Deceived

The weather has packed quite a punch these last couple of weeks in Minnesota. We have gone from record breaking cold temperatures to accumulating about 10 inches of snow over a couple of days. Traveling on the roads has been treacherous and not advised. It’s easy to be deceived. However, a girl cannot miss a haircut appointment.

I headed out after a six inch dumping of snow ready to be patient and go slow. My rig handles winter roads pretty well, so I was confident of a safe arrival to my destination 12 miles from my house. Part of the journey was on a divided highway. I gingerly took the exit and slowly accelerated. I was impressed with the road conditions. They were remarkably clear. I was certain I was on dry pavement. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I came up on a large truck that had spun 180 degrees into the ditch. Even though I wasn’t traveling at a high speed, I took my foot off the gas. All I could think was, “How did that happen?” As I was coasting, I could tell I was gaining on the car in front of me. While there was still plenty of room, I gently tapped my breaks to slow down further. The antilock system instantly kicked in and the vehicle started to shift slightly, side to side. Holy crud, I was on glare ice.

I have been driving on crummy winter roads for decades and never have I been so deceived. My heart was pounding as I continued to gain on the car in front of me. Due to a car in the left lane, I had to tap my breaks one more time before being able to move over and coast past the car I had been approaching.

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvationand the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. (Galatians 6: 10-18 NIV).

We never know when life is going to throw us icy roads. We need the proper tools and preparation to handle it just as keeping the armor of God allows me to have the tools to be prepared to navigate life, to see deception, and have hope in the face of all things.

It is easy to be deceived. How do you stay prepared? What kind of armor do you use? Share your experience here and breathe life and bring hope to others.

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