Trained for War By Os Hillman

"Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle" (Psalm 144:1) 

You'll never experience God in powerful ways by acquiring Bible knowledge alone. It is only when that knowledge is used in the heat of battle that you will know the reality of what you've learned intellectually. Otherwise, it remains only an exercise in spiritual gymnastics that yields little fruit. 

David became a great warrior and leader of a nation at an early age. His training ground was his job as a shepherd in the open fields. When bears and lions sought to take his sheep, he personally fought them. This was his early preparation for future battles. Goliath was the real competition amongst a discerning audience to reveal how well his training prepared him. 

Today, our local churches often look more like luxury cruise liners designed to tickle the ears, entertain its members and make them feel good instead of a battleship designed to train an army for war. The average member still watches from the sideline. 

In sports you discover how well you handle pressure by competing. You can practice all you want but never know how you will do until you enter the game and test what you've learned and practiced when there is pressure added to the equation. In battle you discover how well you are trained by what you actually do on the battlefield. 

Have you ever prayed with someone in public? Have you ever personally led someone to Christ? Have you ever served others for the sake of the Gospel? Have you ever taught a Bible study? If you said no to these questions, you are not engaged in the game. Today, why not ask God to give you the grace to step onto the battlefield. 

Source:http:Trained for War

Insight:

Having a personal relationship with Jesus, our Lord and Savior ,is never a joke. Once you commit yourself to Him, it means you're preparing yourself to fight the battle with Him and for Him. Yes, Christianity (I'm referring to the relationship, not religion) is not boring, as a matter of fact, one can experience true joy in spending time with God and fellow believers. On the other hand, our relationship with Him is not always a smooth-sailing thing. Just like Jesus' suffering, we're not exempted to trials and tribulations that life may bring. Hence, as Christ's ambassadors of faith, we must not deny the fact of spiritual warfare which happens all the time. As we lead people to Christ, it is a must to let them experience the joy of being God's children at the same time train them for spiritual battle. It has never been a less important matter in Christianity. 

As for me, leading this people to a deeper level of spirituality must be emphasized, even though they are still young in the relationship (new Christians). May be not in an instant, but gradually and eventually realize the true meaning of being Christ's follower/believer. Let's go back to the basic. Let's go back to our first love-Jesus Christ. Let's love His Word. Let's speak to Him in prayer. We can never win the battle unless we don't fill ourselves of godly thoughts and fulfill our commitments to Him.