The athletic warriors lined up on each side of the abyss. They had flaming determination shooting out of their eyes, and their goal was to drag the opposition into the roaring destruction below. You could tell this was no “war game”. It was real, it was serious, and it was for keeps.

So, who were these groups of fierce competitors? What would drive them into such a frenzy that they were willing to risk their own welfare by joining forces to amplify their strength?

Well, we could always categorize it is good vs evil, and we would certainly be right. We could categorize it as fast vs slow, in our approaches to showing our faith to our work world., and we would be right, as well.

But there is a battle in all of our lives that is as evident as our breathing!  And it is TIME. Look at where we spend time:  Eating, sleeping, driving/commuting, business meetings and vocational work, family time, and church time.  But PRAYER TIME comes at a premium because Satan does NOT want us closer to God! Satan wants to make sure there are interruptions, changing priorities, emergencies, and distractions that eat up TIME. Satan also uses social media and video clips to displace our interest, and our time with our God!

God wants us to use time effectively, and wants us to spend time with Him. He will not order us to spend prayer time with Him. He WANTS us to spend time with Him. So, in this tug-of-war with time; Satan’s on one side, loaded with all the demons and incentives to take our eyes off of Him. The other side is loaded with decisions to dedicate time with God, angels who have God’s strength on our side, and Jesus (who has NEVER been defeated).

With this vision, keep in mind that every one of us in this tug-of-war is located in the first position next to the abyss. We will be the first one to go into the deep if Satan gains a foothold. So, a stark reminder to us is NEVER look back to see if our Lord still has a form grip on the rope. We never HAVE to look back. He will be there! Don’t let Satan win the battle of time deprivation.

“Lord, thank You as a believer for being ever around us, providing sufficient time to worship You, talk to You, fellowship with You, and pray to You. Thank You, Lord; for always being there to help us win the time battle! Allow us the discernment to turn to You instead of wasting precious time…  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”