Friday Fight 192: Our Spiritual Checklist

Every Friday, when I wake and pray, God places something on my heart to help fight darkness beginning in our minds. Today is FF192.

What would we do if we heard a noise, looked outside, and noticed someone attempting to break into our neighbor's house? Do we pass it off as something outside of our responsibilities, or do we take action and call the police? Many would intervene, knowing it is our civic duty and a privilege to help our neighbor, yet at times, it may feel easier to convince ourselves it was just the wind and go back to sleep. With all that many of us do to safeguard our homes, to what extent do we protect our hearts and the hearts of others?

Our Spiritual Checklist:

In today's world, many of us have cameras, alarm systems, and devices set up to protect our homes, and we assume everyone else does, too. But what happens when the enemy of our souls tries to do the same thing—sneak into our neighbor's life without them realizing it to steal, kill, and destroy? This is explained in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” What happens to our civic duty or involvement when we see this happening?

Let's examine intervention methods to apply this lesson, for ourselves and others. First and foremost, we pray for our family and those around us. We need to be aware that just like the entry of our home when we open the door and carry in sin, darkness is stealing the joy of the Lord. This is through things like hidden anger or hatred. However, we are not powerless and can protect our spiritual health, just like we do with our home, by covering our household in prayer and scripture.

Civic participation is the measure by which we involve ourselves in our community. Are we mindful of our active involvement in our spiritual health and that of others? How can we safeguard our family's spiritual stability or neighbors' spiritual well-being if we aren't monitoring our spiritual health? This is where self-reflection is necessary. We cannot ignore the spiritual health of our family while focusing on and serving everyone else. We need time to reflect and be equally diligent in preserving our hearts first. We cannot let darkness work inside our homes while we pray for the safety of other’s homes.

Let’s begin by reviewing the answers to these questions: are we unknowingly allowing Satan to enter our homes by harboring anger or bitterness? Are we utilizing the weapons God has provided us to combat these negative influences, or are we inadvertently becoming the tools Satan uses to hinder spiritual growth and sow discord within our own family? Have we ever stopped to ponder what spiritual darkness might have stolen from our lives without realizing it?

Let's start a spiritual checklist as a reminder to check the premises of our spiritual lives. Are we in the Word, praying, and working to surround ourselves with other believers? Are we attending church or small groups? The less spiritually involved we are, the less God can work through us for the healing and spiritual goodness of ourselves and others. Let's get checking! The joy of the Lord is our Strength!

Pastor Shannon

River Church