PLUS

I Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

This week we remember the tragic loss of life that was brought upon us by the terrorist attacks 15 years ago.  That September day was one of the darkest days in our history, because a determined enemy exploited our weaknesses to bring their brand of evil to our shores.

A little removed from 9/11, President Bush made the following statement:  “As I tell them, as I’ve tried to explain to the American people, we’ve got to be right 100 percent of the time; the enemy only has to be right once.”

President Bush recognized that, as a nation, we needed to be sober and vigilant.  He was right, though that standard of defense required to protect us from terrorism is impossible to obtain.  No amount of vigilance can provide for a perfect defense … from a human perspective.

One of the many lessons we should have learned from that tragic day is that we are fully reliant on the Lord for our protection.  Only He can live up to the standard of protection required to completely guard us.  Only He can provide for the perfect defense.

Should we be sober?  Yes!  Should we be vigilant?  Yes!  But, we also must be humble and prayerful.  We can never make ourselves safe enough on our own.

PLEASE HUMBLY PRAY FOR AMERICA’S SECURITY.  We don’t ever want the enemy to be right again … even once.

SET YOUR ALARM:  If you’re alarmed (that our nation is less reliant on God than we were before 9/11), set your alarm (to pray for our nation)!

Genesis 39:12 “And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me:  and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.”

James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Lessons from Joseph and James should inform our lives as Christians and our lives as Americas in our strategy against sin.  When faced with sin, Joseph fled.  When faced with resistance, the devil flees.

Joseph made clear that he intended to submit himself to God.  He wasn’t comfortable lingering around sin, flirting with sin, or accepting sin.  He was only comfortable when he was as far away from sin as possible.

The devil isn’t comfortable around righteousness and resistance.  He flees from those who resist him and pursues other weaker targets.

In our Christian lives, we often don’t need to mount a heroic and grandiose stand to cause the devil to find another target.  We do, however, need to demonstrate that we are willing to resist sin, flee from sin, and submit ourselves to God.  Similarly, in our nation’s life, we don’t need to mount a heroic and grandiose stand to cause the devil to find another target.  We do, however, need to demonstrate that we are willing to resist sin, flee from sin, and submit ourselves to God.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE RIGHT FLIGHT, RESISTANCE, AND SUBMISSION IN OUR LIVES.  We should all want the devil to flee from us and to flee from our nation.

For a related thought, please see:  https://prayatlunch.us/resist/

Ephesians 4:27 “Neither give place to the devil.”

Our nation’s complacency about sin has been a major part of our steady slide towards marginality and away from exceptionality.  As a nation, we have given place to the devil time and again.  In many cases that seem small at the time, we have yielded to sin and turned our backs on righteousness.  Frankly, as Christians we have followed society’s lead in this respect.  A little compromise here and a small dose of acquiesce there have led us far away from God’s plan.

Rock climbers are amazing as they scale smooth vertical faces of rock.  The best among them only need the tiniest of cracks or knobs to give them the leverage they need to haul their bodies up a cliff.  Similarly, a small foothold is all the devil needs to scale our lives.  We have given him such leverage, and are suffering now without direction, foundation, or support.

PLEASE PRAY THAT WE WOULD REFUSE TO GIVE ANOTHER INCH OF GROUND TO THE DEVIL.  We must no longer give him place in our lives or in our nation.  We must deny him any footholds upon which to take advantage because if they exist, he will use them.

SET YOUR ALARM:  If you’re alarmed (that our society is determined to avoid offending anyone except God), set your alarm (to pray for our nation)!

II Kings 7:6 “For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host:  and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.”

One of General Washington’s challenges during the retreat from Brooklyn in August 1776 was to escape silently while convincing the British that the Continental Army was still arrayed at their defensive positions during the night.  The Continental Army tricked the British of their presence by carefully choreographed shots and heavily utilized camp fires.  The ruse worked, and the British Army did not suspect that the façade was anything other than reality.  Undoubtedly, God had helped the Continental Army in this respect, clouding the judgment of the battle-hardened British force.

American Christians have largely been absent a strategy in the fight against our adversaries.  We have mainly yielded instead of realizing that a sound and faithful strategy would be accompanied by a God that can cloud the judgment of our battle-hardened foes.

PLEASE PRAY FOR A COURAGEOUS AND WISE STRATEGY AGAINST OUR ADVERSARIES.  Battles throughout history have been tipped by a powerful and always-present God.  Christians today must realize that the same powerful and always-present God stands ready.

Deuteronomy 20:1-4 “When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them:  for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.  And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies:  let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”

At the end of August 1776, the Continental Army faced their first major battle after the Declaration of Independence.  In what is known at the Battle of Long Island, the Battle of Brooklyn, or the Battle of Brooklyn Heights the Americans found themselves surrounded with their backs to the East River.  Hour-by-hour, British trenches crept closer to the Continental front lines.  The only way to preserve the hope for independence was to preserve the Continental Army and escape by boat.

General Washington arranged a brilliant retreat plan during the night of August 29^th and 30^th.  It required silence, coordination, and deception.  It also required heavenly intervention.  Specifically, at daybreak on August 30^th, the retreat was incomplete.  As the sun arose, a thick and unexpected fog sprung up and concealed the remaining maneuver, providing the few necessary hours to allow all men and supplies to be out of British range before clearing.  During that night, 9,000 men escaped — the LORD our God had saved them.

Our enemies are surrounding us.  Hour-by-hour, they are creeping closer to our front lines.  Fear not!  The LORD our God goes with us, to fight for us against our enemies to save us.

PLEASE PRAY FOR GOD’S POWER IN OUR CURRENT BATTLES.  They require heavenly intervention – His specialty.