Don't Forget to Set the Alarm

Don't Forget to Set the Alarm

Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. 1 Peter 5:8 (CSB)

We've talked about this before, but it bears repeating, brothers, we need to be aware that there is an enemy that is always nipping at our heels. While God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life -- we have an enemy that knows the end of the book and he doesn't care about your life or mine in the same way God does. He wants to take us out.

Pastor/Author Jay Dennis in his book, The Prayer Experiment, suggests that we daily need to set our alarms just like we might do on our home security systems. In order to activate the system you need to put in the code. Pastor Jay gives suggests that we use the following code based on what biblical writer Job did to activate our spiritual alarm system: 1 12 1 18 13 - 14 15 23 - 15 14 = A L A R M N O W ON (The numbers below correspond in order -- to the letters of the alphabet.)

1. Be right with God. Like Job, we should have a heart for God, a passion for God, and a reckless abandon to God. (Job 1:1)

12. Be morally pure. Like Job, we should have a pure heart that refuse to allow immoral thoughts and actions to seize us. (Job 1:1)

1. Be honest. Like Job, we should tell the truth and be transparent, striving not to be a hypocrite. (Job 1:1)

18. Be awestruck. Like Job, we should have a holy fear of God, a sense of deep reverence and awe at his power and majesty. (Job 1:1)

13. Be avoiding. Like Job, we should avoid anything that even has the appearance of evil. (Job 1:1)

14. Be responsible. Like Job, we should assume responsibility to pray for the people around us and remind them of God. (Job 1:5)

15. Be praying. Like Job, we should pray as a way of life, abiding in prayer and not just praying in emergencies. (Job 1:5)

23. Be ready. Like Job, we should prepare ourselves for Satan's attacks. (Job 1:5)

15. Be worshipping. Like Job, we should praise God even when our world falls apart. (Job 1: 20-21)

14. Be believing anyway. Like Job, we should believe God no matter what the circumstances. (Job 1:22; 13:15)

That's practical stuff, brothers. Have you activated your spiritual security system? Set your alarm today. -- Bill Welte is President and CEO of America's KESWICK

Digging Deeper: Proverbs 21; 1 Chronicles 13-15; John 7:1-27

Dig This Quote: “We must be aware of the various ways sin pulls us to wrong thoughts about God, righteousness, grace, ourselves and sin itself. Only the truth of God’s word and meditation in prayer can reveal the deceitfulness of sin. Sin works against God. Sin will either deceive us into thinking God is a cruel taskmaster, or, if that will not work,will deceive us into thinking He is like a doting grandfather who really does not care what we do. Sin affects every Christian’s view of God and leads us to worship idols, figments of our own imaginations, and not the true God. Sin will deceive us concerning grace. We will either be deceived into thinking it is too good to be true, or we will buy into cheap grace and think that ethics are unimportant.” Dr. Bob Flayhart, Oak Mountain Pres. Church

Determined Digging: Level 1: Proverbs 5:12; Level 2: Psalm 86:11-13