Preparedness

Preparedness 

by David Brenneman 

‭"And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray," Luke 22:39-41.

The dictionary defines preparedness: a state of readiness, especially for war.

Jesus was telling them to get ready. The real battle was coming.  

That battle continues to this day.  

We need to pray that same prayer ourselves. We're ill prepared for what awaits us in any given day on out own merits of understanding. 

The whole armor of God isn't casual wear. The purpose for each part isn't designed by guesswork like the armaments of modern warfare.  

The whole armor of God was designed to perfection the first time. 

There's no day that we face that's not fraught with perils as yet unimagined. The possibilities are endless if truth be told.

While here the Disciples had the protections of the Father. While He was preparing to endure the cross, He urged them to get ready, because the battle was about to get real. Even going so far as to tell them to get physical weapons. 

The Scriptures were fulfilled...the Shepherd was struck and the sheep were scattered. In time, after the resurrection, they came back together. They indeed received the Holy Spirit at that time.  

We live in that future time that Jesus said was coming. A world of wars and rumors of wars. A world of earthquakes and famines in various places. We live in that world were increasingly people are doing whatever is right in their own eyes. The days of Noah are upon us. 

While going through this life, my mind is in many places. The here and now, the past and looking for what Jesus said is to come. 

In my opinion the return of Jesus will happen in my lifetime. This isn't date setting, it's something that I believe that God has told me. 

If I don't prepare, then I won't be ready. There's things that I believe are coming that most in the world are not really ready for. Again preparedness is essential.  

Accepting what the Bible says that is coming is preparedness. God said it, I believe it, that settles it for me.

Jesus taught several written parables, and who knows how many unwritten (John the Apostle said that should everything that Jesus taught and did were written that he imagined the whole world couldn't contain the books) on being prepared.

The King who went on a journey...that his servants would be prepared for his return. 

The bridesmaids. Those with enough oil for lamps and those who hadn't enough. 

There are others.

Are you prepared for the return of Jesus? There will be no fanfare. No photos possible of Jesus coming in the skies. Nothing to be observed other than the millions of people vanishing. All children under a certain age...gone. All who have died in Christ, their graves bursting open. Those alive and remain vanishing, only their clothes, implants, etc. left behind. All in an instant.

There will be no time for anything to be said to anyone.  

So...are you THAT ready? Are you THAT prepared?

We have a life to live that's to be lived to the fullest only in Christ because of all He did to save us. 

In 1874 Frances Ridley Havergal wrote "Take My Life and Let it Be"

Take my life and let it be

consecrated, Lord, to thee.

Take my moments and my days;

let them flow in endless praise,

let them flow in endless praise.

2 Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love.

Take my feet and let them be

swift and beautiful for thee,

swift and beautiful for thee.

3 Take my voice and let me sing

always, only, for my King.

Take my lips and let them be

filled with messages from thee,

filled with messages from thee.

4 Take my silver and my gold;

not a mite would I withhold.

Take my intellect and use

every power as thou shalt choose,

every power as thou shalt choose.

5 Take my will and make it thine;

it shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart it is thine own;

it shall be thy royal throne,

it shall be thy royal throne.

6 Take my love; my Lord, I pour

at thy feet its treasure store.

Take myself, and I will be

ever, only, all for thee,

ever, only, all for thee.

How often are your thoughts towards preparing for your day versus just stepping into it?

How often are you considering what Jesus wants of you in your today?

Are you trusting in the Lord with all your heart And are not leaning on your own understanding? Are you acknowledging Him so that He can make your paths straight?

Acknowledging Him isn't just a knod to Him in the morning as you rush out the door. Prepare for the day by meeting with your Savior before anything happens. 

The world, the whole world, is in a state of war. Spiritual war. There are no non-combatants. There are no neutral parties. When Jesus separates people at the Final Judgment, there are only 2 groups. 

Are you prayed up for the battles you could face? It begins with praying that we not fall into temptation. The temptation to do it our way. The temptation to give in to peer pressure. The temptation to give in to sin. 

Putting on the whole armor of God is necessary to step onto the battlefield of life...otherwise you are blind, deaf, and naked in a world that is determined to bring you down. Satan's minions are out for blood...your blood. They would rather remove Christianity from the face of the Earth than leave it be. The Spirit of God stands in their way. 

Try going out in the world prepared this time by being in prayer first and see how different your battles will be.

The King is coming. 

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.