2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
Reflection
Only One thing could prepare us for what awaited us at the White Mountain Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona several years ago.
There was no doubt in our minds that we were entering a stronghold of Satan. Alcoholism, drugs, abuse, rape, murder and suicide are rampant on the reservation.
And Satan is the puppeteer pulling the strings.
Pete, a mild-mannered missionary from Indiana filled with a passion for the Apache’s, told us what we could expect.
“I’ve been told by many of my friends that an evil spirit, dressed in a black cloak and with sulfurous breath, has come upon them,” said Pete. “And the spirit tells them to kill themselves. That they have no hope. That it would be easier.”
Pete has lost many of his friends to the demons of suicide, addiction and violence over the past dozen years. The week before we left for Arizona, I received an email from Zarine and Frank, the missionaries from our church who went to the reservation, about a gang member who had opened up to them and told them things they were better off not knowing.
Fear of retribution was real.
So, they went to the only One who could protect them. The same One who prepared us for what we found, and not to be afraid. We are in Christ.
Paul warned the Ephesians, and all Christians in the final chapter of his letter to them, writing, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
He told them how to prepare in the preceding and following verses, writing, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
The Lord protected us throughout that week. Even the nasty spill I took that could have easily resulted in a snapped ankle, didn’t slow us down. In fact, God used my fall to help me rise up. But that’s another story for another day.
As for today, we set our minds on things above, not on earthly things. Paul reminded them that you died, and their life was now hidden with Christ in God.
by Rick Reed
For Pondering and Prayer
What do you set your mind on. We died and our life is hidden with Jesus.
Prayer: Most gracious God, may I always lean on Jesus. We have His spirit in us. We can’t help but win. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
