Calling All Preppers!
Wait! Put the pitch fork and shovel down. Before you rush out to the yard to pick your ideal bunker location, let’s think this through….
There is a factor that is often overlooked by those determined to prepare for life after a nuclear fallout, natural disaster, or zombie apocalypse. God has a plan for our lives that is not ship wreck-able by any outside force, but by us alone.
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not [a]carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” — 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
Our battle is not over the circumstances of life, because our faith already gave us the victory over the things of this world. The preparation that I’m talking about starts between our ears.
Being Prepared Is Key to Survival
For centuries the human race has had to overcome adversity to survive. What sets apart the victors from the victims is their perspective. In other words, how we view challenges determines our ability to overcome them. Proverbs 23:7 says, “as a man thinks in his heart so is he.” The way we imagine a situation will play out is often a self-fulfilling prophesy.
When our son goes out on the soccer field and his team scores the first goal of the match, their chances of holding the score line and winning the game increases. The confidence level in the team gets a boost, and suddenly, they believe that they can win. When they believe that they can win, they begin to play like they can win. I have watched those boys go out against much bigger and stronger teams and beat them easily because they could see the victory. Physical preparation and training is obviously important, but mental preparation is the secret weapon that separates the victims from the victors and allows Davids to overcome their Goliaths.
Giant Killers
Giant Killers like David see the victory before the challenge and keep this as their focus. This enables them to move on past the trial and emerge victorious on the other side. The victory was so real to David that it gave him the courage to run head first at that giant with the full assurance that, with God, he was well able to overcome it. The mental picture David had was so real, in fact, that David described in great detail to that giant exactly what victory looked like and how it was going to come about!
What are you picturing? What does victory look like to you today, and what are you shouting at your giant?
| Phl 4:8 | Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. |
Refuse to See Defeat
Sometimes seeing the victory means refusing to see defeat. This was something that I realized, lying on my back in a grassy field! I had chased our cat across the farm yard in a vain attempt to rescue a baby rabbit that was dangling from its mouth, when my foot became lodged in a muddy rut under the grass. Momentum carried me past that hole, and I heard a loud crack originating from my ankle, which hadn’t made the journey at the same speed as the rest of my body.
A half-mile from the house, all alone in the wet grass, I began to picture myself hobbling through the airport on crutches, dragging three small children and 18 pieces of luggage towards the plane. We were in the middle of packing the house to move continent, and a broken ankle was not something that I had time for at that moment.
Suddenly, I had a choice to make. I could lay there and hope someone might hear me screaming, crawl back to the house across the field, or change the picture. Out of my mouth came a shout: it was my Giant-Killing battle cry, and all it said was, “Jesus!” I leapt to my feet and ran all the way home on a broken ankle. Yes, those first steps hurt, but by the time I got home my ankle was healed!
What I learned that day was the importance of being prepared. Practice your battle cry, see the victory beyond the giant, and crush defeat before it has opportunity to speak!