[Darris McNeely] Terror alerts once again stunned the United States a few days ago as the State Department of the United States put out travel warnings and alerts to all of its consulates and embassies, especially in the Middle East and in Africa as we entered into the month of August because of a lot of specific terror threats that have been intercepted and discerned for these United States installations.

It was shocking to me as I heard them as it was to a lot of other people, perhaps in my own mind and others, we've been lulled to think that the war on terror has been won or that it is something in the past or receding. But when you hear an alert like that, and as we saw in today's headlines today even in Pakistan the state department ordered the evacuation of all embassy personnel in Lahore, Pakistan.

It reminds you that we still live in a very dangerous world, especially when it comes to terrorism and the threats upon not only the United States, but other western nations by groups who wish us harm. When I think about that, and when I try to draw something down to my own level, it helps me to understand that not only are we endangered physically in this world because of evil that does lurk, but it reminds me that spiritually we are also on alert and should be on a continual basis against the spiritual forces that are battling against us in our effort to gain the Kingdom of God and to live a righteous and a good life today.

It reminded me of a scripture in Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 14. One of my favorites. It serves as a wakeup call periodically to go and to read where the Apostle Paul writes, "Awake, you who sleep. Arise from the dead and Christ will give you light. See then that you walk circumspectly" (Ephesians 5:14).

That's how we should be every day in our life and certainly on a regular basis take a check and to respond to even specific terrorist threats or spiritual threats that may be lurking around and about our life to keep us from God, to keep us from ultimately His Kingdom because we do face a spiritual battle. And these physical alerts, these physical dangers in our world should serve to remind us of that very fact. Stay alert. Stay awake.

Let Christ be your guide.

That's BT Daily. Join us next time.