“And (have) your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” Ephesians 6:15
The world is shifting on a daily basis lately. The question is, are you prepared to go wherever the changes will take you? Are your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace? If you are, your way ahead of the crowd. Few embrace the preparation that is necessary to obtain the promises of God.
The deliverance of Israel reveals the value of preparing for the shift and the consequences of failing to prepare. Israel was delivered from slavery in Egypt, yet, they couldn’t stop looking back regretting they had left. The Bible says they were overthrown in the wilderness. The old expression was, “Israel got out of Egypt, but they didn’t get Egypt out of them.” Even though they saw their God do many miracles on their behalf they still saw themselves as victims, as slaves, even as grasshoppers in their own eyes (Numbers 13:33). How do you see yourself when God leads you to share the Gospel with someone?
But, before we get on our high horses and think we could have done better than Israel did, we need to realize that the chains of slavery go deep. Slavery was all they knew, and those physical chains create inner chains that form a slavery mentality. Are you in bondage to anything? Does something own you? You were bought with a price and your chains have been broken!
Preparation is evidence of a heart full of faith. If you don’t believe anything is going to happen, you won’t be prepared for it when it does happen, and the children of Israel were not prepared for the freedom God was leading them to. Thus, they turned an eleven-day journey (Deuteronomy 1:2) into 40 years in the wilderness. Only two Israelites who left Egypt entered into the Promised Land. They were Joshua and Caleb. They were prepared. They had faith in God. They were prepared for the fight of faith that would eventually cause them to enter into the Promised Land. Caleb and Joshua faced the same challenges as the rest of Israel did, yet, Israel was too busy looking back at the good ole days, and Joshua and Caleb were looking to the promise!
Let’s not allow the days ahead to take us by surprise. Let’s devote ourselves to the Word of God, prayer, and fellowship with your Father, with Jesus, and with other believers who are excited about the things of God and stay prepared!
With Love,
Pastor Tom
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