Thursday, September 5, 2024

Stay Alert!

Prayer ~ Lord, Peter tell us that we need to stay alert and watch out for our enemy, the devil. Open our eyes that we won’t be deceived by him, or take captive. There is evil out there—wherever there is an absence of God…there is evil. Please continue to surround us with Your love and guide us as we put on Your armor. Is spiritual warfare is part of our lives? 

So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. All power to him forever! Amen. 1 Peter 5:6-11 (Underlined for emphasis.)

 

Meditate. Stay focused and alert.

 

Are you staying alert? What keeps you attention?

            Peter is giving some great advice here…be humble. Give your worries and anxiety to God. Wake up—stay alert. Something—or someone, the devil, is out there watching you. He is wanting to catch you up and trip you. Stay strong in your faith—don’t stop believing in the power of God to help you in the difficult time. Everyone has challenging times in their lives…and around the world there are many who are facing persecution, trials, and tribulations greater than anything we can imagine. Yet, right within my own community there is a horrific situation with sex trafficking that is going on right under our noses…and most people aren’t even aware of the magnitude of it. Trafficking also includes forced labor and domestic servitude exploitation.

Keys take many forms.
What does the "respect" key look like?


What is the solution? I think ultimately, the key is respect. If people were truly loving one another, as Jesus taught, then this type of behavior wouldn’t be happening. If boys are not taught to respect girls and women, then as they get sexual urges, they seek any way to express that desire. Yet, it all comes down to financial gain. Someone, not those being exploited, is making money from these activities. Lust. Greed. Covetousness. People wanting for themselves what someone else has.

What can you do? Call 911, if you suspect that a victim is in an unsafe situation. Don’t put yourself at risk. Contact the authorities. In the Tri-Cities, Washington, there is an advocate group, Mirror Ministries, that can be called 24-hours a day on their hotline, (509) 212-9995. This group meets the needs of trafficking survivors, educates about human trafficking, and engages in outreach in our community.

In other areas, contact the Homeland Security Investigation Tip Line, where trained staff takes calls 24 hours a day, at 1-866-347-2423, or outside the US at 802-872-6199. Additionally, the National Human Trafficking Hotline can connect victims and survivors with local assistance no matter where they are in the US, also 24 hours a day, at 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP or INFO to BeFree (233733).

No one needs to suffer, if people can just be aware and care. Seek more information at the dhs.gov web sites. Can you choose to begin with prayer for these exploited people.

 

Verse of Salvation ~ "The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD's favor has come." Luke 4:18-19

 

© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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