Daily Devotional for Sunday December 7, 2003
The ambush
(Jeremiah 51:12)
The ambush. One of the most famous ambushes in history happened 62 years ago today when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Sneak attacks have been part of warfare since its inception. It is a strategy that can be used very effectively. Catching your enemy off guard gives you a tremendous advantage. In our spiritual lives, we are often the target of an ambush by satan, and God has warned us to be prepared, to be ready so that we are not caught off guard.
Actually, we are most susceptible to an ambush when we are the strongest. When things are going well, when we are on top of the things going on in our lives, that is when we can get lulled into a false sense of self-confidence. We get lazy. We forget to do the things we did that made us strong. That is when we are most ripe to be ambushed. The events of 9/11 are a very fresh example of this. NOBODY ever dreamed that could happen to the United States. It is the same in our personal life. You are rarely prepared for the attacks that come.
As God warned the prophets of old, today He is warning you. Be prepared! Keep watch! The battle is never over and when you least expect it, the enemy will attack. This is not meant to scare you, or have you living in fear thinking what will happen next. This is to prepare you for the inevitable. As long as you are living, loving God, serving God, you are going to be a target.
All God wants you to do is be prepared. The way you do that is by maintaining that close, personal, daily relationship with Him. Battling each day the sin in your life so that the enemy has no control over you. Fulfilling God's purpose for your life by serving Him each day and helping others.
My goal today, my prayer today for you is that you open your heart and take a look at your life. Ask yourself if you are prepared if the enemy launches a sneak attack on your life today. If the answer is yes, I am prepared, then continue doing the things you have to do each day to stay strong. If the answer is no, then NOW is time to make the changes necessary so that you are ready!
Trust me, the ambush, the attacks are not going to stop. Prepare for them now, because once you are in the middle of the fight, it is tough to think, to respond the way that you need to respond to be victorious. I am praying today that you will stop whatever it is you are doing, and make sure that you are prepared for a sneak attack on your life this very day.
I love you, care about you, and am thankful for your prayers and support of our work here at Liveprayer.com. Much of what we do here is help people through the battles in their life. They are already in the battle and need God's help to be victorious. That is why I take opportunities from time to time to try and prepare you in advance for the attacks that will eventually come, so that you are prepared.
God loves you, and has given you all the tools that you need to be victorious. Make sure that you are using them and doing everything that you can do, to stand strong so that you are not only victorious in your own life, but you can help others be victorious as well.
I am grateful for all of you that email me daily with your special needs and prayer requests. As you know, myself and my staff answer each and every request and try to impart Godly, scriptural advice to help you in your time of need. Never hesitate to write me since I am sure that God has placed me in your life, not by accident, but for a divine reason. Make this a great day as you serve Him, while insuring that you are prepared for whatever attacks the enemy may come at you with.
In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ, Bill Keller