Sunday, January 18, 2009

Be ready, be prepared

There are many many times in life that we just don't know nor can we ever be truly prepared for what will happen next. We may make all kinds of plans and anticipate certain things but we can never accurately predict what the next day, the next moment or the next year will bring.

Saturday is the day for my bible study group to meet. So we prepared to meet yesterday. The difference was that instead of morning like usual, we would meet in the evening to accommodate one of our group members who had to work. Yesterday's meeting was a very important one as we were looking to compile a list of all the talents, gift and abilities God had given to each of us so we could find some commonalities in our efforts to give back to Him as a team and help build the kingdom. Even more important we were preparing to acknowledge our strongholds, those things that held us back from using our God-given abilities to bring Him glory. We were preparing to use the powerful Word of God to demolish these strongholds so we could move forward.

Since I have just moved and we are still unpacking and settling in, we had made plans to meet at another home. However, an incident at the home threatened to derail the plans we had for the evening. But God.........

While preparing dinner for the event a rice cooker malfunctioned and a roommate at the house was burned with the hot water that came from it on two/three of her fingers. This happened about 10/15 minutes before we arrived, but when we got there she was in a lot of discomfort and some of the skin had even started to peel off a portion of her fingers. Obviously this was a great concern and somewhat unsettling. The meal was put on hold and the study as well, so we could deal with the unexpected. We spent a few minutes praying and declaring the word over her asking God not to let it get any worse and for complete healing and restoring of her hand .

She eventually went to the emergency room and after about an hour and a half we had dinner and got things going.

We were so excited about yesterday's meeting. We had called each other throughout the week, talked about it and was really looking forward to spending a few hours together.
In the end we got to spend just about 45mins to an hour working on it.

Reflecting on it this early morning, I saw that while we don't know what can or will happen next, we can be prepared in God.

When sickness comes unexpectedly we can have the word of God to declare by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

When we are challenged about our beliefs, we should always be prepared to give a reason for the hope we have in our hearts. 1 Peter 3:15

When disaster strikes and panic wants to wrap itself around our very hearts, the word says as we bring it God with thanksgiving, His peace will guard and rule our hearts. Phil. 4:7

When nothing seems to be going right in your life and that of your family, the weight of it all keeps depressing you, be ready to 'put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness'. Isaiah 61:3

We are privilege to have the word of God. When we don't know where we are going, His word becomes a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Psalm 119:105

The next few minutes may be unknown to us, but if we know the Word of God, we can be prepared for anything that life or the enemy throws at us. We can get prepared by always wearing our full armor so that we can take our stand against the devil's schemes. Ephesians 6:3

We may not be able to change all the situations that we come up against, but we can work at changing our response by using the Word as our first aid kit.

This year my focus is more and more on the Word. I have started a method of memorizing more of the Word so I can hide it in my heart and I am increasing my study time.

I am walking with God as He leads me day by day and step by step. He knows what's next, I don't. So when I get more of His Word, I am able and prepared somewhat to brace myself in anticipation of the challenges ahead. His word becomes my shield and my fortress.

We couldn't have anticipated what would happen yesterday, but armed with the Word of God, we were able to deal with the situation and went on after some time in prayer to have a short but fruitful evening. If we had not had God's word to be our refuge and our peace, the evening
probably would have been one of chaos, panic and most likely postponed.

My encouragement to you today is -in the face of all that has happened already, and in light of all the bible prophecies - don't get caught unprepared, arm yourselves with the Word of God. It is our only hope and our only solution for anything that we could ever face.

Have a blessed day
Vickie

3 comments:

Terri Tiffany said...

You must have a direct window into my life, Vickie. Your group is so blessed to have you to meet with and share God's word. I thought I was prepared for the turns my life has taken this past two years but I wasn't as much as I wished I could be. It is so important to be prepared and wear the armour as Satan has so many clever ways to do battle with us.

Luanne said...

Vickie--Awesome post. We don't know what tomorrow holds--but we do know who holds tomorrow in His hands!

Susan said...

Wow, you always have such a POWERFUL word to share!!

I love coming to your blog!!

Have a blessed day my sweet friend♥