Be Prepared

By Elizabeth Roy

“He has broken every fetter;

That my soul may serve Him better,

Be like Jesus, this my song,

In the home and in the throng;

Be like Jesus all day long!

I would be like Jesus.”

B.D. Ackley

In the early morning hours, I have a very special meeting planned.  As the house is sleeping still, in the quiet of the morning, I meet with my God.  He is a most Gracious Resident: always prepared to meet, and waiting for me to join Him.

We gather around the Bread of Life for a meal that will nourish my body and soul.  Knowing exactly what I am to face that day, He directs my reading and my thoughts.  The quiet of my room serves to emphasize the holiness of this time.  How blessed I am to sometimes hear the birds as they begin their day praising Him.  I am aware of my privileged position, of whose time and company I am enjoying.  I am following in the footsteps of the saints of the past whose habit it was to be alone with God; resting and rejoicing in His presence.

This time is too precious to sleep away; these morning hours forge the path of my day.  These morning hours are an opportunity to shove that flesh into place and allow the first steps of my day to be victorious and not defeated.

His Holy Book in these holy hours surrounded by His Holy Presence is wholly what I need to prompt my day to be holy in word and in deed.

“Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning.” Ps. 143:8

“In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my soul.”  Ps. 94:19

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.”  Ps. 68:19

Be prepared, my friend.  The battle is still raging and we must awake, arise, and prepare.  We have such a One who is not only our Guide and our Leader, but is our army as well.  He it is who will fight our battles for us; He it is that longs to cleanse us, fill us, and use us, taking us to places and situations we never dreamed we would be; but how sad for us that we have placed ourselves in thralldom.  (This old word means, “voluntary slavery”.) We are unprepared for our daily adventure with God.  We are stuck behind, watching others move by us, passing us, leaving us where we are.

What is it that hinders you?  What is your “fetter”?  Why do you allow it to hamper you?  According to the Bible, you are free in Christ.  Is this “fetter” stronger than you are?  Is it stronger than Christ?  A fetter is a chain, usually around the ankle, used to bind.  Is your fetter a food item?  How about an uncontrolled tongue?  Is it an attitude of discontentment?  How about doubt or fear?  Fetters come in all shapes and sizes.  It’s funny how personal they are, too.

Sanctification is the process by which God, in the Holy Spirit, works to conform us to the image of Christ through a variety of means.  Sometimes God uses trials and testing, sometimes it comes through the consequences of our actions.  For our sanctification He is always using His Word to speak to us to call our spirit unto His and to hear His Word and then be a doer thereof.  Since we started this journey with our Creator, His actions have been very purposeful.  Though we may sometimes look ‘round and doubt His involvement in the midst of our mess, we must rest assured that, “He that hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 1:6)

Fetters shackle the feet.  They inhibit your walk with God.  They keep you from moving onward and upward.  Dearest Soldier, let the power of Christ unshackle you from those weights that so easily beset you.  The Worker of Miracles holds the key to release you from your fetters; and He waits for you to release your hold and, with an outstretched empty hand, believe that He can and that He will. Believe.  Become unshackled.  The chains are truly illusionary, for they cannot truly hold and bind the child of God.  We are free.  We are victorious.  In Christ we have life and life abundant.  Free your mind from the lies it has believed and start feeding it Truth, Truth, Truth and more Truth.  The darkness will flee and you will live….you will be alive and free.

This world has a way of getting you down and keeping you down.  You know, nothing will change for good on its own.  We make choices all the time.  We can choose to be content where we are, never striving to reach for the higher ground, or we can volunteer ourselves for change: we can seek to put ourselves in places where we allow God to change us.  We can choose to sit in the filth of our doubt and discouragement, for getting up to clean will take physical and mental effort.  But remember, nothing will change for good on its own.

You let life plow forward on its own or you take charge.  Life sweeps you along, or you take the helm and navigate your way, through seeking direction and guidance from the Lord. You are stuck where you are by your own choosing.  You have voluntarily enslaved yourself to that fetter of yours.  You have submitted to a god of your own making.  For, if we are to believe the Bible, nothing has power over you unless you have given it power over you.  “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (1 Cor. 3:17) I read a great quote recently: “If you could kick in the pants the fellow responsible for most of your troubles, you wouldn’t be able to sit down for six months.” (B. Nye)

Carefully and purposefully cultivate your relationship with your heavenly Father.  Pray: “Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.” (Psalm 119:133)  Pray. Ask. Pray. Seek. Pray. Knock and it shall be opened unto you.

“Speak thou to Him, for He heareth,

And Spirit with spirit will meet!

Nearer is He than breathing,

Nearer than hands and feet.”

M.D.Babcock

He IS all you need.  He IS the answer to your greatest questions.  He truly IS longing to lead you in love.  Walk forward with Him.  Trust the Lover of your soul.