pWhen you’re in a really good place spiritually, it’s easy to get complacent - but that’s exactly the time you’re vulnerable to attack. Even Jesus wasn’t exempt. In a display of supernatural power, He fed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish. After a miracle like that, most of us would’ve decided it was time to kick back and take it easy for a while. But instead of basking in the afterglow, Jesus ‘departed to the mountain to pray’ (Mark 6:46 NKJV). He was about to face one of the roughest storms of His ministry (Mark 6:48). Christian author Henry Blackaby wrote: ‘the disciples raced headlong into the tempest unprepared, but…Jesus entered the storm prepared and met the crisis with all the power of God.’ Prayer is really important. It protects us, prepares us, and strengthens us. Prayer gives us an extra layer of protection to help us handle whatever comes our way. So when we’re trying to avoid giving Satan the advantage, there’s a few things we can do. First, we need to ‘resist [him] and he’ll flee’ (James 4:7 NIV). Also we should surround ourselves with people who’ll encourage us and influence us in the right way. Most importantly, we need to keep ourselves connected to God through reading the Bible and through praying. Author Vern McLellan said, ‘In the morning prayer opens the treasures of God’s mercies and blessings, and in the evening it shuts us up under His protection and safeguard.’ Each day pray and add your extra layer of protection. /p
pWhat Now?br /
As you get dressed today, with each layer of clothing you put on, ask God to surround you with extra layers of His protection./p