Safety Off!

I enjoy the writing of Erwin McManus, who pastors a very unique gathering of believers in the Los Angeles area. McManus is one of those guys whose spirit seems to reflect the same kind of daring and passion that marked early Salvationists. Like them, he’s outspoken and uncompromising in his belief that the Church is at her best when she is involved with and interacting with the world outside the walls of our sanctuaries and citadels.

The quote below comes from his book An Unstoppable Force, subtitled daring to become the church God had in mind. As you’ll see, McManus warns of the danger of buying into some of the popular concepts and ideologies that have been embraced by much of the Church here in the West.

I think there’s a word here for the Army as well…

“Out of the community church context has come an unending parade of pop and bumper sticker theologies – the kind that gives us comfort for all the wrong reasons. One of these in particular has both misguided the church and diluted the calling of every believer who is shaped by it. You’ve heard it said that the safest place to be is in the center of God’s will. I am sure this promise was well intended, but it is neither true nor innocuous. When we believe that God’s purpose, intention, or promise is that we will be safe from harm, we are utterly disconnected from the movement and the power of God.

“I remember sitting in the home of a pastor and his wife just after they had finished seminary. They were tremendously gifted and had chosen to serve in a small community of a few thousand residents. We began to talk about their future, and I suggested they move to a major metropolitan center, such as Los Angeles. I was stunned not so much by their response, but by the rationale behind it. With great passion, they told me that God would never expect them to do that. God would never subject their children to the danger and corruption of the city. I remember leaving that night wondering what was happening to the church. If those preparing for leadership are looking for the safe place, who will lead the church into the dangerous places?

“Somehow we have missed the reality of the biblical experience. From Abraham to Paul, those who followed God were subjected to great dangers. Paul describes his journey with Jesus as anything but safe.

“In 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, Paul writes, ‘Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.'

"The truth of the matter is that the center of God’s will is not a safe place but the most dangerous place in the world! God fears nothing and no one! God moves with intentionality and power. To live outside God’s will puts us in danger; to live in his will makes us dangerous.”

I think he's nailed it!

God bless us with more Salvationists throughout the world who are eager to throw safety and caution to the wind by choosing to be in and stay in the "dangerous" center of God’s will. Give us more officers and leaders who willingly offer to serve in the dangerous places of our society and culture. And bless us with the holy passion to be dangerous to all of hell for Christ’s sake.

Keep your altar ready and your fire hot…!

Willis

Fuel for your Flame -- Catherine Booth

As yet another follow up to the September 27 posting below, here’s still more fuel for your inner flame from one of our hottest firebrands – Catherine Booth. In spite of the fact that she wrote these words more than a century ago, trust me – you’ll still feel the heat her godly passion generates.

“Heat burns. Hot saints set on fire the hearts of other saints. They singe the consciences of sinners, burn the fingers of Pharisees, melt the hearts of backsliders, and warm up those who have left their first love.

“Hot saints are mighty The Spirit is not given by measure to them. They may not be very intellectual or learned, but their heat makes more impression on the hearts of sinners, and stirs more opposition from hell that all the intellect and learning of a whole generation of lukewarm professors… Hot saints are more than a match for their enemies. Satan himself is afraid of them…

“To be hot ensures opposition from the world. The world hates hot saints, because the look with contempt on its pleasures, set at naught its maxims and customs, trample on its ambition and applause, ignore its rewards, abjure its spirit, and live altogether above its level… [The world] can tolerate lukewarm religionists – rational, decent people, who appreciate this world as well as the next, and can see how to make the best of it; but these ‘hot,’ ‘pestilent,’ ‘mad,’ ‘fools,’ who obtrude their religion everywhere who are at everybody about their souls, who are always talking about God, death, judgement, heaven and hell – ‘Away with them! They are not fit to live...’

"Let me remind you, in conclusion, that to be hot ensures God’s special favor, protection, and fellowship, and our final victory… Whereas to be lukewarm is to be spewed out of His mouth, which indicates special dislike, disgrace, and final abandonment. WHICH WILL YOU BE, HOT OR LUKEWARM?”

– Catherine Booth
Practical Religion

Keep your fire hot and your altar ready…!

Willis

Fuel for your Flame -- T. Henry Howard

As you see from the previous couple of posts, I’m still offering quotes and insights from past Salvationists intended to focus on ways we can keep our inner burn well-stoked.

