(Matt 3 v 7)
The prophet was announcing the arrival of something
Which required some preparation
The preparation was to "repent".
What did it mean to John's audience
What does it mean now?
It's meaning is loaded with a covert "to do" list
Because the hearer would have known that he was being called to think
About everything.
Not just about some kind of personal turnaround
Or penance
But about something much bigger and all encompassing.
Because repentance was not just a personal activity
But an event that signalled the arrival of the Kingdom
It called for the "after thinking" of all the agendas in place at the time
Both corporate and personal
And, as a decisive step, to lay all those aside
And make way for the Kingdom agenda
Our lives, as Kingdom people, require continual updating
Because it does us no harm to think through what agendas we have
And lay them aside to embrace again His agenda
His Kingdom:
Which is Love, Joy and Peace
In the Holy Spirit.
It will help keep my head protected,
And my mind clear.
Then, despite any feeling, I can raise the shield, dispel the lie.
And fight on.
(The main thrust of this thought came from Derek Prince's book 'Spiritual Warfare' pub 1987, Whittaker House.)