I was out walking this morning, the first day of fall 2010. It actually was a lovely breezy morning (and you know how I feel about a good breeze) even though the day promised a return of humidity and a possible storm. I didn’t have much time because my day is full of business and kids, so I took a short 2 mile route… my goal a bit of exercise, and some quiet time with my Father.
It didn’t take long before I was completely distracted and feeling like I was in the line of fire. At first I heard something hit somewhere behind me… then beside me and in front of me all at the same time. Remnants from the attack went rolling past my quickly moving feet as I hustled to get out of the danger zone. The enemy was stationed somewhere between 60 and 80 feet up in the trees.
You guessed it…Squirrels.
I’m not certain if they were purposefully shaking the limbs of the trees to make the nuts (mortar) fall or if they were just carelessly running around and accidentally detaching the nuts… in either case nuts were falling fast and furiously. I pondered the pain that may be invoked if a nut hit me on the head. You may laugh, but consider a nut falling from 100 feet in the air… I was pretty sure that I would feel it. Which led me to think about what I could possibly do to protect myself from such ‘friendly’ fire. The best that I could come up with was to remember to wear a hat. Put on a hat for protection from unexpected attacks from falling objects.
I had to laugh as God began to reveal to me that my squirrel assualt was applicable to my everyday life.
How often do you get up out of bed and head off into your day without protection from the unknown and the attacks of the enemy. Ephesians 6:10-18 encourages us to be prepared and put on the Armor of God…
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Today, God reminded me to start the day by preparing for the unexpected attacks from the enemy… and to not go for a walk in the fall without a hat 🙂
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