For this post, I’ll let Commissioner T. Henry Howard throw a few more logs on your fire…

"How shall we feed the fire or fan the flames? That is the question for us. We may rest assured of God’s willingness to cooperate in the fuel supply if we are determined to keep the Fire burning. In all our spiritual life and service there is the principle of action and reaction as between God and the soul. His offer of fullness of blessing does not relieve us of personal responsibility… If, therefore, at any time we see a decline or loss of the fire either in ourselves or in others, we can be certain that the decline or loss was due to the unfaithfulness or neglect of the person concerned.

"[There is] the need of constant care if our heart-fires are to be maintained. Fuel must be carried to the altar in the form of worship and loyal devotion and love and glowing aspirations; the sacrifices of righteousness and praise must be there; renewed consecrations, sanctified aims, high ideals, and enthusiasm are as the beaten oil of the sanctuary. These forms of fuel we must add to the fire."

Commissioner T. Henry Howard

Fuel for Sacred Fire

Keep your altar ready and your fire hot…!

Willis

Fuel for your Flame -- S.L. Brengle

In light of my September 27 epistle, I thought I might offer a few follow-up postings of what could be considered high-octane fuel for your spiritual fire.

Let’s start by letting Commissioner Brengle weigh in on the subject…

"What is this fire? It is love. It is faith. It is hope. It is passion, purpose, determination. It is utter devotion. It is a divine discontent with formality, ceremonialism, lukewarmness, indifference, sham and noise, parade and spiritual death. It is singleness of eye and a consecration unto death. It is God the Holy Ghost burning in and through a humble, holy, faithful man…

"This burning is the spirit that led the young men soldiers of a corps to come to the officers many a night and ask for the key of the hall that they might spend half the night in prayer, until their corps became the banner corps of a dozen States. It is the spirit that inspired an officer in a desperately hard corps in a city full of indifference and opposition to have an all-night of prayer every week with two or three kindred souls who shared with him the burden, until God moved the whole city, and the Mayor became his friend and protector, and the city officials and pastors attended his Sunday afternoon meetings in the City Hall, and the people gave him money for a new hall and instruments for a big band, while the platform was filled with soldiers who had caught the flame from their officer.

"Do you ask, How can we get the fire? I answer, Not by feasting, but by fasting; not by playing, but by praying; not by sleeping and slothfulness, but by watching and by diligently seeking God and the souls that wander from Him; not by skimming The War Cry once a week and reading newspapers and devouring the comic sections and sporting news, but by searching the Scriptures."

Commissioner S.L. Brengle
—Resurrection Life and Power

Keep your altar ready and your fire hot…!

Willis

Why "Fan the Flame"?

What sort of image does the word fire conjure up in your mind?

I’d guess that most folks will turn to some kind of mental picture of that flaming phenomenon that grills our steak and toasts our marshmallows at a backyard cookout, brings a warm and comfy ambiance to a cold winter’s night, or causes billions of dollars of disaster and loss throughout the world when it blazes out of control.

For me and many other Christians, however, fire in the spiritually symbolic sense of the word is a highly significant and powerful image. For us, fire calls up impressions of holy passion, zeal, a driving purpose, an inner “burn.”

You don’t have to read a whole lot of early Army history before you come to understand that fire in the spiritual, “holy passion” use of the term was a very popular concept with Salvationists back in the day. Our authors wrote about it, our musicians composed songs about it, sermons were preached about it. We emblazoned it on everything from our flags to our jerseys… Everywhere they turned, early Salvationists were encouraged to live lives that were described as being “on fire.”

I’ve gotta tell you, I love that!

But regardless of whether we’re talking about literal, burning fire or fire in its spiritually symbolic sense, let’s agree that there are some fundamental principals that are common to both. A short sampling of those would include:

Both need fuel in order to continue burning. Remove the fuel and before long you’ve killed the fire.

Fire – literal or spiritual – must be respected. You’d better not be careless with it or around it (one of the earliest lessons learned in childhood, but not often taught in the spiritual context, I’m afraid).

Unless you’re careful, fire can be extinguished

If left to itself, the natural tendency of any fire is to go out.

