Boot Camp for God's Army, Part 4

Boot Camp for God's Army, part 4

When you go into the Army or Military, they issue all that you will need to do the job.  When they issue you a weapon, they write the serial number down and that weapon is yours as long as you are in the service or boot camp.  You are responsible for keeping it clean and in the best working order.  When I was in, if you happened to drop your rifle, you may have had to sleep with it.  You were so familiar with your weapon that you could build confidence in your ability to use it (you always keep it pointed down range).

            In I Sam 17:38-40, there was an account of a battle with a Giant and a 17 year old shepherd boy named David.  David had spent his life as a shepherd and protector of the flock.  In his job as a shepherd, he ran into some problems.  There were some enemies of his sheep that seemed to be hungry.

            King Saul made light of David because he was just a boy with a sling shot and a staff, but David knew his weapon (I Sam 17:34-36, he killed a lion and a bear and saved the sheep because he knew his weapons).

            In I Sam 17:37-40, you will find that Saul gave David his armor and sword to use, but David told him, “thanks, but no thanks” (Verse 39).  David girded his sword upon his armor but hesitated to go, “for he had not proved it”, meaning, he was not familiar with it.  He said, “I can not go with these, for I have not proved them”, and he took them off.  Verse 40 He took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones out of the brook and put them in his shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

            As in basic training, you learn your weapon so in God’s Army, you do the same.  Our weapons are spiritual weapons that have to become so familiar to you that your faith is in what you use.

            When you are in the military you have to be familiarized with your weapon every so often, even in peace time.  In God’s Army, there is no peace time.  Satan works 24-7.  But in the military (even if you are not deployed to the front lines), you are required to stay ready at all times.

            The Apostle Paul relates his place in the church as a competitor in a high stake competition in athletic terms.   In I Cor 9:24-27, he speaks of one who stays in shape (spiritually).  If you speak to any kind of professional athlete, they don’t get up one morning and decide to run in the Olympics.  They train all the time so as to be ready when the time comes to compete.

            As Christians, we should not be slack until we encounter a crisis, but be prepared for anything at any time.  I Peter 5:6-9 says, be vigilant and sober of mind, cautious at all times, for your enemy, the devil, roams like a roaring lion, seeking someone to seize and devour.

            Our job is to be ready as all times so if he comes to you, you are not so easy to devour.  You don’t wait until you go to combat to see if your rifle will fire.  Jesus compared it in Matt 7:24-27, to being caught without being prepared.  The same storm hit both houses, but only one of them fell.  We sometimes wait until the storm hits and then try to sand bag the foundation.

            Paul said in II Tim 4:7, he fought a good fight and finished the race.