John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.”

As I read, prayed, and considered the Word of God today, two words filled my heart and mind – STAY ALERT!  That came from Mark 13, where Jesus was speaking about the Last Days.

We cannot focus on God and self at the same time.   We cannot cast all our care(s) on Him and fret over them at the same time.    If we focus on ourselves, our desires, our rights, our needs, our fears, or our pains, we are unable to focus on Him for our total deliverance.

Paul said, “The life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God.” John the Baptist said, “I must decrease, but He must increase.”  We cannot live the abundant life rooted in the limited life of the flesh.

Staying alert requires several things.   We must see Him as the LORD.   We must see life as a mission that is only secondarily about us.   We must believe that He has prepared a place for us and is coming back for us. We must decide that nothing in this life can be allowed to hold our hearts. We must totally surrender to Him.    Selfishness and self are like leaven; they permeate the entire being, and we focus on us, not Him and our mission and commission.

Staying Alert is staying focused!   Staying Alert is dying to self.   Staying Alert requires constant communion with Him!   The Abundant Life becomes a Limited Life if we lose focus and fail to remain alert and watchful. If we lose focus, we will become distracted and divert our focus from Him and His purpose to us, what we feel, what we desire, and what we think we need or even deserve.

Jesus said that to be His disciple, we had to stop being our own disciple. We must “Die to Self,” not focus on and feed the self.   Those who Stay Alert will be like the five wise virgins; they are always ready!  Those who Stay Alert will walk free of the shackles of self and selfishness.

LORD, help us to totally give ourselves to You and be free! Those who enjoy the victorious, abundant life Jesus promised are those who Stay Alert, so Stay Alert!

May today bring you abundance in life that enables you to live to the fullest in His promises!