I’m sure you’re aware of the fact that there are some incredible fire stories in the Bible, such as:

• God talking to Moses from out of a bush that’s somehow on fire but doesn’t actually burn (Ex 3-4:17)


• Elijah calling down God’s fire on the water-logged offering on top of Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18:19-39), as well as on his would-be captors (2 Kings 1:9-15)


• God sending fire on David’s offering at Araunah’s threshing floor (1 Chron 21:18-26)


• The coming of the Holy Spirit as symbolized by “tongues of fire” that rested on each of 120 people gathered in Jerusalem (Acts 2:1-4)
  

For me, one particular fire passage highlights a spiritual principle that challenges both my life and ministry, as well as forms the foundational purpose for this blog site. It’s found in the book of Leviticus.

Now before looking at the passage itself, it might be helpful to point out a particular fact about Leviticus...

Did you know that unlike Genesis and Exodus, Leviticus is arranged more categorically or topically as opposed to chronologically? In other words, Leviticus is more of a “procedures manual” or “handbook” than it is a narrative. Why is that important to know, you ask? Because it means that what you read in the book’s earlier chapters don’t necessarily happen before what you read in later chapters.

Tuck that little point away in your understanding (you’ll need it in just a moment) and let’s pick up the action taking place in Leviticus 8-9.

It’s describing the formal ordination – the commissioning, if you like – of the Hebrew priesthood. It was an eight day affair, according to the text, that required following a long list of instructions and particulars. The details include everything from the various types of offerings that God called for as part of the process, to the sorts of animals to be sacrificed, and the procedures to be followed.

Scroll ahead in the passage to the last offering being made on the last day of the event… Something amazing happened:

“Moses and Aaron entered the Tent of Meeting. When they came out they blessed the people and the Glory of God appeared to all the people. Fire blazed out from God and consumed the Whole-Burnt-Offering and the fat pieces on the Altar. When all the people saw it happen they cheered loudly and then fell down, bowing in reverence.” Leviticus 9:23-24 (MSG)

Understand, this was different from every other altar fire they had ever used or seen. This fire didn’t rely on any man-made ignition methods. This was God-fire – flashing down from the Father Himself – that burned up the offering on the altar. Proof of His blessing, His approval, and His presence.

And the record points out that when the people saw this, they were filled with praise to God as well as a strong sense of holy awe.

Incredible!!

Set all that on the back burner for a moment, and let’s go “back to the future” by flipping pages from chapter 9, to orders from God given in chapter 6 (which actually were given after the chapter 9 miracle. This is what I was talking about earlier when I was explaining about Leviticus being generally more topical than chronological.).

Jumping in at verse 8 and reading through verse 13, God tells Moses to pass on some particulars to Aaron and the boys about burnt offerings. And as you read through these six verses of commandments and instruction, you find God hammering home a particular point about this holy fire He sent to crown their altar and offering. Three times in the passage He tells them – with each repetition being a little stronger than the one before – that they are now responsible to feed and care for what He has ignited. Check it out:

“…the fire must be kept burning on the altar.”
Lev 6:9

“The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out.”
Lev 6:12

“The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.”
Lev 6:13

Good old Matthew Henry adds an interesting insight on this passage:

The first fire upon the altar came from heaven (Lev 9:24), so that by keeping that up continually with a constant supply of fuel all their sacrifices throughout all their generations might be said to be consumed with that fire from heaven, in token of God's acceptance. If, through carelessness, they should ever let it go out, they could not expect to have it so kindled again. Accordingly the Jews tell us that the fire never did go out upon the altar, till the captivity in Babylon.
(from Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1991 by
Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)

OK… Let’s look at this God-established principle in light of a present-day application.

A strong case could be made that as believers, God has in a very real sense “ignited” something in us. At the very instant of salvation, the Holy Spirit – who is symbolized by fire (coincidence…? Hmmm…I don’t think so!) – consumed our sin, flamed our hearts, and signaling His approval, His blessing, and His presence within us. And for those who’ve been willing, God has also lit a passionate Pentecostal fire of holiness that burns away anything within us that is unlike Jesus.

You see, I believe that God has faithfully done exactly what we’ve asked of Him, as time and time again we’ve thrown our heads back, raised our hands, lifted our voices, and zealously sung Booth’s words, “…send the fire!” From there, however, whether through carelessness, inattention, or sometimes just plain foolishness, far too many let that freshly God-sparked fire starve for fuel. With hardly as much as a notice – degree by degree – the inner heart-flame is allowed to gradually burn down, cool off, flicker, sputter, and then sadly go out. And listen gang…when Holy Ghost-fire goes out – when the fire of holy passion cools – there’s no amount of personal effort, or church attendance, or rule-keeping, or program involvement, or any other kind of “going through the motions” that will make a difference. Oh it might look a lot like the actions of an “on-fire” believer, but it’s all smoke and no flame. Only God can reignite the fire that’s gone out in a heart.

