Prepared for Battle

The horse is prepared for the day of battle,
But deliverance is of the Lord. (Proverbs 21:31)

I have never served in the military yet I understand the need for incoming soldiers to go through basic training first. Why? Because I am certain there is a whole list of items they need to be trained in so they are ready to respond correctly when the time for war arises.

In fact, the goal of military training is to have ingrained responses in certain areas so you automatically know what needs to be done and how to act.

It’s the same with our Christian walk. There will be days when we are in a battle, and there are certainly more battles and wars coming down the road. If we don’t allow God to do basic training with us we won’t be ready to respond correctly when challenges arrive. A battle or crisis most often simply reveals what we are made of.

I can think of at least two habits to work on:

(1) Spending consistent time in the Word daily: I prefer the morning BEFORE the day starts – you know like some medicine says to take it before a meal so it can get into your system? I think it works the same way. I want the Word to be in my “system” early in the day before things happen. If you invest 20 minutes a day, in a year you will have read the entire bible! There are some apps that will even read the bible to you, so you can get the Word in you while you are on your morning walk, your commute to work, etc.

(2) Worshiping at all times and being Grateful in all things: This is a hard one at time, as things happen that don’t make us very grateful. The argument with your spouse or friend. The job or promotion that didn’t come through. A financial setback. A plan that didn’t work out the way you wanted it to. A unexpected delay to a project. I’m sure you have a list already starting in your head.

The truth is we don’t know what is best for us in an eternal sense. God does and in fact His Word tells us “…in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

By getting the Word into yourself daily, and training your soul to worship God in all things and at all times will make you better equipped to face the battles of life. The below devotion today by Oswald is an excellent one on this topic.