Charisma Magazine

On that sunny afternoon, as my husband and I took a fitness walk along a row of car dealerships, I never dreamed that we would be cruising home in a brand-new, red, SAAB convertible. The car just seemed to fit the day. After all, this was Southern California, where sunshine and fancy cars abound.

It is also a place where many judge you by what you drive. Of course, we already owned a prestigious foreign convertible, but it had become a real headache with its never-ending, expensive repair bills.

As we negotiated with the SAAB salesman to purchase the car, we abandoned the idea of a trade-in because of the tremendous loss we would have had to take on the market value. Besides, we had driven my husband's car that day, and the problem car was at home. We would just have to sell it on our own.

There is a way of ordering our mental life on more than one level at once. On one level we may be thinking, discussing, seeing, calculating—meeting all the demands of external affairs. But deep within, behind the scenes, at a profounder level, we may also be in prayer and adoration, song and worship.

The secular world of today values and cultivates only the first level, assured that there is where the real business of mankind is done, and scorns, or smiles in tolerant amusement at, the cultivation of the second level-a luxury enterprise, a vestige of superstition, an occupation for special temperaments. But in a deeply religious culture men know that the deep level of prayer and of divine attendance is the most important thing in the world. It is at this deep level that the real business of life is determined.

In the conclusion of his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul wrote: "A final word: Be strong in the Lord. ... Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil" (Eph. 6:10-11, NLT). How often do you feel "strong in the Lord"? Many Christians more frequently feel "small and puny" or "frail and afraid."

The good thing is, Paul wasn't telling the Ephesian believers (or us) that through self-effort we could just be strong-he wasn't saying, "Just do it!" as the Nike commercial says. He goes on in verses 13-18 to explain that being strong in the Lord requires getting suited up for battle. Spiritually speaking, he compares it to dressing like the professional soldiers in his day.

A man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti, Michigan, at 7:50 a.m., flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the wannabe robber ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for breakfast. The frustrated man stormed out of the restaurant.

In Tennessee, a burglar realized he'd left his Nikes at the home he'd just robbed. So he returned and asked the lady of the house if she'd seen his shoes. She called the cops, and the guy was arrested.

The mistakes criminals make could fill a book. In fact, they have. Leland Gregory's The Stupid Crook Book (Andrews McMeel) reveals dozens of real-life stories about captured criminals who are so dumb you almost feel sorry for them.

You spend hours listening intently to hear God in prayer, only to question if He really was the one telling you to leave your job or begin a relationship with the man you thought was Mr. Right. Though Satan whispers untruths to us, we can be assured the Holy Spirit will heighten our spiritual ears to discern God's voice. Respected Bible teacher and conference speaker Priscilla Shirer can help you hear God correctly with the five Ms of prayer. Click below to watch the video.