Prepared for Battle

Wow-It’s been over a month since our last ‘Just for Today’!  I am very excited to be writing again.  Thank you to all of you who read the posts.  My prayer is that God will use the words in a way that will encourage you in your daily walk with Him.

We find ourselves in Deuteronomy where we left off…

Deut 17-20  Focus verses: 20:5-9

This passage of scripture deals with men going forth to battle.  They were fighting in a physical battle, but today, we as Christians are in a spiritual battle.  There were reasons that men were unable to fight in a battle, and they are applicable to our spiritual battle.

First of all, a man who had built a house but had not dedicated it could not go to battle. Before we can stand strong in spiritual battle, we must first dedicate ourselves to the things of Christ.  If a soldier only half heartedly believed in what he was fighting for, he wouldn’t be very effective in battle.  If we, as soldiers in Christ’s army, are not dedicated to Him and His cause, we will prove to be ineffective.

The second exemption from battle was that if a man had planted a vineyard and hadn’t eaten of it, then he should first go and eat of his vineyard.  The bible is our spiritual food.  Let us not be spiritual anorexics, but let us find ourselves filled with the word of God. 

Finally, if a man was engaged, he was to marry his betrothed before He went to battle.  You can’t really put up a good fight at all if you have never been married with Christ-not in the physical sense, but in the spiritual sense.  Have you ever given yourself to Christ?  Is He your husbandman?  This is the first step to fighting in the Lord’s army, because whether you know it or not, there are only two sides of a battle.  Are you on the Lord’s side?

The Christian fight can be victorious, but there are some things you need to do to be prepared.  Just for today, I will be sure that I am prepared for battle.