How do we prepare for the days ahead?
Obedience
What is it that God has been leading you to that you have been avoiding?
We know that obedience to God always looks like a cost to us before we move into it. This should not alarm us, and we don't need to be surprised about it. It will always be this way, at least in this age….. After we enter into the obedience that God is directing us into, and we are established in it, then we can see that it really wasn't cost, when compared to what God has added to us. We should also realize that the higher the level of obedience, the greater the cost can appear, and the longer it may take to see the fruit.
I want to ask you to do something now. Ask God what He wants you to do. He will tell you, though the larger direction may take more seeking. A casual approach to life is costly. We must seek the Lord and His will intently. But God wants you to know His will, and if you approach it seriously, He will communicate His will to you. The scriptures are clear about this fact.
Counting the cost is important, and it will be as long as you see your life as belonging to you. We should continue on to a place of clarity where we realize that our life is not our own, and our obedience is an invitation from God to join Him in His work. There is nothing in this world or in this life that compares with the value of God, or of His invitation. As we see things clearly, we will have a growing certainty.
We will be facing some of the ultimate issues, and ultimate times in the next decades. How can we be prepared for these things, when they have been a source of uncertainty and fear for so many? How can we expect to obey in the ultimate issues when we want to save our lives in the small things? Do we deceive ourselves in this, expecting to be strong in the day of battle when we make no preparations in advance? If we are not preparing for battle now, we will prove (or disprove) our readiness at a time when the cost is very great, perhaps complete.
Ready yourself now for the day of battle.
Remember the scriptures that speak to us in truth in Jeremiah 12:
5 “If racing against mere men makes you tired,
how will you race against horses?
If you stumble and fall on open ground,
what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?
This gives me a feeling of the challenges we face rising in cost, which emphasizes the need for active preparations now. The wise person sees what is coming and makes preparations, right? But the fool continues on without focus and is punished. Let's not behave as fools, or we will receive a fool's reward – punishment.
Arm yourself for the times ahead with a serious mind and a commitment to obedience. Do not assume that you know what the Lord is asking of you. Ask Him to show you. Stay with the process until you know what He desires, and then move out in faith, assured that He who is calling you is Faithful.