day 2284: Alerts!

“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

Last Wednesday I was on a conference call where I was the only person who was dialed into a meeting that was being held in a San Francisco conference room.  There were probably 12-15 people present in the room.  All of a sudden, I hear what sounds like from my end of the call a fire alarm going off.  There were two loud alerts and then it stopped. I thought it was something from the building but what it was;  it was everyone’s phones going off at the same time with an emergency alert about severe heat temperatures in San Francisco (well not that severe as it was only an alert for 80 degrees).  Apparently, everyone in San Francisco at the time received the same alert.  For a moment, everyone stopped and looked.  The power of a well-placed communication should not be overlooked.  Most of our companies don’t keep everyone’s cell phone number to send an alert, but think how it might be really powerful to let everyone know at the same time about something important happening, no matter where they are.  When everyone sees or hears the same thing at the same time, it causes attention, and then conversation, but most of all, everyone is put on alert.

I get asked often about how to best stay focused and alert for Christ while working in an environment that seems to be pushing and pulling us away from Him.  Here is the thing, we can be alerted at all times by the Holy Spirit, if we just choose to listen and be tuned in. All day long, God is giving us alerts as to where we can speak to others who are hurting or in need of advice, where we can choose to take the high road when others aren’t, when we can defend someone who is getting a raw deal, or when someone asks us how it is that we care or can overlook the slights or actions of others toward us.  All day long, today and everyday, God is alerting us to be His voice and love for others and when we pay attention, so do others.

Reference: Ephesians 6:18 (New Living Translation)

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