Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness before God.
I am the father to three beautiful children, ages 4, 2, and 1. Like their father, they have all developed, what I call, the grazing method. Like a cow grazes all day, Tuckers have similar eating patterns. I love snacks and I love sweets and I especially love sweet snacks. Honestly, other than the age difference, we are not so different, my children and I. I have the self-control of a toddler. I know, in my heart of hearts, that a baker’s dozen was created because 12 doughnuts just isn’t enough. As a parent who wants their children to eat healthy meals to grow to be big and strong, I have to put boundaries in place. We don’t snack before meals and dessert is a treat rather than a necessity. My wife and I try to implement these boundaries daily. I would like to think that most days we experience some success in policing our children’s diets. With that being said, the challenge is not always adhering to this plan but rather finding the alone time to completely go against it ourselves. My children will often not hear their names called when it’s time to clean up their toys, brush their teeth, or do any task that they don’t find fun for that matter. Their hearing, miraculously, becomes subsonic if you open a Fudge Round while hiding in a bedroom closet roughly 27ft from their location. We want them to do as we say and not as we do.
As Christians the “do as I say, not as I do” approach can not only be harmful to ourselves but especially to those who are around us. I used to struggle with drinking alcohol. Shortly after I came to follow Christ, this struggle didn’t just magically disappear. It was a process. I will never forget leading at a church camp. My best friend’s brother was a staunch atheist going into this camp but attended this camp because I convinced him to go. He left the camp completely transformed and was poised to make a decision to follow Christ. A week or two after the camp I was struggling with some things and was in public having a few drinks with friends. My friend’s brother happened to see me. I never saw him at church again. We have had a few conversations since, however, to this day he identifies as an atheist. I dropped the ball shepherding one of my sheep and it had very real consequences. No drink, no relationship, no act of any kind is more important than our witness as believers.
Peter describes the devil as “like a roaring lion, seeking to devour.” He is lurking at every turn to exploit our weakness, not only to our own detriment but to the detriment of others. As believers, we are to live a life above reproach. Peter says, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert.” Strong confidence in God’s sovereign care does not mean that the believer may live carelessly. Verse 9 says, “But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.” We resist the devil, not with special formulas, but by remaining firm in the faith. As believers know sound doctrine and obey God’s truth, Satan is withstood. Read and know your bible. Your life and the lives of those around you depend on it.
Take two minutes to reflect in silence.