This is why I’m convinced that this Leviticus principle is so important. It’s code-red critical for us to understand and embrace the fact that once God has lit – or rekindled – a fire on the altar of our soul, we then carry the responsibility to keep that holy passion-flame well-fed, well-fanned and burning hot ; at all times and at all costs. “The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out!”

You know, this could possibly be how God plans to re-fire our Army. Not by way of some corporate, miraculous, Cecil B. DeMille kind of moment that so many look for, but rather something that starts smaller…like a spark that spreads from soldier to soldier, from town to city, from division to territory, until the world is once again ablaze with passionate, mission-minded Salvationists.

But for that to happen, this – like all fires – has to start somewhere.

I wonder…is it possible that you’re the tipping point for all this? That you’re the catalyst God wants to use? Could it be that the only thing needed to set it all in motion is for your heart-altar to ignite – or be rekindled – with the God-sent fire of holy zeal?

I dare you to ask Him. In fact, I double-dog dare you to offer yourself to God for the job! (NOTE: In the Southeastern U.S., a “double-dog dare” is the highest of all challenges! No one with even the smallest sense of honor among his peers can ever pass up the double-dog dare.)

And once He’s given you that fire, once you’re “burning”, do everything in your power to keep that flame well-fanned and fed. When you take care of your part, the door opens wide for God to do His through you.

Keep your altar ready and your fire hot…!

Willis

Heroes

I grew up in an age of heroes. Sports figures like Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays wowed and impressed the group of kids I ran with. Then we’d go home and watch the heroic adventures of TV cowboys such as Roy Rogers and the Lone Ranger. Heroes were just everywhere! What’s more is that this was also the golden age of superheroes. I can remember running around with my arms stretched in front of me in “flying” fashion while my Superman cape dramatically rippled and flowed in the breeze behind me (In reality my “cape” was an old dish towel that my mom had pinned to my shirt. But as far as I was concerned, it was the genuine article!)

But regardless of when or where you were born, there’s something in each of us that is drawn to the heroic, isn’t there?

Just think about it... Have you ever noticed just how many box office blockbusters over the years have centered on a heroic main character? Luke Skywalker, fearlessly steps forward to face-up to the Empire. Maximus, the Roman general, heroically refuses to surrender his honor. William Wallace, who, even in the face of his own execution courageously challenged his countrymen to believe they could actually be free.

And it’s not just movie heroes. We’re moved by the real-life soldier who has returned safely from a war zone, the fireman who has just put his life on the line to save people from a burning building, the policeman who rescues someone from a dangerous situation. Heroism tugs at our hearts.

You see, heroes are the embodiment of values that are important to us. And I believe that somewhere deep inside each of us is the secret desire to be heroic.

Salvationists…do you know that heroism is woven into the fabric of our heritage? In a sense it’s our birthright. The Army that you and I are part of has been passed to us by an incredible group of heroes. Heroism is in our spiritual DNA.

Beyond the well-known adventures and exploits of the Booths, Railton, Brengle, Booth-Tucker, and the like, we have truck-loads of records and accounts from around the world that demonstrate the heroic spirit of Salvationists whose names we likely have never heard of at all.

In their book, Be A Hero, Commissioner Wesley Campbell and Captain Stephen Court include some snapshots from the pages of our history that illustrate exactly what I’m talking about. Like this report sent to the War Cry from Major Wells (whoever he was) – a pioneer Officer in California:

"My heart is cheered. We are making the devil mad. Victory will come! Look
out for some martyrdom here in the near future – it is to come, for sure. Well,
we are saved to die, and don't care much where our bones are buried."

Don’t you love that?! No backing down, no compromising. No running away from the
enemy. Yeah, they’ll likely kill us and throw our bodies into some hole... Whatever...!

Campbell and Court also share this telegram sent from Captain Albert Brice to his Territorial Commander, back in 1887. For whatever reason, Brice was evidently facing life-threatening persecution. But rather than knuckling under to the pressure to quit, he decides to stay the course and keep doing what he was doing letting the results fall where they will. His message to the Commissioner simply said...

