It’s still summer, the thermometer is reading 18.5 and the climatis is about to flower, but the threatening sky is a reminder to prepare for winter storms.
Which I’m doing, ducking in the breeze to give my fence a coat of wood preserver before that shower finally hits.
And I’m remembering the reading for this Sunday is from Ephesians 6 about using the spiritual armour God provides. We can expect destructive forces to attack us in this life, we are naive to live unprepared.
The Apostle Paul instructs his Christian readers to take our stand confident of our new spiritual status in Christ. We are children of God, citizens of heaven. He gives us strength for the struggle.
The devil has no jurisdiction over us unless we surrender it to him. Protected with truth, righteousness, peace, salvation and faith, the Spirit helps us pray God’s will revealed in Scripture in Jesus’ powerful name, and the deceitful strongholds of hell begin to crumble.
Of course if I don’t protect my fence it will over time rot and one day fall.
And if we don’t take our stand in prayer, so will our families and communities.
‘Resist the devil’ says the New Testament, ‘and he will flee…’ (James 4 v 7)
So let’s ‘stand’ by getting on our knees and praying for light over darkness, truth over lies and God’s kingdom of redeeming love to conquer all!