Hosanna Restoration Church

(John 1:23 NLT)
Do you ever ponder the path that led to your salvation? Do wonder what all went on to prepare you for the Lord’s coming into your life. John the Baptist went telling people to prepare a straight path for the Lord’s coming. Then as now, the straight path was opened by repentance. I have to say that I often reflect on how my heart was prepared. I try to imagine who prayed along the way. Once a woman who was in our church said that she had prayed and prayed for a church like Hosanna in the area. So it would seem that there are a lot of different things that God uses to prepare the paths.

Once we come to the kingdom the preparation has only begun, for then we must prepare for the path ahead. We prepare by seeking the Lord through His word and through conversation (prayer) with Him. We prepare by obeying His word as it is revealed to our hearts. As we prepare, then we are prepared for whatever it is that the Lord brings into our path. Scripture tells us to be prepared to defend the hope that we have in us.

If we do not prepare, we will find ourselves unprepared and in danger of stumbling. For instance, Eve was not prepared to overcome the temptation of devil. We need to be aware that once our hearts are open and Jesus comes in, we also become a target for the enemy. That is why the Lord admonishes us to put on the armor of God so we can stand in the evil day.

There is another thing that we should be doing as we prepare so that we are prepared. We should be preparing the way for others. We do this by praying for others and by living for others. Jesus said to let your light shine before men so that they will see it and glorify God. We do this by supporting missions so that others can shine the Light. Doing this strengthens us and ultimately makes us more prepared. It all works together in a building process.

We need only to ask God about things and he will let us know what part is ours to play. We need to be prepared to ask and prepared to respond. Learning to depend on God is a very important part of our being prepared when He calls. Each day we need to practice by seeking the Lord’s wisdom in every situation. After all, we have the perfect friend in Jesus. We would not neglect our best friend. We want to talk to them and hear from them. This is how God feels about us. He is always prepared to hear us and answer us. We should be the same way.

Our preparation provides protection from the wiles of the enemy and at the same time it prepares a path for others. Let’s be prepared to walk the way the Lord intends us to walk.