Preparation

On July 4, 1776, the American Continental Congress issues a Declaration of Independence. We look back on this day as the day when the United States took its place on the world stage. We celebrate in one day our country’s beginning. But like so many things, this day does not exist by itself in history. Independence Day did not come about in a vacuum. It is surrounded with events and people and places both before the day and after. The 13 British Colonies that declared independence on July 4th had fought for their freedoms in a variety of ways before Independence Day. The Boston Massacre in March of 1770. The Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773. The battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775. All of these events led up to the declaration. After the colonies claimed independence, the Revolutionary War broke out. Independence was not a single event. It was an event that rested in the middle of other events. In Deuteronomy 20, Moses stands and issues a call to preparation. It is a call to stir the Israelites to readiness to go to war.

From the Exodus, through the wilderness, and now to the borders of Canaan, Israel has been preparing to go to war. God has been leading them to the moment when they would enter the Promised Land and claim the gift the God. As they stand ready on the Plains of Moab, they can look back and see how God has prepared them. God has shown His might and power on behalf of His people in the 10 Plagues and the parting of the Red Sea. God has taught them to follow His footsteps in the Pillar of Cloud and Fire. He has given them a standard to live by at Sinai with the 10 Commandments. God has taught them the lessons of rebellion when they would not take the land the first time. Ten spies said proclaimed the power of the world. Two spies proclaimed the might of God. The people followed the ten and spent the next forty years dying in the wanderings. Now there was a people ready to follow God into the Promised Land. Now Moses calls the people of God to be ready.

Battle begins with the understanding that God goes with us. We do not fight battle with our own strength or by our own might. We fight he battles that God lays before us and we rely on His strength for victory. Any situation we face must first focus on the presence of God. Are you struggling with family trouble? Are your finances a mess? Are you worried about the world and its influence? Then it is time to set your eyes on the power and presence of God. What is God calling you to do in this situation? What does God want for your family, finances, and the culture you live in? Don’t make your own plans. Set your mind and heart on God. Spend time in prayer and study. Listen for the voice of God in His people. Get a perspective on God’s desire. Prepare yourself to follow where God is leading. Moses calls for the priests to stand before the people in battle. Worship is a powerful tool to help get your perspective right. When we surrender our time, resources, hearts, and lives in worship, we learn to follow where God is leading.

As Moses calls the priests to stand before the people in battle, he instructs the priests to call the people to boldness. Faintheartedness is not for the people of God. Boldness is the order of the day. We live in a time when the people of God need to stand boldly for the will of God. The battles that we face can be daunting. We see soldiers and chariots arrayed before us. Media and political structures that look too big to fight. But we are not called to fear. We are called to see the might of God. We area called to boldly face the giants that inhabit our land and our culture. Being prepared for boldness demands that we get our lives in line with the coming battle. Does your family, your home, belong to God? Does your work life reflect a dedication to God’s will? Is your heart in the hands of God?

Boldness shows up in the “normal” places of our lives. Fighting for God is not about taking on the big things all at once. It is about years of following the daily leading of God. Preparedness takes place in the everyday moments of life. When we declare independence from the world, we are committing to the battle. The battle for the hearts and minds of the world. Our Independence Day is today! God calls us to practice the obedience and faith that He has been preparing in us. Are you ready to fight?

Date Daily Reading
July 3 Deuteronomy 20
July 4 Deuteronomy 21
July 5 Deuteronomy 22
July 6 Deuteronomy 23
July 7 Deuteronomy 24:1-25:4
July 8 Deuteronomy 25:5-19
July 9 Deuteronomy 26
July 10 Deuteronomy 27

 

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2 Responses to Preparation

  1. Liz says:

    Really enjoyed today’s reading. My spirit really responded to reading it in the mindset of preparing for spiritual battle. I can easily see the “giants” and so I could feel a challenge not to be the faint-hearted and sent home today. Praying for courage and faith to watch God fight my battles today as I enter the battle. To God be the glory!

  2. Bill Rasco says:

    Thanks Liz! We are praying with you!

    Bill

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