Dear brothers and sisters in the faith:

     Be prepared.  You're up against far more than you can handle on your own.  Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet.  Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words.  Learn how to apply them.  You'll need them throughout your life.  God's Word is an indispensable weapon.  Pray hard and long.  Pray for your brothers and sisters.  Keep your eyes open.  Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.
     Well, if you made it this far, I want you to do something.  Go back and re-read that first paragraph.  Really.
     Did you re-read it?  (Be honest).  Good.  You just read a modern translation of Ephesians 6:10-18.  St. Paul was writing to early Christians who lived in a secular society, antagonistic to Christian values and beliefs.  Hmm.  Sounds a lot like today.
     "You're up against far more than you can handle on your own."  (Eph. 6:12).  How very true for us.  So what can be done? Do we just give up and give in?  No, we equip ourselves for what is to come.
     Think about it.  Before we go away on vacation, we prepare.  Before we sit down for dinner, we prepare.  Before we send in our tax payments, we prepare.  Before the first snow of winter flies, we prepare.  We prepare for every little thing in life.  Yet, do we prepare ourselves for what the world will throw at us when we open our door tomorrow morning to go to work or school?  Do we prepare ourselves for the salacious trash we see on television every day?  Do we prepare ourselves for the subtle seeping in of our society's selfishness?
     The truth is that we need to learn how to apply those very words that Paul was talking about:  truth righteousness, peace, faith and salvation.  Here's how:  prayer.  That's it.  (Sounds too simple?  Remember, the simplest solutions are often best).
     Paul says, "Pray hard and long.  Pray for your brothers and sisters."  We need to prepare with prayer.  Before you walk out the door in the morning, pray.  Before you walk into a difficult situation, pray.  Before you allow yourself to give into temptation "just this one time," pray. 
     Together, we can face everything we may find in life.  If only we pray.  If only we take the few seconds or minutes to pray - to talk with God and seek His guidance and wisdom.  If only we seek strength and ask, "What Would Jesus Do?"
     So, are you prepared?

     God's blessings to you,

Pastor Jon West