The fall season and a new school year are upon us. No matter how parents choose to educate their children, there are things that are necessary to be done to get ready. For one thing, school materials, books or electronic data needed for subjects being taken by their children need to be purchased, not to mention clothing and footwear to accommodate their summer “growth spurt”. Then, there is the inevitable need to adjust from our summer mentality to school year mentality. Life is not one long summer of sleeping in, ease and playing. When it comes to preparing for a new school year, if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail. Such is true in the Christian life.

No matter how you choose to educate your children, you cannot forever shelter them from the reality of this fallen world system: its worldview, its philosophy of life, its “coexisting” religious mentality. Until The Lord Jesus returns, the people of God need to be in a constant state of preparedness in order to offset the barrage of the world and the things of the world. How do we respond to the battle that rages against our Christian worldview not only in the world, but in our secular school system? I think we find a key in Moses’ last sermon to the nation of Israel recorded in Deuteronomy 30:15-20: “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for He is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

As told to Israel (Deuteronomy 6:5), the great commandment according to Jesus is that we are to love The Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are called into this sweet, loving fellowship with The Father. But in our desire to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Him, the Bible tells us that there are going to be many obstacles, distractions and attractions that will vie for our affections and attention. Peter calls them fleshly lusts that war against our souls (1 Peter 2:11).

How can we stay on course and not become a Christian POW in the enemy’s camp?

1. Stay in close communion with The Lord daily through prayer and reading of Scripture.
2. Stay in regular fellowship with other saints who will exhort you daily and hold you accountable.
3. Keep short accounts with The Lord. Confess your sins to Him; don’t explain them away or make excuses for them
4. Walk in forgiveness. Do not let any root of bitterness defile your spirit and others.
5. Watch your thought life. Bring into captivity every thought to obedience to Christ.
6. Beware of the mentality of the slothful servants who lived carelessly because they said, “The Lord delayeth His coming.”
7. Always keep in your mind the image of a crucified Christ.

May our precious Lord Jesus lead you, guide you, strengthen you and anoint you to be a bright light for Him in this dark and fallen world.