by Rev. Rick Pursley
LEARN HIM-LOVE HIM=LIVE HIM
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8
As the news of the horrific events in Texas still dominate our headlines, we as citizens are numb. We aren’t shocked anymore by mass shootings in our schools or churches. Satan has done such a good job of spreading terror, hate, prejudice and evil throughout our nation, we have sadly gotten used to it.
Our churches and our schools used to be a safe haven. A place where we had the expectation of feeling safe. Those days I am afraid are gone. We want to trust our elected officials to do the right thing, but they have lost the trust of their constituents along time ago. It is no longer about right or wrong, It is about party lines and partisan politics.
Our schools are locked down during regular class hours so nobody can just wander in off the street. Security measures in our churches have had to be implemented with select church members carrying a firearm to protect the rest of the congregants. We would like to think “it can’t happen here.” Unfortunately it can happen anywhere.
Satan loves to inflict pain and suffering on God’s people. He will attack us spiritually, mentally, and yes, even physically. I believe the closer the day comes for Christ to return, that Satans attacks will become more frequent and more extreme.
We as Christians need to be people of prayer, preparedness, protective and proactive. We need to pray for peace, yet be prepared for these times when peace appears to be out of reach. We need to be prepared to protect our most precious gift of all, our children. We need to be proactive by implementing those practices before, not after something happens.
We like to think, “it will never happen here.” To adopt that belief is reckless. As long as Satan roams this earth, evil things will happen. We must take every precaution spiritually, emotionally and physically to be prepared.