Jeremiah 29:13, English Standard Version

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

I was involved in a meeting this morning and one of the questions that came up was talking about how can we as Christians prepare ourselves to live out our Christian faith in our day to day lives? After some discussion I was reminded of an old idiom that I had heard back when I was playing basketball. It goes like this, “games are not won on the field”. What it implies is that, if a person desires to win in their sport, they have to put in the work prior to the game to prepare, to practice, to study, and to condition themselves so that when the game finally comes, they are ready to give their best.

That sounds really inspiring but what does that mean in the life of the believer? Anyone who has followed Christ for long will probably be able to tell you that we definitely have an enemy. He wants to defeat us and take us to a place in which we give up. What we must remember is that, if we desire to push forward and continue to serve the Lord, we cannot wait until the trials and testing come. We must commit ourselves to seeking Him at all times and prepare ourselves by reading the Word, seeking the Holy Spirit, and talking with our Father. That is not only done when we are in the heat of the battle, but we must lay that foundation when we are at home in our quiet time as well. It is what we do when no one else is looking that will prepare us for the battle. If we are doing nothing and just seeking our own comfort and enjoyment, we will not be prepared when the trial comes, and we will be defeated.

So, with this in mind, what does your prayer life look like? What does your Bible reading time look like? How often are you meditating on His Word and seeking His plan for your life? How much time do you spend with Christian brothers and sisters? These are all serious questions to consider and the answer to them will be a significant indicator of how prepared you are to face the trials and temptations of this world.

I want to leave you with this word of encouragement. No matter where you may be right now in your walk with Christ, if you call upon Him and seek His face, He will show up. It is never too late to start pursuing a deeper relationship with Jesus. He is ready and waiting to walk with you as you go through every day of your life. He will never leave you nor forsake you!