“…and having prepared everything…” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Have you ever started something before you were actually ready for it? When I ran cross country in high school, one of the things my coach always told us was to remember the five P’s. Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance. While there are folks who enjoy flying by the seat of their pants, it is always a good idea to have some sort of a plan for the journey ahead of us. It’s been a great week so far here at camp. Let’s talk about the next part of our theme verse.

When military bases are at their best, they are a constant hub of readiness. There is always something to do. There are drills to run, equipment to be maintained, gear to be cleaned, walls to guard, and the list goes on. This is true whether we are talking about a forward operating base from which regular offensive missions are launched, or a home base that exists to defend against enemy attacks.

Paul is in the middle is telling the Ephesian believers to suit up with the armor of God. This kind of military imagery is all over the New Testament. And indeed, there are numerous touchpoints between military matters and the Christian life. In this one verse he has already told them what to do (put on the full armor of God) and why (so that they may stand firm in the evil day). Now he is getting set to set them loose. Just before his final command, the thing to which all the rest of this is pointing, he notes their preparedness.

We cannot set out to do what we are called to do in Christ until we are ready for it. A great part of the journey spent following Jesus is to be focused on getting ready for the action God will yet bring our way. This doesn’t necessarily mean we will get the opportunity to do nothing but prepare before we encounter the first challenge. It means that, like on a military base, our life should be a constant game of readiness. We must be always preparing for the next challenge whatever it may be.

But how do we prepare for challenges when we don’t yet know what they will be? Well, while we cannot perhaps say with specificity what kinds of challenges we will have to face, there are some things we can fairly easily predict by studying the Scriptures and observing the kinds of things believers have faced over the course of church history.

There are also some general types of readiness we can embrace. Everyone who entered the military goes through basic training no matter what sort of specific challenges they will face when they go into their speciality. Some of those for followers of Jesus are engaging with the Scriptures, praying, fellowshipping and worshiping with the body of Christ, and practicing the other spiritual disciplines. In addition to this, each of the pieces of armor Paul highlights point us to different basic points of readiness we can embrace.

If you are following Jesus, there are challenges coming your way. It is a matter of when, not if. Because of this, you have to live ready at all times. Suit up and keep your armor polished.