We’ve all heard the old saying, “He who fails to plan for the future is planning to fail in the future”. One famous military leader said, “Getting ready is half the battle”. Dear friend you don’t wait until a crisis come to prepare for it, you prepare for it because you know it’s coming. In reminding us of the need to prepare, Dr. Paul Chappell writes:
“It took less than ten seconds for Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt to cover the one hundred meter distance on the Olympic track and win the gold medal in London. Those few seconds cemented his status as the “fastest man alive” and placed him on the winner’s podium once again. But the race was not won in those seconds—it was won by hours and hours of practice, workouts, weightlifting, special diet, and coaching.
The race was not won in the performance but in the preparation. It is our desire for something greater that causes us to sacrifice some things, even some good things, for the sake of things that are better. The famous football coach Bear Bryant said, “The difference between success and failure is not the will to win. Everyone has the will to win. Not everyone has the will to do what it takes to prepare to win.” The level of commitment that we make beforehand determines the success of our efforts.
Think of Daniel, a teenage boy taken hundreds of miles from home and subjected to a brainwashing program designed to break down his allegiance to his homeland and his God. But long before the temptations came, Daniel “had purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself” (Daniel 1:8).
Because of Daniel’s preparation, no amount of persuasion, threat, or pressure could overcome his commitment to God. His dedication was unshakeable. For example, when Daniel’s enemies got the decree passed that outlawed prayers to anyone other than the king of Persia, Daniel still prayed three times a day. He did not start praying when the law was passed, instead he continued his habit of prayer “as he did aforetime” (Daniel 6:10).
Our character is not made when we are put to the test; it is simply revealed then. Our character is made long before the test ever comes.—-
