Are You Prepared?

Proverbs 21:31 - The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. 

In our day, many people seem to think that the world owes them something and that they are entitled to have anything they want without it costing them a dime, and once again, Proverbs clears away that nonsense and sets the record straight. Nothing in life comes out of the blue, instantaneously, or free; someone prepared ahead of time and someone paid a price. Scripture teaches us that we can not flippantly and lazily sit back and presume that safety and victory will be automatically ours. Even though God wills our safety and He wants our victory, there are laws of preparation that are necessary and vital.

The horse was an effective vehicle of war and these horses, as well as the men that rode them, were meticulously groomed for battle. Men did not assume that they would be victorious in battle if they did not first spend much time in preparation. As Christians, we understand that we are in a battle, but the battle is not a physical one, it is a fight of faith. So, we must do our part to prepare and get ready, and then we must trust in the Lord, because safety and victory is of the Lord, that is His part.

The word prepare means to be cut ahead of time. The life we live is not always easy, in fact, it is quite often difficult and hard. Preparation is one of our safeguards as we enter any conflict. Before a soldier is sent into the battle he is prepared ahead of time, he is put through the gauntlet until he learns the discipline of a warrior and earns the stripes on his shoulder. He spends weeks of gruelling training during bootcamp; he gets pushed and pulled, bumped and bruised and cut ahead of time. Before an Olympian competes in the games she is prepared, she cuts out a lot of valid activities to focus on her training. She must endure plenty of difficulty and sacrifice and lots of time and hardship. No doubt, during the training, accidents may happen in which injury occurs; her muscles will be bruised, her bones may be broken; she is tested before she is trusted; she is cut ahead of time. For both the soldier and the athlete, there is no reward for defeatists or quitters.

The deliberate cuts that come ahead of time prepare us for the unavoidable cuts that will come during the battle. And because we have been prepared, the hardships faced and wounds incurred during the battle will not stop us from finishing the fight with victory.

So the question necessarily arises; does God cut us? Well, hesitatingly, yes, but remember that the cuts of God are not what religious tradition has taught; they are not tragedy and disaster, or sickness and disease. Those are not the cuts of God for He is much more proficient than that. The cuts that God gives are clean and razor-sharp and are done primarily through His Word, which is sharper than any two-edged sword, and they are given under the skillful hand of the Holy Spirit. God does cut us, but He cuts us the way that an experienced orchardist prunes his trees. He cuts very carefully and with a distinct purpose, which is always for the benefit of the tree. God does cut us, but He cuts us the same way an expert surgeon cuts out a tumor. He cuts with a measured caution and with a meticulous accuracy, removing the dreaded enemy of our health and wellbeing. Cuts, cut-backs and, even cut-offs are sometimes necessary for the continued health of both trees and people.

    I once heard a successful leader say that if he had only a short time to accomplish a huge undertaking, he would spend the bulk of his time in preparation. Be encouraged, friends, do your part and get ready. Prepare ahead of time. Don’t rush the process. Remember that preparation is never wasted time, because only those who are properly prepared can ride out into the battles of life and confidently expect the Lord to keep them safe and give them victory.

Quit Blaming Others; Get to Work!

Quit Blaming Others; Get to Work!

Proverbs 6:6-8 - Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provides her meat in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.

 

    The natural world can teach us many lessons about life, the way things work and the principles that govern all of it. Wisdom is clearly revealed in God’s creation.

    In today’s culture and generation, there seems to be a growing sense that life owes them. We have rights, after all. What are you going to do for me? This view could be called a sense of entitlement; I was born here so I have a right to have the best freely given to me. Sadly, this attitude has followed people into their adulthood and is now widespread in our government, our schools, our workplaces and, our churches.

    We have fallen prey to bankrupt philosophies that do not produce what they promise. Our school systems do not require what they once did from students; we have taken away the concept of reward for accomplishment; now we reward simple existence. We have gone from giving awards for achievement to giving awards for participation. The idea that everyone is valuable is something we agree with and wish to promote but, the idea that everyone should be given the same amount and the same reward is something we disagree with and wish to eradicate. All people are equal in value but, not all people are equal in what they possess or accomplish. Study history, friends, that kind of agenda has failed worldwide. Many employers of today, because of a shortage of willing workers, are afraid to correct those who need it for fear that they will leave. If people will not respond to proper correction and direction, let them go; blessed riddance; the whole workplace will thank you for it, and productivity will go up. The sluggard, themselves, may one day come back to thank you for doing the right thing.

    The lazy person is instructed to go to the ant. This levels the playing field for all people; everyone can find an anthill or a colony to observe. He did not say go to the university or go to the library; the wisdom that is needed is not inaccessible or far away; just go outside and look down. Consider the ways of the ant. The ant is not sitting around waiting for payday, no, it instinctively goes to work. It is a steady contributor to the greater good of the colony; it has a sense of duty, not entitlement, and all of it is built into its’ nature.

    The ant is considered wise because even though it has no one watching over it to ensure that it is working, it works anyway. Someone has once defined character as that which you do when no one is watching. The ant has an intrinsic work ethic that spurs it on in its’ tasks.

    Another characteristic of the ant which is worthy of our notice is that it gathers food during the harvest, meaning, it gathers food when the food is available. It does not put off things. It does not procrastinate and thus miss out on the opportunities presented to it. Many of us have fallen prey to procrastination and laziness; we have postponed our diligence not knowing that negligence opens the door for all kinds of negative and destructive things. Nature abhors a vacuum and so does the human heart; if the door is open thieves will come in, make themselves right at home and consume all your goods.

    The ant is amazingly strong and productive and we too, can have those same qualities as we consider her ways. Ways are habits, patterns and routines that depict ones’ character. If we develop a hard-working and honest lifestyle, we instill in ourselves the ways of God. Isaiah has told us that God’s ways are higher than our ways but, we can take His Word and make His higher ways our ways, thus we will elevate our lives.

    The Proverbs always confront us with our responsibility. It is true that many things have happened to us that we are not responsible for, but we are responsible for our reaction to it. We are not helpless victims of the circumstances of life; we are powerful beings created in the image of God and we have the power to change our ways and enjoy the results. Go to the ant and watch how nothing will stop this energetic and productive worker. Blame is not part of its thinking or vocabulary, instead, it goes to work to fix the problem. Many people and workplaces today, always want to assign blame first and then find a solution but the ant will always find the solution and not waste time and energy determining who is at fault. Be encouraged, friends, just by making this one simple change, we can radically alter and improve our day to day lives. Go to the Ant!