress and peril, God has given us the courage and strength to STAND with our WHOLE ARMOR ON while the battle is raging.  So we MUST do our part to STAND,  Be ALERT AND WATCHFUL.  We must SEE that if God is for us,  NO-ONE can be against us.  We have to keep our eyes open, become "opportunists" ourselves concerning the work of the Master.  Others are watching us closely, wanting to know how we will handle what we're going through.

So today we pray That "the eyes of your understanding [will be] enlightened; that you may KNOW what is the HOPE of His calling, and what are the RICHES of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the EXCEEDING GREATNESS of His POWER toward us who BELIEVE" in the MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS (Ephesians 1: 18-19).