“Expecting to go to Glory Wednesday night.”

Albert Brice was actually expecting to die! Clearly, he had settled in his mind that such a possibility was simply part of the potential cost of doing business – the business of reaching those that others thought were unreachable. Mocking, beating, ridicule, scorn, possible death...it was all just part of the deal.

Friends, our history is filled with literally hundreds (thousands?) of these kinds of stories!

I have a small collection of early Army books that help to fuel for my passion. One of my favorites is a late 19th century Orders and Regulations for Field Officers (designated as a “Special Edition” intended “…for the use of Candidates for Officership”).

Part VIII of the book makes for particularly interesting reading as it covers such timely subjects as “How To Deal With Persecution”, “Mobs”, and “Riots” (just the sorts of issues your corps faces, right?). Part VIII also has a section that discusses an officer’s responsibilities to reach and save “Roughs” (criminals / gang members / violent types etc.). Here’s a direct quote from this section:

“Go to them. There are certain parts in every town where they are to be found. You need not be in a neighborhood a single day without knowing their haunts. But what if they kill you? Well, you must die. You have often sung and said that you would. Now, here’s a chance. Make up your mind to the worst; then perhaps he that would lose his life shall save it.” (emphasis added)

Remember, this is from Orders and Regulations!! It’s being put forward as the standard. Heroism is pointed to as the rule, not the exception. In fact it was an expectation! And our history records that many lived up to it. “Salvationism” was practically synonymous with heroism.

Is this still the case, I wonder, or have things changed in our more enlightened day and age?

Tell me…what’s expected of Salvationists where you live? What’s required of the soldiers at your corps? What standard are they held to? Is “just showing up” good enough? Is that all that’s asked or hoped for?

Using our heroic past as a backdrop, it just may be that there’s a message for the soldiers of today’s Salvation Army to be found in the following passage:

Remember those days in the past when you first learned the truth. You had a hard struggle with many sufferings, but you continued strong. Sometimes you were hurt and attacked before crowds of people, and sometimes you shared with those who were being treated that way. You helped the prisoners. You even had joy when all that you owned was taken from you, because you knew you had something better and more lasting.

So do not lose the courage you had in the past, which has a great reward. Hebrews 10:32-35 (NCV)

Learn from our past. Let it serve as a model. Hold to our heritage of heroism. Count the cost and be bold for Jesus. Allow God to stir and awaken your inner hero!

Keep your altar ready and your fire hot...!

Willis

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

You remember the story of The Three Little Pigs, right? Early renditions and tellings of this standard fairy tale date back to at least the 1800’s. More recent versions include Disney’s classic 1933 cartoon as well as some more contemporary “politically correct” interpretations. Regardless of which adaptation you choose, the story line is basically the same.

In spite of this fact, however, let’s still have a quick review:

Three young pigs go out into the world to seek their fortunes and make a life for themselves. Two of the pigs are generally irresponsible and indifferent – wanting only to live and enjoy the moment – while the third pig approaches life from a more practical and intentional viewpoint.

Realizing that some sort of shelter will be needed, the first couple of pigs, you’ll recall, want to get the job done as quickly – and with as little effort – as possible They don’t want to be bothered with taking the time required to build sturdy, protective homes. After all, they’re now independent and eager to get on with their new lives and all that it offers. So one of them quickly throws together a house of straw while the other fashions bundles sticks into what he calls a home. Pragmatic pig #3, being far more deliberate and aware of the risks around him, builds his house out of sturdy bricks.

Enter one wolf with a craving for fresh pork.…

He goes to the first pig’s straw house, knocks at the door but is denied entrance (I wonder just how successful the wolf had been over the years in using this approach with other pigs…?). “No big deal,” thinks the wolf. And with hardly any effort at all – a huff here and a puff there – he removes the only flimsy barrier between him and a ham dinner (The fact that the wolf ate the pig is a small detail left out in Disney’s far less traumatic, more “family friendly” telling of the story).

Going up the road to pig number two’s stick house, the wolf has ideas about a second helping of bacon. As before, the pig doesn’t welcome the wolf (go figure!). But welcomed or not, the scene plays out pretty much like the previous pig-wolf encounter: a little huffing, a little puffing, a little blowing, and before you know it, the wolf enjoys a second course of pork chops.

