Years ago, as a young pastor, I received some very good advice. I was told to find some small pastime to engage in on a regular basis that would give me immediate gratification. Whether that activity be sketching, painting, woodworking, gardening, landscaping, or any other similar activity, this was very important.
The reason for this is because ministry is an endeavor that very often takes a long time to see the full results. And sadly, it can be disappointing and even depressing to labor away without seeing results as soon as one might desire. For this reason, I have tried to follow that advice. While my interests have changed, as have the chosen activities I have pursued along the way, following this advice has served me well down through the years.
These days, one such small daily activity I engage in is to play a game on my iPad. It is called “Boom Beach”. For those unfamiliar with this game, according to Wikipedia, “Boom Beach is a freemium massively multiplayer online real-time strategy game for iOS and Android, developed by Supercell… (It) is a strategy game that combines attacks on and from other players with attacks against computer-generated (NPC) bases. The game's storyline is set in a tropical archipelago with the player on an island with defenses and troops.”
My son-in-law introduced it to me a couple of years ago. Nowadays, I tend to play it around twice a day - for a little while in the morning, and then once again for a few minutes before I go to bed at night. Later, I introduced it to my brother-in-law; and we often have friendly competitions to see who can defeat more bad guys and rescue more islanders.
One thing I have learned to do is to scan the map right away to see if my scouts have found an enemy-held island that is not well defended. Naturally, these hapless individuals are the first targets I go after. Their readily apparent vulnerability quickly gets my attention, making them tempting targets for my own invasion forces.
Sometimes, however, when I click on one of these bases, I receive the following message: “You cannot attack right now. The player is online. You must wait until they are no longer connected.”
Having seen this message recently, I was struck by its spiritual application. Is it not true that, as believers, we are constantly being scrutinized by our enemy, the evil one?. First Peter chapter 5, verse 8 tells us that he lurks about as a lion, seeking those among us who are susceptible to an easy attack.
This vulnerability can sometimes be brought on by circumstances in life that are beyond our control. But often, it comes about merely through a lack of attention to our spiritual life. Either way, the Devil soon enough spots our weakness, and quickly exploits it.
Thankfully, however, even when we are vulnerable, we are not without hope. Whenever we recognize that we are in a precarious situation, and then make a deliberate attempt at reestablishing our connection to Heaven, we find ourselves far less vulnerable in the enemy’s eyes.
For this reason, being faithfully connected to our Heavenly Father through regular prayer and devotion certainly keeps us far less susceptible to spiritual attack, and much less likely to suffer any ill effects from what the Apostle Paul told the Ephesians (in chapter 6, verse 16) were the “fiery darts of the Devil”!
GAME INFORMATION SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boom_Beach.
SCRIPTURE SOURCES: https://biblehub.com/1_peter/5-8.htm;
and https://biblehub.com/ephesians/6-16.htm.
The reason for this is because ministry is an endeavor that very often takes a long time to see the full results. And sadly, it can be disappointing and even depressing to labor away without seeing results as soon as one might desire. For this reason, I have tried to follow that advice. While my interests have changed, as have the chosen activities I have pursued along the way, following this advice has served me well down through the years.
These days, one such small daily activity I engage in is to play a game on my iPad. It is called “Boom Beach”. For those unfamiliar with this game, according to Wikipedia, “Boom Beach is a freemium massively multiplayer online real-time strategy game for iOS and Android, developed by Supercell… (It) is a strategy game that combines attacks on and from other players with attacks against computer-generated (NPC) bases. The game's storyline is set in a tropical archipelago with the player on an island with defenses and troops.”
My son-in-law introduced it to me a couple of years ago. Nowadays, I tend to play it around twice a day - for a little while in the morning, and then once again for a few minutes before I go to bed at night. Later, I introduced it to my brother-in-law; and we often have friendly competitions to see who can defeat more bad guys and rescue more islanders.
One thing I have learned to do is to scan the map right away to see if my scouts have found an enemy-held island that is not well defended. Naturally, these hapless individuals are the first targets I go after. Their readily apparent vulnerability quickly gets my attention, making them tempting targets for my own invasion forces.
Sometimes, however, when I click on one of these bases, I receive the following message: “You cannot attack right now. The player is online. You must wait until they are no longer connected.”
Having seen this message recently, I was struck by its spiritual application. Is it not true that, as believers, we are constantly being scrutinized by our enemy, the evil one?. First Peter chapter 5, verse 8 tells us that he lurks about as a lion, seeking those among us who are susceptible to an easy attack.
This vulnerability can sometimes be brought on by circumstances in life that are beyond our control. But often, it comes about merely through a lack of attention to our spiritual life. Either way, the Devil soon enough spots our weakness, and quickly exploits it.
Thankfully, however, even when we are vulnerable, we are not without hope. Whenever we recognize that we are in a precarious situation, and then make a deliberate attempt at reestablishing our connection to Heaven, we find ourselves far less vulnerable in the enemy’s eyes.
For this reason, being faithfully connected to our Heavenly Father through regular prayer and devotion certainly keeps us far less susceptible to spiritual attack, and much less likely to suffer any ill effects from what the Apostle Paul told the Ephesians (in chapter 6, verse 16) were the “fiery darts of the Devil”!
GAME INFORMATION SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boom_Beach.
SCRIPTURE SOURCES: https://biblehub.com/1_peter/5-8.htm;
and https://biblehub.com/ephesians/6-16.htm.