Ready for the Race?

I don't know how you start your morning, but reaching for the TV remote or grabbing your cell phone to see if you have any messages, twetts or whatever else social media may have flung your way while you slept...well, that's now the Biblical way to begin a new day.

Life is hard and each day our faith (if we are trying to walk with our Lord) will be tested. We must be prepared to meet the enemy and our adversary, the Devil, head on in the field of battle.

So, the Bible says in 1 Peter 1: 13. "Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought at the revelation of Jesus Christ." The KJV says in translating the Greek, "girding up the loins of your mind" which brings to mind in the days of Peter, grabbing the long, following lower part of your garment and pulling it up so you are ready to run either into or away from the battle.

And that's what we should be doing FIRST THING EACH MORNING...getting ready for battle by preparing our minds by spending time in God's word. Now, there is never a bad time to open the word of God for instruction, reproach, correction or encouragement; however, the time to prepare for battle is the start of each new day...it's when God issues your "marching orders" for the day that lies before you. Any good soldier checks all of his equipment before being given the order to "turn out" and "fall in" ...he knows what is coming. His commanding officer is getting ready to tell the troops their objective and then lay out the plan of moving forward into battle to obtain their objective and be victorious over the enemy. God wants to do that with you and me each day...at the start of the day... so that we are fully prepared for WHATEVER weapons the devil launches against us.

It also says in this scripture that we are setting our hope on the grace we receive in the revelation of Christ. Now one day, Christ will be fully revealed to us at His second coming; but until that time, He is revealed to us each time we open the Word of God and read about Him and the work of the Holy Spirit. We become immediately better equipped for battle when we know what Jesus himself might do in any given situation....and we are given insight into those moments as we read the Word and receive direction and guidance from the Holy Spirit.

God wants us to win the battle...each and every battle...and He is willing to equip us with all the weapons we need to fight and win. So, if God's arsenal is ready, but we do not prepare our minds for action and for what comes next, we place ourselves at a distinct disadvantage to be the "conquered" rather than the "conquerors."

So when you wake up, don't grab the remote to see what "world changing" event may have occurred during your slumber...rather "gird the loins of your mind" by reaching for the infallible, never-changing Word of God and get ready for action. You have enlisted in the army of the Lord and He will not let you fail in your skirmishes with the enemy...He has already assured the victory through His Son, Jesus Christ...so get step out in faith ....THE VICTORY IS YOURS!

Enlisted in the battle....claiming the victory,

WPQ