Spirit Alerts
“Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at His coming.”- 1 Peter 1:13
What is that sound? I am sure that question has crossed your mind when you hear an odd noise. Last week that question came to my mind when I borrowed my son’s car. As I parked at the church property and opened the door, a high-pitched alarm went off. Being unfamiliar with the car, I checked the dashboard for clues and then the gear shift to make sure it was in the “park” position. Not finding anything, I closed the door and immediately the sound stopped. It was only after entering the church building, I noticed the headlights were still on. Due to the morning fog, I had turned them on and had forgotten to turn them off. The alarm was letting me know something needed my attention.
In a summer marked by the fog of the pandemic, we need the light of God’s presence, through the Holy Spirit, and the light of God’s truth, through the Holy Scriptures, to guide us in His perfect light, increasing strength, and unfailing promises. The phrase Peter uses, “fully sober”, means to be self-controlled and composed in one’s thinking. The fog of this world can be disorienting, distracting, and even debilitating…if we allow it to be. May we allow the Spirit to alert us to areas that will help us live upright and stay on course no matter the objects that seek to impair our sight. Proverbs 15:19 tells us, “…the path of the upright is a highway.”
The Spirit will alert us in ways that PROTECT US. He will stop us from immediately and angrily responding to a Facebook post; He will show us not to believe or buy into every new story that comes across the internet; He will expose to us places of fear, doubt, and sin that He wants to deliver us from. Later in 1 Peter 5:8-9a the apostle says, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist Him, standing firm in the faith.”
The Spirit will also alert us to OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE/BLESS. The Spirit will put a person on our heart to reach out to with a quick text and kind note; He will have us cross paths with someone who needs to be prayed for and/or hear the good news about Jesus; He will quicken our spirit to be in prayer for our family/friends, neighborhoods, church, and world. In 2 Timothy 4:2 Paul commands, “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.”
Do not allow the current COVID fog to put you in a spiritual lull or to suck dry your life power. Hear the Spirit signal you to what is going on, what the real problem is, and what to do in every situation!