The year 1990 was the last time I dunked a basketball. The last time I played a pick-up with some friends. The last time I ran onto a floor to warm up for a game. I miss those times. But as much as I have missed doing those things, what I miss the most is the preparation that it took to do those things. I loved practice. I loved the feeling that my body had after a workout. I loved the pain. I loved everything about it. Call me crazy, but I loved the “burn” that my body felt. I loved it, because I knew what the result was going to be. I was ready for what was coming. And just as much as my physical workouts were preparing me for the games ahead, the same could be said about preparing ourselves spiritually for what is coming ahead.
God will put us through tests. He will put us through trials. Both of those can include temptations. Honestly, both of those probably will include temptations. But why is it that he would do this? The answer is simple. He’s preparing us. Something is coming. And he knows it. And he knows that we are not ready for it. So he puts us through moments to build our spiritual strength. He allows those times to happen to build our spiritual strength. Sometimes those moments require a lot of action on our part. Other times those moments require us to sit back and let God work in our hearts. Either way, he’s building us. We are going through the “burn” spiritually.
Just as much as I have been through the burn of physical training, I have been through the burn spiritually as well. I met with a dear friend who was going through the very same thing for a while. And we both knew that God is preparing him for something. Something that he wasn’t ready for before the difficult time. So he was working on building his spiritual strength. So when the time does come, he will be ready for the task at hand. So today, ask yourself: “Am I prepared spiritually? And I’m ready to face what’s coming my way?” Be honest with yourself. Today prepare your hearts for the burn. So when the time does come, you will be better prepared for going through it. So on the other side of your hard time, the next difficulty will be easier to handle. And people will see that. And they will know it’s God‘s grace. And they will want it. And there’s not anything more powerful than that.
