The Training Ground of God by Os Hillman
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By Os Hillman
The
Training Ground of God
by Os Hillman
"Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my
fingers for battle." - Psalm 144:1
David
was a man skilled in war. From his days as a shepherd boy to the days of
serving in Saul's army to leading his own army, David learned to be a skillful
warrior. How does one become a skillful warrior?
The
only way one can become a skillful warrior is to be trained and placed in the
middle of the battle. It is only when we are placed in the furnace of battle
that we truly learn to fight the real battles. Practice doesn't make you battle
ready. War games won't prepare you for facing your real enemy in the
battlefield. The stark reality of being in the midst of the battle makes us
effective warriors.
Simply
reading your Bible will not make you a warrior for the Kingdom. Knowledge
without experience is mere folly. Only when you are placed in situations where
there is nothing or no one who can save you but God will you learn the lessons
of warrior faith. This is the training ground of God, which will make you into
a soldier for Christ in the workplace. Consider it to be suicidal faith - faith
that says I want to be dead to anything that keeps me from fulfilling God's
purposes for my life. It is when your efforts can do nothing to change your circumstance
and you are at the mercy of God. These are the real training grounds of God. Do
not shrink back from the battle that God may be leading you to today. It may be
a training ground that is necessary for the calling He has on your life.
If
you can trust Him in these times, you'll know that you have gained a faith that
will move mountains and will sustain you in the most difficult of
circumstances. "Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for
war, my fingers for battle."
Os Hillman
By permission only. To learn more
about Os Hillman, go to: www.marketplaceleaders.org.
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"And the Lord said to Joshua, 'This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.'"(Josh 3:7-8). Joshua had been a faithful number two man under Moses for 40 years. Can you imagine serving one man for 40 years? Now that is faithfulness! Even so, when the time came to pass the mantel to Joshua, God knew he needed to be elevated in the eyes of the people in order for Joshua to accomplish his purpose. That is the purpose for elevation - so that you and I can fulfill our purpose and our mission.
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"Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years. Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband." Ruth 1:3-5 Naomi's life was going well. A great husband. Two fine sons who had two wonderful wives. Then the unthinkable happened. Her husband died. A little time later both her sons die. Her and her daughter-in-laws find themselves in the midst of shattered dreams. This isn't how life was supposed to be.
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"While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, 'Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.'" Acts 10:19-20 Peter had never preached to the Gentiles. In fact, he believed it was against Jewish law to associate with the Gentiles. God needed to change Peter's attitude about this, so God gave Peter a vision that showed him it was permissible to preach to the Gentiles. The Spirit came to Peter and informed him that some men were about to come visit him, and he was to go with them. He went with them, and the Lord did great miracles in the lives of Gentiles through Peter.