Preoccupation
with the affairs of this material world will dull our spiritual ears to heed
God's Spirit in the spiritual realm (Matthew 13:15). This opens us up for
Satanic deception, worldly influence and fleshly temptations.
We
may even miss the coming of the Lord. He will come when we least expect Him, as
a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2-4). That is why God calls us to watch
and pray.
We
open our spiritual ears, watch and prepare for His guidance, comfort and coming.
We live in holy anticipation and expectation. Our sole desire as we function in
His calling for our life is His will.
A
sign of the end times is spiritual apathy, which starves our spirit. We are so
focused on our flesh and soul - our thoughts, choices and emotions - that we
are spiritually asleep.
We
put other pursuits ahead of our Bible reading, gathering with God's Saints,
prayer and obedience to God's Spirit moment by moment throughout our day.
Circumstances
constantly affect our fulfillment and contentment. We suffer from spiritual
anemia. We measure our self-worth from our human accomplishments.
The
future frightens us and we feel compelled to abandon the spiritual side of life
in order to make provision for our physical and emotional needs first (Matthew
24:38).
We
forget that we are created in God's image as triune beings and that He has a
perfect plan for our life (Ephesians 2:10). As we take care of His business, He
takes care of ours (Matthew 6:26).
His
Kingdom is our inheritance and His immortal provision will replace our mortal
existence if we will place His will above our own. He calls us to occupy the
earth for Him until He comes (Luke 19:13).
Prayer:
Father
God, spur us to release our desire to settle for mediocrity in the spiritual
realm in order to excel in the carnal world. Help us to take our foot out of
the earthly realm and to plant both feet firmly on the Rock of Christ.
Remind
us that there is no salvation in pretending to be a Christ-follower. Only a
life dedicated to the pursuit of Your will can bear any lasting, spiritual
fruit. We want to receive Your free gift of salvation, sanctification and
glorification by faith and abide in You forever (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Thought
for the Day:
Walking
in spiritual completion allows us to persevere in times of trial and
tribulation by the power of God's Spirit within us.
- Colossians 2:10
