333 Words

333 WORDS….

D-Day, june 6, 1944: The Allies attacked their enemy on the beaches of Normandy, France, the largest amphibian invasion ever.

Object: Establish a beachhead. A firm foothold was required from where they could further advance the war. The enemy must be subdued and dethroned.

Both sides realized victory or defeat of the entire war would be determined on the beach. The enemy defended the coastline with minefields, concrete walls, barbed wire, fortified artillery emplacements and thousands of troops.

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You, too, have an entrenched enemy that must be defeated. And you, too, must establish a beachhead, a firm foothold from where you can gain further victories. You have a determined enemy who must be brought down. The otherwise is a future parallel to the past.

You think the enemy is him, her or them. No, the enemy is…. you. Sure, they are accomplices. And certainly “spiritual hosts of wickedness” are involved. But the real enemy is you.

As Paul’s enemy was Paul (“The good that I want to do, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.”) and Peter’s enemy was Peter (“Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”) so your enemy is you…. distracted, pampered, self-focused you.

For you, a beachhead is not a plot of land, but an hour of time. One hour, hopefully the first and freshest hour, you and Lord Jesus, no one else. Every day, without fail, the rest of your life. An hour of abiding, soaking, communicating. No petitions, no prayer list, no distractions.

When this foothold is established and permanently fortified, you can get on with the business of subduing and dethroning the you in you. One hour will eventually turn into three or four. When you work or socialize you will be mindful of Him. In time your entire day will be a day of abiding.

For now, think beachhead. It will be hard, real hard. But you do have an ally, the Holy Spirit.