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8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.
*I Peter 5.8-9 (NLT)
We do not stay awake automatically. How do we stay awake? We remain sober spiritually through diligent and daily spiritual practice.
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Third, trust is an aspect of the inner disposition of true Prayer. This emphasis is inherited in the Church from the Jewish faith:
5Trust in [lit., lean into, upon] the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6In all thy ways acknowledge [lit., know] him, and he shall direct [lit., make straight and smooth] thy paths.
*Proverbs 3.5-6 (KJV)
St. Paul, following Jesus, puts faith as of central import in our relationship with the Divine Presence:
16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
*Ephesians 3.16-19 (NLT), Emphasis Mine
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