BE PREPARED

As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work” – Acts 13:2

Paul and Barnabas were among ministers in the Church at Antioch, getting themselves ready spiritually for whatever God might ask them to do, or wherever He might send them. They were painstakingly preparing for divine changes, as they “ministered to the Lord and fasted” (Acts 13:2). So, when the Holy Spirit said, “Separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work” (v.2), they were all set for the journey. God desires that you keep your tools ready for the work He has for you.

There is nothing comparable to being prepared for one’s day of Shining and Manifestation. This means: “Being on the Scene in your Season” – being in tune and on time! Joseph’s manifestation in Egypt could not be divorced from his preparation. Apart from the long-term preparation through trials and temptation, Genesis 41:14 reports that when Pharaoh invited Joseph, even though “they brought him hastily out of the dungeon,” he still “shaved himself, and changed his raiment” before he could approach Pharaoh. He divested himself of dungeon rags and dressed to fit the palace. The same can be said of Esther’s preparation to shine in Shushan, the palace of Ahasuerus, king of Persia (Est.2:9).

2 Chronicles 27:6 says, “So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God”. For most people, the trouble with the future is that it arrives before they are ready for it. It is of utmost importance that you get prepared for God’s prepared plans, programmes, places, placements or positions. Wisdom demands that you dig a well before you are thirsty and plant a seed before you are hungry. The motto of Boys’ Scouts says: “Be Prepared” – in Mind and in Body – to do the right thing at the right moment! Be always in a state of readiness in mind and body to do your duty.

Extending this metaphor to the totality of life, you must be prepared for the changes that pertain to fulfilling life’s purposes. As we approach the end of a year and the beginning of another, are you preparing for what God might want you to do? When the Spirit says, “Arise”; when God commands, “Go” or “Move” or “Launch out,” will you be ready to obey without hesitation? Above all else, you must be prepared for eternity. Where and with whom will you spend eternity? Jesus invites whosoever will, to spend eternity with Him: “…I go to prepare a place for you” (Jh.14:2b). To what extent are you preparing or prepared for your prepared place?