Are you ready?
I was never in the service; it wasn’t the direction my life took. But I know many people who have served and are serving and I’m grateful for them. My dad served. He was in the army and is a Korean War Vet. I’m proud of him.
They’ve seen things that nobody should see. Some of the images so disturbingly graphic they have become permanently altered battling severe PTSD. They close their eyes and pictures of what they have witnessed haunt them for years, maybe even a lifetime.
They’ve had to participate in combat that seems surreal, like a movie, only they have the starring roles. They’ve held weapons that destroy and they’ve been on the receiving end of destruction. Many lost their life and even more witnessed the loss of someone they knew or even loved.
The military is not for everyone and truth be told, there are probably many in the service that shouldn’t be there. It is hard. It is sacrifice. It takes a dedication and commitment that requires complete surrender to self for the sake the nation.
These warriors didn’t become warriors by signing on the dotted line. They weren’t immediately assigned to the frontline of combat. They didn’t step off the bus ready for battle. It doesn’t work that way.
The military is known for its ability to take the smallest, weakest, even the most fragile and insecure human and transform them into a soldier. But it’s a process. It’s a stripping away of so much and reshaping the ordinary into the extraordinary. They demand excellence.
Soldiers devote many weeks and months to boot camp, training, and preparation. They live and breathe for the potential moment to fight and defend. There is this understanding that to be on the frontline of the battlefield, a warrior must emerge.
We are in war. We’ve never seen a fight quite like this in our history. It’s not a war of armory or weapons, not yet anyway. We are in a spiritual battle so intense that even the church is cracking under pressure.
Where are the soldiers? Where are those that stepped into this life of following Christ? Where are those men and woman who said “I will deny myself and take up my cross daily?” Where are those who claim Jesus as Lord of their life?
I think about what would happen if all our frontline military sitting on the battlefield decided it was too much, too difficult and didn’t want to fight anymore. Their surrender and inability to stand firm affects all of us.
The Bible made it so clear, to follow Christ you must draw a line the sand and not waiver. That’s not easy to do because you will be hated. You will be persecuted. And you will have to take a stand. People don’t like that, you know, going against a cultural flow so intense it’s hard to swim.
People are more concerned with being liked, or pleasing the masses. People compromise truth so they can remain comfortable and relevant. People don’t want to rock the boat and would rather conform or sit idly by in their worldly security than to truly follow hard after Jesus. I guess those would be the believers that have gone AWOL.
It makes sense though, if you never prepare for war how will you be equipped to fight? How will you know where the battle lines are drawn? If you aren’t in the Word of God, the absolute truth, how will you know where these battle lines begin and end? If you aren’t in constant and continual prayer, how will your heart be led to see the world through a Kingdom lens? You won’t. You will be ill-prepared for war and surrender to the opposition. In fact, because of your lack of preparation and training, you will mirror the very enemy we are fighting.
If you are a Believer, there is no time to waste. You have to make a decision to be all in or not. The choice will indeed cost you, so count the cost. But remember this, the Word of God is true, there is no tolerance in the Heavens for lukewarm, or for those sitting on the fence. Those are the first to be spit out of His mouth.
As our world spirals out of control, and wrong becomes right, and evil becomes good, and people do what is right in their own eyes, stand firm. Do whatever it takes to prepare for war. Examine yourself and let go of everything that entangles you so you can prepare your heart and mind in a way that pleases Him.
The eyes of the Lord are searching to and fro throughout the earth so He can strongly support those hearts that are completely His to fight His holy fight.
A few questions to ponder: Whose side are you really on? Do you know the truth? Are you ready?