As they exited the cave and stepped into the light of the new morning, Josh and his dad took a quick inventory of their battle wounds. There would be several scars, but their flesh would heal eventually. They then looked around and found Castle Mountain, finally out of the grip of the low stratus clouds. The safety of camp awaited them at the base of that rocky hill. Leaving the defeated beast behind them in his own lair, they strode out at a brisk pace, talking excitedly about their stories and feeling like they had been through some major defining moment in their lives.
"I will never, ever forget that the Enemy is always out there, lurking around!", Josh stated.
"No kidding. Part of his success is trying to make everyone think he's not real and then he blindsides them when they least expect it.", his dad replied.
"He's probably where all the bad thoughts and feelings of failure come from too, I bet.", Josh reasoned.
"You got that right. But if we know where they come from, we can recognize that we are being attacked and can destroy them early.", his dad responded. "In fact, that drives home a truth for me. This 'quiet time' that we are supposed to have every day is easily skewed. We tend to just go through the motions in a rush, missing the whole purpose of it in the first place. Fact is, it is a time where we actually connect with God and prepare for life that day. I guess it's a good idea to try to do it in the morning. Think of it this way, Josh: if we were told we had to work out thirty minutes a day or else we would die, would we not do it? Who wouldn't? Knowing that spiritual warfare is real and that attacks will come upon us as believers and followers of Christ, we cannot afford to enter daily life without fully preparing. Our lives do depend on it!"
"We ought to just do whatever we really enjoy doing for our quiet times. Those are the times I am closest to God anyway. Like, I think I'll try to take a quick walk every morning to make time to talk with God and start the day off right. It'll get me in shape both ways!", Josh came up with.
They stopped for a break to catch their breath and Josh's dad pulled out his small New Testament.
"Lord, I want to take this time to pray through Ephesians 6: 10-18. We want to be strong in your mighty power and put on your full armor so we can take a stand against the devil's schemes. We know our struggle isn't against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of evil. We want to be able to stand our ground, and stand firm with the belt of truth around our waist, the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with our feet fitted with the readiness that comes only from the gospel of peace. We take up the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is your word. We commit to praying in the Spirit on all occasions, and will always be alert, and pray for other fellow believers to do the same. Amen."
As they exited the cave and stepped into the light of the new morning, Josh and his dad took a quick inventory of their battle wounds. There would be several scars, but their flesh would heal eventually. They then looked around and found Castle Mountain, finally out of the grip of the low stratus clouds. The safety of camp awaited them at the base of that rocky hill. Leaving the defeated beast behind them in his own lair, they strode out at a brisk pace, talking excitedly about their stories and feeling like they had been through some major defining moment in their lives.