Friday Fight 102: Getting Ready to Get Ready?

Every Friday, when I wake and pray, God places something on my heart to help me fight the darkness beginning in our minds. Today is FF102.

As the spiritual seasons come and go, we find ourselves doing things we previously prayed for or addressing areas of our lives we never thought possible. Not in our strength but in His; God is good! Yet, with this new season approaching, it may feel impossible. Perhaps God has revealed something to our hearts, but we feel unprepared or unequipped to answer this enormous call. Wow, thinking about this can overstimulate the mind. So now what?

Getting Ready to Get Ready?

Have you ever heard someone say they can’t join the gym because they’re too heavy? Or maybe someone who cannot attend church because they claim to be a “hot mess”? Sometimes we feel “getting ready” is necessary to “get ready.” What if we apply this to whatever God places in front of us? Perhaps God is revealing something to our hearts through prayer, but it feels so massive that we must get ready to answer this call obediently. But by whose account are we considered to be unprepared? Certainly not God if He is the one asking. If we allow ourselves to be in tune with God through prayer and keep that posture of surrender, then we can surrender with a thankful heart rather than a doubtful spirit. In Colossians, Paul writes about this in Chapter 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Instead of getting ready, what if we surrendered to the position of remaining ready for whatever God has entrusted us to do? Our need to prepare by making a list of things to be “more spiritual” is potentially our lack of faith in what God is asking. Instead of envisioning the list of items required before moving in obedience, consider what God is using to equip us for the journey ahead. Too often, we equate “doing” with movement. Maybe this next season includes a test in obedience, freedom in our faith, spiritual growth, forgiveness, or merely trusting Him more. Maybe God is waiting for us before He allows this next season to unfold. It could be that God is waiting for us to grab the car keys to drive the car down the road He paved for us. God does this because, like anything else, a lack of preparation or poor timing can bring failure. Would the Creator of the Universe ask us to do something He had not meticulously planned since before we were born?

Darkness contributes to our questions of this process by convincing us that we are not ready for what God reveals to our hearts. In these lies, we work tirelessly on our “spiritual list” that is never attained or completed because it is based on lies. Focus on God; rather than just calling the equipped, God equips those He calls.

Being ready for what God is asking will sometimes feel uncomfortable because God is more concerned with our spiritual growth than comfort. However, we must remember that we are obediently positioning ourselves in the place God asks so He can move through us. Remaining ready is being humble and surrendering to the things God calls us to daily, like reading the Word, praying, and conforming to the image of Christ.

Colossians 4:2

Photo Credit: Abigail Tarburton

Pastor Shannon

New Life Calvert