Check back each Monday for a short devotional with Chaplain Art Pace to help you start the week off well.
Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:13
While there is a certain amount of reactiveness in a battle zone, most successful military actions are the result of prior rigorous training and preparation. We drill and drill until our responses become almost second nature. We have learned that the greater the preparation, the greater the odds of military victory.
In a similar way, the Apostle Peter tells us to prepare our minds for action. Note that he focuses on the mind here, and not the body or the heart. We are to spiritually prepare our minds to engage our enemy, the Devil.
Peter is therefore challenging us to thoroughly study the Word of God as our field manual for success. But we are not to learn just for the sake of acquiring knowledge. We are to learn so that we have the necessary skills to take action according to the will of God. By way of encouragement, he reminds us that regardless of what we face, we have the certain hope of eternal life through the death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ.
The weeks before Easter, which we call Lent, are an ideal time to devote to deepening our commitment to study the Holy Scriptures. As the ancient Romans said, “amat victoria coram” or “Victory loves careful preparation.”
How much time last week did you spend studying the Bible? What are you doing to prepare yourself for spiritual warfare?
