Winter in North Florida brings a mixed bag. We have warm temperatures, cool temperatures, and downright frigid temperatures. We have dry fronts and wet fronts. We have rain, sleet, flurries, and even enough snow to stick for a day—once every twenty or thirty years. One year we had a winter storm with 100 mph winds, several inches of rain, a freeze, and power outages for a couple of days. All in Florida, "The Sunshine State."
In the past two weeks we have had flood watches, wind advisories, and both frost and freeze warnings. In the country we watch those things more than the city folks do. Most of us have a fall/winter garden that might need covering, a well that needs to stay warm enough to run, and hoses and pipes "in the open." And power is iffy, even on the sunniest of days. All it takes is some lineman to sneeze for us to lose it for a few hours. So we keep up with those advisories.
We will do that for this physical, temporal world. Will we keep up with advisories for our souls? The scriptures warn us again and again that the Devil is out there like a lion "seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). He has tricks up his sleeve (2 Cor 2:11). He sends out his own helpers disguised as "ministers of righteousness" (2 Cor 11:15).
We are told again and again, "Be sober," "Be watchful," "Be alert," "Be on guard," "Be vigilant." How many times do we ignore those sin advisories and just let the Devil waltz on into our lives unchallenged?
A lot of people in Florida have tried to ignore hurricane warnings, treating them like a big joke. Many of them have learned better the hard way. Are we doing the same thing with our souls?
Give no opportunity to the Devil. Eph 4:27
Dene Ward
In the past two weeks we have had flood watches, wind advisories, and both frost and freeze warnings. In the country we watch those things more than the city folks do. Most of us have a fall/winter garden that might need covering, a well that needs to stay warm enough to run, and hoses and pipes "in the open." And power is iffy, even on the sunniest of days. All it takes is some lineman to sneeze for us to lose it for a few hours. So we keep up with those advisories.
We will do that for this physical, temporal world. Will we keep up with advisories for our souls? The scriptures warn us again and again that the Devil is out there like a lion "seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). He has tricks up his sleeve (2 Cor 2:11). He sends out his own helpers disguised as "ministers of righteousness" (2 Cor 11:15).
We are told again and again, "Be sober," "Be watchful," "Be alert," "Be on guard," "Be vigilant." How many times do we ignore those sin advisories and just let the Devil waltz on into our lives unchallenged?
A lot of people in Florida have tried to ignore hurricane warnings, treating them like a big joke. Many of them have learned better the hard way. Are we doing the same thing with our souls?
Give no opportunity to the Devil. Eph 4:27
Dene Ward
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