03. The Value of Preparation

If you are not prepared, then you will only have regrets. There is nothing automatic on its own; our preparation makes the difference. Many people start the year with diverse resolutions that end in the lips without strong preparation to back them up. Believers are mostly caught in this web. We overstretch the subject of grace and leave out preparation. 

We expect God to roll out opportunities for us when we aren’t even prepared to take them up. God can only give you a job, but you must be prepared for the role.

What are you expecting from God next year? Are you trusting God to settle you martially? How prepared are you to be a good wife or husband? Are you hoping for a promotion in the New Year? Have you found out the requirements for the new role? Do you have the qualifications for the role? Do you have the character for the role? These are areas you need to start preparing from now. 

The Bible says in James 2:17-20, “Thus also faith by itself if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe — and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” Yes, I know you believe and have abundant faith that the New Year will be great, and lines will fall for you in pleasant places, but where is the work? The work here is the preparation. God is faithful to His promises, but He requires your step of faith if it must deliver a glorious result. 

Preparation is so valuable that a lack of preparation can lead to defeat and loss. A few minutes before 8 AM on Sunday, December 7, 1941, Japanese carrier-based airplanes struck Pearl Harbor. In a raid lasting less than two hours, they sank or seriously damaged eight battleships and 13 other naval vessels. Almost 200 American aircraft were destroyed, and approximately 3000 naval and military personnel were killed or wounded. 

The U.S. authorities had broken the Japanese diplomatic code and knew an attack was imminent. A warning had been sent from Washington, but owing to delays in transmission, it arrived after the raid had begun. In one stroke, the Japanese navy scored a brilliant success and assured the Axis defeat in World War II. America was not prepared, and so they suffered the loss of lives and weapons. This is the awful part of non-preparedness. 

Like nations, individuals can also suffer losses if we enter into the New Year without preparation. The Bible gave a parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-12, “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ²Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. ³Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. “And at midnight, a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. “Afterward, the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’”

From this parable, five of them were called foolish because they were not prepared. They felt it was business as usual. They assumed that the bridegroom wouldn’t be late. They concluded that the sellers of oil would always be there to sell to them anytime they needed it, so they wasted precious time. Their hands were idle when they should have been busy preparing for the groom. They have all the opportunities like the wise virgins; they were the groom’s choice. The groom made enough provisions for all of them. He was expecting to go home with all of them, but their lack of preparation excused them. 

You see, the New Year is like the groom; it has no favourites, regardless of your colour, race, or background. However, your preparation determines your lot. What are your assumptions? Are you procrastinating already, thinking there is still time? Are you so interested in enjoying the festive season as though it would not end? The foolish virgins also enjoyed the moments until their lack of preparation shut them out of God’s provision. I pray you shall not be shut out of the blessings in the coming year, in Jesus’ name. So, wake up and start taking steps of faith. Let’s examine how valuable preparation is:

The Bible says in Romans 8:19, “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.” King James Version says, “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the manifestation of the sons of God.” We aren’t created to be ordinary but extraordinary. But we cannot manifest God’s glory in the New Year without preparation. We learn from this Gospel that preparation is often the difference between success and failure. That’s true in our spiritual lives and every area of our lives. Preparation is the key.

You can’t experience divine manifestations without preparation. I love the story of Elijah and the prophet of Baal in 1 Kings 18. Elijah wanted to prove to the people that Baal was a false god so they could turn to the true God. So, he threw an open challenge. 

He said, in verses 23-39, “Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.” So all the people answered and said, “It is well spoken.” Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.” So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, hear us!” But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made. And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 

So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention. Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying,” Israel shall be your name.” Then with the stones, he built an altar in the name of the Lord; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.” 

Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time; and he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water. And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant and that I have done all these things at Your word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that these people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said,” The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!” 

This is a classic example of two people that expected the fire with different approaches. The prophet of Baal only put the animal on the altar and started calling for fire. But did you see the level of preparation for Elijah’s altar? Beginning from the timing, the Bible says he waited until the time of the evening sacrifice. Also, the arrangement and placement of the altar. After all these levels of detailed preparation, the fire came down. 

Friend, what aspect of your life do you want to see the fire of God come down in full manifestation? You also need to start preparation from now.

An athlete knows the importance of preparation. He knows that to compete in any event like the Olympics, he must be in good mental and physical shape. It takes several hours of practice just to rise on that platform. Also, musicians spend countless hours practising notes, training their voices, and playing the same sound over and over again until they get it right. The few minutes of amazing stage performance came from hours and weeks of preparation. It is often said that proper preparation prevents poor or crampy performance. Every manifestation and exploit is a function of adequate preparation, so it’s time to roll your sleeves and subscribe to the right preparation.

It is often said, “Make hay while the sun shines.” Too many people start manifesting in July what God programmed for them in January; why? They entered the New Year with zero preparation. Imagine an athlete coming to the track all dressed n a tuxedo suit and Gucci shoes while his kits are neatly packed in his back bag. When the referee whistles that they take a position in their lane, he starts to undress and pulls off the shoe. What would you think of such a person? While others are long gone in the race, he is just starting. There is a saying that you strike when the iron is hot. 

The New Year is closer than before; are you ready to strike? Think of the delays you experienced this year, the promotion that was delayed because you didn’t have the qualifications, the business that was delayed because you did gather enough information on time, among others. The same shouldn’t repeat itself next year. The wise virgins were right on time when the groom came because they were prepared ahead. You don’t need to take the first three months to warm up; start making preparations from now so that you won’t suffer delay next year