Most everyone I know loves the Star Wars franchise. We grew up not well off financially so eating out and going out were seldom events. So imagine my surprise when we jumped in the car to go see The Empire Strikes Back!! It was an incredible moment and I watched everything Star Wars since then.

But what if I told you we really were in a battle against evil? What if I told you there was such a thing as a spiritual light saber (tune in next week for more on this)?

Paul introduces us to this battle against an unseen enemy who truly wants to destroy everything you love. In Ephesians 6:10-12, he describes our battle which is not against flesh and blood but against the unseen world following the Devil himself. But how does the Devil attack us if we can’t see him? Well, he’ll attack you where you are most vulnerable. Where ever the vulnerable place is in your life is where the Devil will attack. Here are the top 5:

Anger. I’m 50% Irish so I blame my anger streak on my heritage. But there is something about anger, if unchecked, allows the Devil to breakthrough your defenses and set up basecamp. Once we’ve allowed that, we will begin to justify all kinds of things to make us feel right about it.

Pride. Most of us have had moments of overconfidence. There have been times in your life when someone you know fell down metaphorically and you laughed. You said that would never happen to you. You are too “on top of it” for that to happen to you. When you do that, you’ve invited the enemy into your life.

Distraction. This might be the worst one currently as most Americans are very distracted. Social media does it to us all the time. You’ve experience God moving in your life in some way and then it happens. Work calls and they need you to work weekends. Something happens with the kids or your marriage. Some out of the blue thing occurs which makes you adjust the Kingdom work you were going to get in to.

Division. The Devil knows if he can get us to turn on each other, he’ll pick us off one by one. Jesus prayed for our unity in John 17 but for some reason, our selfishness gets in the way of working together for the cross and we end up with arms crossed, not working together.

Isolation. Over the last three years we’ve been isolated. It appears the very thing that kept us physically healthy has weakened us spiritually. Social distancing and isolation have been a death kneel for many folks who called themselves Christians. The worst thing we can do is say, “I don’t need people or the church. I’ve got this. I don’t need anyone.” The Apostle Peter says that the Devil is like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour (1 Peter 5:8). Don’t be alone…it’s dangerous.

To be sure, we need Jesus Christ and we need the church. There’s way too much at stake to not take this battle seriously. Be alert. Realize the unseen world is real. Know where your vulnerabilities lie. Know through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can defeat the Devil. Blessings on your journey.

When have you prayed like there’s no tomorrow? I mean one of those prayers that leave your heart pounding and a glisten on your forehead. We have all said those “generic” prayers but how many of us have really prayed for change in our lives and a different self?

David does that in Psalms 139 but before he gets to the meat of his prayer, he acknowledges God is supreme. He knows God is all-knowing, ever-present, and all-powerful. We serve an awesome God who has never been and will never be beaten in any regard. Like David’s prayer in Psalms 139:23-24, we too should be praying for transformation. There are four different parts of the prayer we need to imitate that David prays.

First, we pray for God to search our heart and show us the places we do not look like Jesus. Without Jesus, we don’t have good hearts. Jeremiah knew this as he states in Jeremiah 17:9, ““The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?”

If we prayed this honestly, what would God show us? Are we prideful, self-centered, or prejudiced? Are we compassion, loving, and forgiving? When you openly pray this, God will show you where your heart truly is and what you might need to work on in order to look more like his son Jesus.

Secondly, we pray for God to show us the things that make us anxious or worried. For each of us, it’s something different. Maybe you are worried about your marriage or your kids. Maybe you are anxious about the career path or being able to pay your bills. What I do know is what we fear the most shows us where we trust God the least. But we cannot be driven by fear if we follow Jesus. God has given us a spirit of boldness, love, and power, not a spirit of timidity.

The third thing David prays for and we should as well is that our sins be uncovered. The things in our life that distance us from Jesus should be revealed so that they no longer hinder our walk. It’s easy to see other people’s sin but much more difficult to see mine. I can point out all the deficiencies in your life but never see how I need to change.

So to help with that, we should ask ourselves three questions: What are others trying to tell me? There are always a handful of people who are jealous and trying to give you false info about yourself. I’m not talking about those folks. But your have 10-12 people in your life you trust and if they are all saying the same thing, maybe it’s time to be aware of what they are revealing to you.

You might ask yourself, what have I rationalized for a time? or where am I most defensive? Those two honest answers will reveal areas of your life you should examine to be more in line with how Jesus would want us to live as his disciple. Ultimately, when sin is revealed, it reminds us as imperfect people there is only one person who can make us right again and his Name is Jesus.

Finally, like David, we ask God to lead us. Once I said “yes” to Jesus, I threw away the script the world gave me and now I live like Jesus would live. So, if someone takes advantage of me, we don’t return with worse action. If someone hits me, I simply walk away. If someone talks poorly about me, I bless them. I follow another way of life…the one Jesus has called me live.

When we pray for God to search us and then lead us, it will totally change and rearrange your life for the better. Jesus can and will change your life for the better. Blessings on the journey.

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