Please find below the notes from the Elder's Prayer this past Sunday.

You may have heard this old proverb:

"For the want of a nail the shoe was lost,
For the want of a shoe the horse was lost,
For the want of a horse the rider was lost,
For the want of a rider the battle was lost,
For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe-nail."

There are many different variations of that poem. But all of those basically harp on the importance of the discipline of meticulous planning of the logistics, carrying it out as planned and maintaining the course in a warfare.

We have many active duty military members as well as esteemed veterans in our congregation. They know the importance of dotting all the i’s and crossing all the t’s down to the simplest of details because it could be the difference between life and death.

We have some high school level coaches in our midst: football to soccer to basketball. They know the importance of staying the course on discipline, planning, and execution. It’s the difference between victory and loss or as we softly couch it, lesson learned.

Last week, in Bret’s sermon he talked about the need for being alert as a congregation. One of the ways we could do that as he pointed out is by anticipating the enemy. Our enemy is not a GOAT nor a Ram. He’s visualized as a roaring lion that prowls around. That stands for his ferociousness. He’s wounded, casting seeds of doubts, twisting Scriptures and looking to deceive by magnifying the temporal things of this world as the ultimate.

While we cannot fully avoid tares in our midst, people falling prey (Matthew 13:24-30), we can stay alert ensuring tares don’t take over the field by guarding our own heart. In the coming harvest, tares will be gathered up for fire while the wheat is gathered up in God’s barn.

Sin in our midst will hinder us from staying alert, as a congregation.

In Christ Jesus we have been fully supplied and equipped for our warfare against sin, (Ephesians 1-6). What does it mean practically?

Practically speaking: when we meditate over the teaching of God’s word from our regular worship gatherings as the Bereans did and promptly apply them in our lives, we will be amply supplied and equipped for warfare as one body in Christ.

Really? Is it that simple? Yeah, that is one of the horseshoe-nails. Listen to the word of God taught in a local assembly, meditate on it and apply in your life.

Let’s pray.

Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. We praise you for your word is perfect and restores our soul. Thank you for the awesome power it holds to make us wise by enlightening us. Please help us to keep them that we may be rewarded to be in your presence forever. (Psalm 19).

Please protect Summit Woods Baptist Church from sin, deception and other vile things of the enemy. Please help us to learn from the mistakes of the ancient Corinthian brethren and not repeat them.

I pray for those who have already fallen as prey in this warfare. Please help them to rise again as the righteous do. Please have mercy on their soul. Please help the rest of us to stay alert, stand firm, be courageous and endure till the end. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.