Charles Stanley, noted pastor from Atlanta, mentions the H.A.L.T. principle in his sermons quite frequently.
It refers to four areas of our life when we are most vulnerable to the attack of our archenemy, the devil.
Hungry, Angry, Lonely and Tired are four situations in our lives where we need to be very aware that the enemy is out to use this area against us.
The strongest Biblical example of this is recorded in Matthew 4 and Luke 4. After spending forty days in the wilderness where he was under constant bombardment by the devil, the Bible says in Luke 4:2, "He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them He was hungry." The first area that the enemy hit was hunger.
If you will think what it is like to spend forty days alone, then the loneliness that Jesus must have experienced is not hard to imagine. The Bible is clear when it says that Jesus was tempted in all points, just like us, and He was without sin.
And if you will also imagine living in a wilderness experience for that long of a time, then Jesus must have been very tired. Sleeping outside with no bed or comforts of a home life would have caused this.
And I believe that if you read Matthew 4:10, where Jesus said to the devil, "Away from me Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only'", you will see the righteous anger in His voice as he rebuked Satan, and told him to leave him alone.
So it is important to see how Jesus dealt with the HALT in his life. When the Savior was vulnerable to sin, how did he handle his confrontation with the enemy?
Three different times Jesus quoted from the Bible. The most famous verse is Matthew 4:4. "It is written, Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." Jesus had quoted a verse from Deuteronomy 8:3. He also quotes two other verses in Deuteronomy 6:16 and Deuteronomy 6:13.
One of the verses that describes the early growth of Jesus is Luke 2:52. "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." I believe that Jesus knew many verses from the then know Word of God. It was a custom of young Jewish children to memorize large portions of the Word of God. These were the ammunition that he used to defeat the enemy.
It has always amazed me that most churches have Bible memory programs for the children, but rarely do many adults continue with a regular Bible memory program. As a young Christian I was introduced to the
Topical Memory System ,
which is published by the Navigator Organization. That was over forty years ago, and I can attest to many times in all those years, that those memory verses have ministered to me when I found myself in the "HALT" condition.
Prepare yourself for those future attacks of the devil. Order the Topical Memory System today, and commit yourself to regular Bible memory for the rest of your life.
I would imagine that loneliness is amplified in the older generation. The children are grown and gone. Perhaps your spouse is not living anymore, or the marriage has failed. Jesus is the one true friend we have, when it seems that others do not care. We live in such a rat race, that we neglect widows and widowers, and many children are so involved in the rat race, that their parents do not get to spend much time with their loved ones.
I have an assignment for you. It will make your day. Pick up the phone and call your parents and/or your children and tell them you love them. Make a commitment to do that on a regular basis.
Now let us think about the "Anger" in the HALT principle. Unlike Jesus, who had "righteous anger", we usually sin with our anger. And enemy comes in like a flood. Eph 4:31,32 tells us to get rid of all anger, and replace it with compassion and forgiveness.
My anger usually leads to hoof and mouth disease. I open my mouth and stick my foot into it. Eph 4:29 is the answer to that. "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."
Since most of us in America seldom go hungry, I would equate that sin to lack of the intake of the Word of God. Real spiritual hunger is in epidemic proportions in our world today. Today vow to spend time reading the word of God. Jeremiah 15:16, "When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight."
Being tired is a national pastime. Mom's and Dad's both working jobs, caught up in the hustle and bustle of taking the kids to soccer, dance lessons, cheerleading or little league. Too tired for relationships, too tired to spend time with the Lord, and too tired to build into other believer's lives. My article on "The Rat Race" amplifies on this problem.
So perhaps I have alerted you today to how the enemy operates. I sincerely hope you will arm yourself with the Word of God today.
Want to help reach the world for Christ? Forward this site to a friend. Matthew 28:18-20
