We are continuing the series of Off-Season Training. I think one thing that distracts us is the absence of issues. I’ll explain. We have those days when we have money in our pocket. Our bills are paid. We’re not experiencing any problems at home. We are flourishing spiritually and naturally. Life is good. While this is awesome on any day, we can not allow that to overshadow the importance of preparation! This is your Off-Season. Enjoy it and live it, but also use wisdom! Be prepared. Use your Off-Season as a time of securing and ensuring. One thing we have to learn how to do is to be consistent, in and out of season. We will watch the seasons begin to change and still take no action. A change of seasons indicates a change in situations! Why do you think stores have summer clothes on clearance during the winter? To them, it’s to clear out inventory and create space for the incoming but for you it’s to help you prepare for the upcoming season. Stop waiting to prepare once the season has approached you. Start early! Start now!
We should purchase fire extinguishers as soon as we get knowledge that our possessions have the potential to burn. We don’t prepare for a fire when the stove catches on fire. We prepare for the fire when we buy the house. This is wisdom. When you have something to lose, the wise thing to do is to prepare for protection.
We’re still talking about preparation in the off-season. I have a question. Why do we secure our homes with security systems? We don’t purchase the security systems while the burglar is robbing us; we purchase it before the robbery happens. Why? Because we have knowledge of our possessions and their value.
We can even apply this to credit scores. I have heard several people say, “I’ll work on my credit later. I don’t need it right now.” This is so unwise. Why would someone wait to get to the car lot, in need of a car, and then decide to “fix” their credit?
Think about it like this. As soon as you make the choice to say, “I do,” the possibility for divorce is created. If we know this to be true, why do we wait until marriage becomes difficult to prepare for the difficult times? I am not saying we should be paranoid. I’m simply saying build strength on the strong days! The days when you’re actually enjoying the company of each other on the couch watching a movie, use those days as building moments. I have a friend who is married. She and her husband have been together for many years. Their bond seemed to be unbreakable. They struggled very badly in the first few years of their marriage financially but mentally and emotionally, they were stronger than strong. They had created a friendship between them that was noticeable to any stranger. Through the years, God blessed them abundantly. They had a healthy family. Their finances had more than tripled. They were no longer living pay check to pay check. They still had a healthy friendship and marriage. Then one day, they were caught off guard. One of them had a secret, infidelity. Of course, the other spouse was crushed because they didn’t see this coming. After all, God had blessed them so much and it was evident that favor and the hand of Jehovah was in their lives. However, even in this, they still remained strong and married! After they were both healed of the hurts and disappointments, they still seemed impenetrable. How? I’m glad you asked because I did too. My friends answer was, when we first got married, we were still in the butterfly stages and we decided to have the tough conversations. We asked each other questions about cheating and lying. We would pray together often. We would cover our marriage and each other separately. We kept our communication open. We built a solid friendship and faith together. These steps prepared us for the storm. We ensured that our foundation was solid and without any cracks when the sun was shining; so when the dark came, we still had something to stand on!
Just like this couple and the other examples, we should be prepared. Use your peaceful season to prepare for the chaos that the enemy may be planning to throw at you. When we do this, we show maturity. Most people probably won’t understand why the storm didn’t kill you. It’s because you made sure you were planted and rooted while they were out throwing their dirt and shovels around! Prepare now and be thankful later!
