Training Ground
In the military, a training field is an outdoor facility used to train soldiers and recruits. As believers, our training ground is in our minds. Scripture says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” —Ephesians 6:12
Usually, early in the morning when I head down to my prayer room, God puts a song in my heart or gives me something specific to pray about. But for a season, as soon as I crossed the threshold into my prayer room, an all-out war would begin in my mind whenever I tried to pray. All kinds of thoughts would come to distract me from prayer. Satan would attack from every direction. I became so frustrated that I asked God, “What is going on in my head?” I understood that the battlefield was in the mind, but I felt like I couldn’t break through. Every prayer time became a struggle. At times, I would just sit with God in silence, but even that felt like a battle. This went on for weeks, and then one day, I said to God, “I am not leaving this room until something shifts.”
I finally reached a place of quiet and peace. I could hear the silence. I knew I had entered a new dimension. I sat and listened, wanting to hear everything God was saying to me. Then He said, “The warfare was to make you strong.” I immediately understood what He was telling me. He had never left me; I was on the training ground. He wanted me to know that no matter what attacked my mind, our relationship remained unchanged, and He was still hearing my prayers.
I had become so worked up and confused, thinking my prayers weren’t getting through. But God was teaching me not to rely on what I felt but on what I knew. I knew that according to Romans 8:34 Jesus intercedes for us. I knew 1 John 5:14-15, when I pray according to God’s will, He hears and answers. I knew that Luke 11:9 says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” God was teaching me how to be completely at peace, regardless of what I felt or thought, for He is not the author of confusion. I had allowed myself to get entangled in the battle with Satan instead of simply saying, “God, I trust You!”
We must understand that God will allow us to face the training ground. How else will we be prepared for the real battle? Just as the military trains soldiers for combat, how much more will God train and prepare those He loves?
Key Points:
God trains and prepares those He loves.
Training is not easy, but it is beneficial.
Don’t let your mind get caught up in how you feel; instead, stand on what you know from the Word.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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