Take Care that Your Hearts Aren't Dulled

September 14, 2023

Luke 21:34-38 | Ephesians 6:10-18

Take care that your hearts aren’t dulled.

Does this list of three things seem odd to you? The first two are pretty much the same and the third is nothing like the first two. But you can hopefully see how all three are certainly fodder for dulled hearts.

Jesus says here that days like this will happen and come upon everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Mama said there’d be days like this. Apparently Mama listened to Jesus.

Jesus never really tells his disciples to avoid or escape difficulty, but to stand firm within it and get through it with a certainty that it will not last.

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Luke 21:34-38

“Take care that your hearts aren’t dulled by drinking parties, drunkenness, and the anxieties of day-to-day life. Don’t let that day fall upon you unexpectedly, like a trap. It will come upon everyone who lives on the face of the whole earth. Stay alert at all times, praying that you are strong enough to escape everything that is about to happen and to stand before the Human One.”

Every day Jesus was teaching in the temple, but he spent each night on the Mount of Olives. All the people rose early in the morning to hear him in the temple area.

Ephesians 6:10-18

Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and his powerful strength. Put on God’s armor so that you can make a stand against the tricks of the devil. We aren’t fighting against human enemies but against rulers, authorities, forces of cosmic darkness, and spiritual powers of evil in the heavens. Therefore, pick up the full armor of God so that you can stand your ground on the evil day and after you have done everything possible to still stand. So stand with the belt of truth around your waist, justice as your breastplate, and put shoes on your feet so that you are ready to spread the good news of peace. Above all, carry the shield of faith so that you can extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word.

Offer prayers and petitions in the Spirit all the time. Stay alert by hanging in there and praying for all believers.

Prayer

God,

Honestly, I often found the “armor of faith” to be a bit hokey. Maybe it’s because I don’t really relate to putting on armor. Or because after the glitz of childhood glee that you’d give me some armor wore off, I couldn’t find the actual truth within.

But in more recent times, I’ve come to see beyond flashing metal and knights of the round table to the point of the illustration. And so I do want the tools to be able to withstand the face of evil.

So gird me up, God. Give me strength for today and hope for tomorrow. Keep me on my feet and help me to get back up if and when I fall. Give me faith for better times when they don’t seem apparent. And help me to hold up others in the midst of the fray.

By your spirit & in Christ,
Amen.