Stay Alert
by Gemma Gardner
I went into the kitchen early one morning. I wanted to prepare a casserole to cook in the slow cooker while I was out shopping in the morning, so it would be ready for lunch. Henry, our dog, was fast asleep in his bed and didn’t stir until I started cutting up the vegetables. He then walked out into the lounge, and soon I heard him playing with his squeaky toys. I thought to myself, “Good, he’s okay and having fun.”
I carried on with what I was doing, but soon after I heard a sound like ripping, and I went to see what was happening. There was Henry, standing in the middle of a pile of torn tissues and ripping up the box! He had taken a new box of tissues off a shelf and was destroying it. I told him off in no uncertain terms and put him back in the kitchen, closing the pet gate so he had to stay with me.
When I told Dean what had happened, he remarked, “You can’t trust him unsupervised.” That is so true. I was responsible for leaving him in the lounge unattended. Now, when I am working in the kitchen, I keep Henry in with me till I have finished.
In the above verse of Scripture, Peter is warning his readers, and us, to stay alert. We have an enemy, Satan, who is opposed to the Lord and all those who belong to Him. He seeks to use our circumstances, our relationships, and our desires to trip us up and gain advantage over us, making us ineffective for the Lord in what we do.
Dean and I always read and pray together at the beginning of the day and ask the Lord to lead us and be involved in everything we do. Even so, there are still times when I am caught off guard and I am not using my time wisely. I need the Lord’s help and wisdom in all my daily activities.
At the end of each day, Dean and I pray together and thank the Lord for His faithfulness and ask for His forgiveness in those situations where we have been tripped up. It’s good to know that the Lord always wipes our slate clean when we come to Him and confess any wrongdoing.
Gemma Gardner lives in Norfolk with her husband, Dean, who until recently worked at Ellel Grange. They are both part of the Associate Ministry team which Gemma joined after completing the Modular school. Gemma has experienced the Lord`s healing and restoration over many years and longs to see Him healing other broken people. Gemma loves listening to music, cooking, knitting and crochet as well as outdoor exercise. She enjoys playing guitar and singing worship songs.
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