Ready and Focused

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

Philippians 3:12

I mentioned that my daughter plays volleyball. Her team had an incredible season this year. Almost undefeated in district play. Almost . . . In our district we play every team twice. Our girls beat every team the first time around, and the season was coming to an end. Only two games were left. I watched as my daughter’s team warmed up. They just didn’t seem to have their heads in the game. Their attitudes were not focused. And the game followed suite. Our girls made mistakes that they don’t usually make and allowed their first loss in district play.

Our girls had the skill needed, and they were well coached. They knew what to do and had demonstrated outstanding level of play time and time again. But not this day. Again, they had all that they needed to be successful, but they did not take hold of what was theirs.

Often we aren’t focused on our spiritual lives. We cruise along our day, going through the motions, but not fully concentrating on what God has for us. God doesn’t promise that our circumstances will fall in line with our own ideas, but He does promise that He is with us. And He promises that He will use our circumstances for our good. If we aren’t watching for how God is working, we miss the deeper truths going on all around us.

We can also be better prepared. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12). We can arm ourselves. When we venture into this fallen world, we need to be ready. We can arm ourselves with the Word of God, which is the sword of the spirit. The more we fill our minds with God’s word, the more focused on Him we become. And when we fill our heart with time with our Father, our hearts are filled ready to impact others for Him.

My daughter’s team finished the season with only the one district loss, and they still won first place in the district. But they all learned more about getting their hearts and minds more prepared for the game, the battle. Are you ready for battle?

Julie