Coming to the third pig’s brick house, the wolf is anticipates yet another helping of what has essentially proven to be a day-long ham fest. Once again he goes with the direct door-knocking approach, and for the third time is not invited in. Fine – time for the huffing, puffing, and blowing. But something’s different. This time he’s dealing with a would-be victim who is prepared, on guard, and equipped for just such a danger. Try as he will, the wolf can only bully, bluster, and do his best to intimidate. The pig, on the other hand, is safely behind solid defenses, and never becomes the wolf’s victim.

OK, so why this review of an old folk tale? It’s simple, really. You see, as with all good fairy tales I think there’s a lesson – a moral in the story – to be learned and applied.

In the culture and society where I live (USA South), a significant percentage of believers appear to live their day-to-day spiritual lives in the careless, lackadaisical style of little pigs #1 and #2. Their actions and choices seem to reflect a driving desire to live only for the moment as they impulsively chase after whatever the culture’s latest “shiny trend,” or current “fad-du-jour” may be.

That being said, they still want some kind of shelter for their souls. But not wanting the bother and discipline required to build a substantial, unshakable faith, they search for something quicker and easier. As a result, many have settled for a kind of cut-rate, wobbly, spiritual shanty that’s held together with little more than the sappy stickiness of the emotional “soul candy” that gets handed out Sunday after Sunday in some churches. Certainly no place to run when times get tough!

Blinded by the dazzle of the culture’s latest “shiny trend,” or the current “fad-du-jour”– and not wanting to miss out on any aspect of it – they’ve completely lost sight of the fact that there is a savage enemy far more cunning than any fairy tale wolf that actually prowls, stalks, and hunts them.

Peter doesn’t beat around the bush. Inspired by the Spirit of God, he gives us the information right between the eyes…

“Control yourselves and be careful! The devil, your enemy,
goes around like a roaring lion looking for someone to eat.”
1 Peter 5:8 (NCV)

Let’s understand something, gang… The devil – this one that Scripture calls “your enemy” – is not looking to simply “slow you down,” “trip you up,” “discourage you,” “cause you to stumble,” or any of the other little cutsie phrases some Christians use to describe his actions. He’s not some sort of celestial naughty boy who hides in the bushes waiting to play a prank or mischievous trick on us. No, the Bible paints the clear picture of a predatory, murderous, cold-blooded enemy – like a wild, man-eating lion – with a goal of stopping short of nothing less than to kill your soul, and destroy your faith. This is why it’s so critical that the Christian Soldier intentionally builds a strong, durable faith that can withstand the enemy’s efforts to get past our defenses and destroy us.

If your local evening news broadcast alerted you to the fact that a real life, man-eating lion had somehow escaped from the zoo and was last seen prowling around in your neighborhood, tell me…what would that do to your personal “caution level?” Would you bolt your doors and lock your windows? What other security measures might you put in place to protect your family and yourself? How closely would you listen to every sound that reached your ears? And if for some unimaginable reason you had to go outside, just how watchful and alert would you be as all your senses maxed out their awareness?

So why is it that so many don’t operate on spiritual “high alert” to what the Bible says is the exact same kind of threat?

Instead of diligently guarding their hearts and staying watchful for the presence of danger, a significant number of Christians leave the access points of their lives and hearts (e.g. the eyes, the ears, the mind, etc.) wide open and unprotected. Careless about such things as the kinds of DVD’s and TV shows they watch, the sites they visit on their computers and the books and magazines they choose to read, far too many have had their spiritual lives ripped to shreds by this lion-like enemy. No huffing and puffing was needed for him to get past their defenses and savage their souls. He just figuratively knocked on the door and was welcomed in!

General Frederick Coutts sure hit the nail on the head when he observed:

“Many of us know so little of Satan’s real power because we yield so easily.

He has no need to exert himself unduly. We fall so quickly for so little.”

— General Frederick Coutts
The Call to Holiness

How about you…?

Considering your own life and spiritual experience over, let’s say, the last 3-6 months, do you think the enemy sees you as a pushover or an immoveable opponent? A fat target or a fierce fighter? How substantial is the protection around your heart? How hard is it for him to reach you? Do you stand strong or fall easily?

Let me suggest that we take the attitude William Pearson talks about:

No, we never, never, never will give in,
No we won’t! No we won’t!
No, we never, never, never will give in,
For we mean to have the victory forever.

Song 800
Salvation Army Songbook

Keep your altar ready and your fire hot...

Willis