Innocent Bystanders & Victims of Opportunity

It never fails!

Every time I start a new series, my wife gets to live it out first... and usually with great frustration & anxiety.

Poor Jen!

She's just minding her own business, walkin' her walk & doin' her thing, and then--all of a sudden--WHAM! She gets hit with my sermon-series topic!

She & I joke (well, I joke... she doesn't find anything funny about it) that I should be the one to have to suffer through the message, not her! She's just an innocent bystander.

The truth is that she's right. Sort of.

Whenever we align ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, we declare war on those who are enemies of God. That means that we are always a target of the spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places.

In war, missions often have primary and secondary targets which are the highest priority. But there are often other viable targets that can be attacked after completion of the primary & secondary ones. These are called "targets of opportunity." For all you N'awlins folks, it's what we call lagniappe (all the normal people in the world call it "bonus" or "gravy").

When we belong to Jesus, the forces of darkness will attack us just because they can. We become "Victims of Opportunity." God allows these attacks for reasons I can't even begin to understand (much less explain!), but I know that in the weathering of them, our faith in Christ grows even stronger. I didn't read that in a textbook, I've lived it! Many times!!

So, the next time you get jumped by some spiritual "boogeyman" while you're minding your own business, just remember that Innocent Bystanders & Victims of Opportunity are both Sons & Daughters of the Most High God who reigns over all!!