The Plate That Took the Hit

"Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour."
1 John 2:18 (NIV)

Brian Mast is walking point on patrol in Afghanistan when he steps on a hidden bomb. He loses both legs above the knee and a finger that day. But a piece of shrapnel driven straight at his heart never reaches it. His Level IV body armor takes the hit so his heart doesn't have to. He calls the day he survived his Alive Day, because he knows exactly who protected him.

You walk through a world with an unseen enemy, too. John calls that enemy the spirit of the antichrist. It’s the thinking in the world right now aimed at deceiving the sinner and defeating the saint long before any final dictator ever shows up. 

You won't always see the attack coming. But you can put armor on before the blast. John points to three layers that work together like a soldier's plate. The Word of God, the Son of God, and the Spirit of God. If you stick to the Word of God, you’ll stick with the Son of God.  

So before you get overwhelmed at the headlines, ask whether your heart has any armor on at all. Then open the Word and let it be the first thing that hits your heart today, not the last.

Whatever weapon is aimed at you right now, the plate is available. It just has to be worn.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the protection and power of Your Word. I know I don't always see what's coming at me from the enemy. Help me put on what You've already given me before the moment arrives. Be the plate that takes the hit so I don't have to. In Jesus' Name, Amen.