Spring Training

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22

Did you ever wish there were some simple instructions on how to live a full life? Well, here’s a good list to start with.

Always be joyful. Always joyful doesn’t necessarily mean always happy, but that we have a joy that is part of who we are. And that joy comes from knowing that our God is with us every step, and loves us beyond what we could ever imagine.

Never stop praying. Well, we can’t really do that can we? There are other things we need to get done. We can’t sit in prayer all day. But your prayers don’t always have to start with “Dear God” and end with “Amen”. Although it is important to set aside time to spend one on one with God in prayer, our days can be a constant conversation with Him. We can chat with Him all day long. Think of Jesus as that friend who you want to talk to right away when something bad happens, or when something great happens, or when we need a little help. And you can do it immediately! He is always ready to share your news, rejoice with you, give you a strong shoulder to cry on, or jump in and assist.

Be thankful in all circumstances. Notice it doesn’t say we need to be thankful FOR all circumstances. Some circumstances in this life are downright rotten. But next time you find yourself there, try thanking God for the things that have gone right, for the things that are still good, and for the things He has promised for the future. Gratitude can give you the strength that you need to push through the rotten circumstance and get to the other side intact.

Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. When He is at work in you, give Him free rein to do what must be done. And when He is at work in someone else, stay out of the way. When you feel that nudge that He wants you to do (or not do) something, be ready to obey. This is something that takes preparation and practice. It’s hard to obey in really difficult situations without learning and practicing in small ways first. We need to learn to hear His voice, and then do what He says. Ask God to help you with this. There is a training curve, and He is your coach. When you learn a new sport, you would expect to get instruction from the coach, then start small and increase the difficulty as you train and get stronger. So let Him guide your training. Let Him guide your practice, and strengthen you so you’ll be ready for the big game.

Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Believe the promises of God, but don’t fall for everything you hear. When you hear something that you are unsure of, go to his Word. Check it out for yourself. But don’t feel like you have to figure it out on your own. Ask God to open your mind and give you wisdom and insight. He is more than happy to share with you when you honestly seek the Truth.

Hold on to good, stay away from evil. This one seems easy, right? But the lines of good and evil have become somewhat blurred in our world. Some things are obvious, but others can seem to be in a gray area. Test things by looking to the Word. God’s word doesn’t change. Learn it and keep it in your heart so that you can see evil plainly.

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

Satan is real, demons are real. I have seen them in action. They are not just a fairy tale. Satan would love for you to think he’s not real, that you don’t actually need to fight against him. This is one of the lies he uses to pull our focus away from our need for God’s help. Satan’s goal is to seduce you to his side, to separate you from God, and to surround you in darkness. He makes the darkness look inviting, fun, he calls it freedom. But it is actually bondage, chaos, and destruction. It shows up in our lives as fear, shame, anxiety, depression, worry, or insecurity. Satan means to harm you, he wants to take you down. When you speak the name of Jesus, he gets angry because he has to run. Jesus has already won the war. Satan has already lost. Now he is trying to claw his way back into some kind of relevance, using schemes and tricks and lies.

Don’t fall for it! Get close to Jesus and join the winning team. He already fought the fight for you. All you have to do is join His team, and start your training program. Learn to use His equipment, wear His shoulder pads, learn His offensive and defensive maneuvers. Satan thinks he can still win this game. He’s trying to get as many as he can onto his team. He can’t accept that he has already lost, and it only took one man to do it. So kick him aside and join in the victory celebration.

Give your whole self to the winning team, body, mind and soul. Train hard to resist the lies and stand strong in the Truth. If you’ve just joined the team, stick close to an experienced player to learn the ropes. If you’ve been on the team for awhile, but have just been hanging around on the sideline, get in the game. Throw off the things that have been holding you back and weighing you down, and start playing. Sometimes we have to play hard. Sometimes we get beat up by the other side. But our team has the One who can heal, and redeem, and lift us up when we fall. Our coach is always proud of our efforts. He knows exactly which position He wants you to play, and He will train you to play it well, if you are willing to learn. Put me in Coach, I’m ready to play!