1 Peter 4:7 NASB
If we look back at the previous verses in this chapter we read that the time past is sufficient for us to pursue a course of sensuality and self indulgence (see 1 Peter 4:1-7). This is the way the rest of the world lives, but we are no longer of this world, but seek a heavenly kingdom (John 18:14, Heb 13:14).
In keeping with the theme of 2 Peter 3:10-11, But the day of the Lord will cone like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and it's works will be burned up.
Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness...
How then should we be living now? How should we prepare for the coming day of the Lord? As I previously have stated, we may not be the generation to see the final days of Earth's history, but yet we will all stand before God someday, so how can we be prepared for that day?
Prayer is vital to our spiritual survival. Just as the air we breath is necessary to our physical well being, prayer is necessary for our spiritual well being. Without air we die, likewise, without prayer we die.
So according to the above passage we can see that sound judgement and self control are absolutely necessary if we are to maintain a healthy prayer life. How can one be alert and focused on the spiritual realm while indulging in the flesh?
As Christians, we are in a spiritual battle for our very souls. As we approach the end of time things can only intensify. Therefore we must be alert, and understand what is going on around us. It is time to be sober minded, and constantly bringing everything to God in prayer. I think that focused prayer is one of the hardest things for us as believers to maintain. I speak for myself here. We can be so easily distracted, the "noise" in our busy minds smothering our faith.
Jesus, in His discourse on the last days and the signs of His return, says this,
"Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap;
for it will come up on all those that dwell on the face of all the earth.
"But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of man."
Luke 21:34-36 NASB
Jesus is telling us the same thing here. If we become wrapped up in the cares of life, or spend our time indulging our fleshly desires, we will be taken by surprise when the things He has foretold begin to take place. We will be blindsided when actual tribulation arrives, when deception abounds everywhere. We are to be alert, vigilant, watching, and fervently praying for the grace to stand in the face of a trial unseen yet by the world.
If we aren't alert now, how can we expect to "spring into action" when the rubber meets the road? Jesus tells us that it is by our endurance we will gain our lives (Luke 21:19). He foretells of a time when the love of many will grow cold, but the one who endures to the end will be saved (Matt 24:12-13).
In Luke 18:1-8 we have a parable that is meant to encourage persistent prayer. We are to pray and not give up, we have the promise that God will bring justice to His elect who cry out to Him day and night. But here Jesus makes a statement that should cause each one of us to stop and think. "However, when the Son of man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"
When Jesus comes back will He find me, you, watching, praying, trusting Him while everything is falling apart around us? That is a challenge for each one of us as we "see the day approaching."
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