Dressed to Kill

Three days zipped by with no organized prayer time or Bible reading, no sitting at my table soaking in the love of God, no time to luxuriate in stillness, no resting in His presence.

Praying "on the hoof" sustained me through battles. Snatching moments to quote scripture, minutes here and there for meditation kept my mind focused on things above. I can stay encouraged by the praise music in my Ipod and the encouragement of the Christian comrades who walk alongside. The prodding and reminders from the Spirit keep me walking by faith not sight when over-scheduling and interruptions crowd my days.

Life happens and sometimes I simply must do my best to keep fighting through the battles. Three days, though, is my limit. Beyond that, I stop being alert in battle and my focus turns to accomplishments and routines.

My heart tugs with a pang this morning, urgently reminding me that Father is calling me to Him so He can refresh my spirit. I am wounded and vulnerable, suffering from battle fatigue. The evil one, my enemy, is still within sight, waiting, wanting me back in the battle zone. He’ll have to wait until the splashes of joy bubble up in my reservoir and fill it to overflowing. He’ll have to wait while I am soothed and restored by the abiding peace found only in Father’s gentle hands. He’ll have to wait until Father’s faithfulness restores my will to keep fighting.

My need for Him creates determination to fight for you, dear children, to fight with you, against this enemy who would rip your souls, devour your time and destroy your lives. Nobody believes in you more than I do. Years of loving you has made me wide awake, fully alert to your needs and my own.

 Busyness destroys the heart. It allows time for the evil one to begin lining up his tanks and strategically placing his bombs in areas that will perhaps not even be noticed for several days. Later his accusations will go from a faint hammering to incessant pounding, but in the beginning he is subtle, a predator hiding in the grasses, waiting to devour and seeking the right time for attack. He knows when my defenses are down. He sees where I am vulnerable. He waits patiently for the kill because he has had a plan for my destruction from the first day God began knitting me together in my mother’s womb.

He has the will and motive. Especially now while I am resting, tired and overwhelmed by the noise and fray of life, he watches for opportunity. It is so easy to spend more time being busy than resting in the safe haven of my first love. He is a God who is there and is not silent, but I can become too busy to be still and know it.

I will return to battle with a full tank, ready to run back into the trenches of spiritual warfare with a heart well-guarded and a mind well-trained for battle. So let the evil one wait because when I return to battle I will be in full armor, dressed to kill.