If you are like me, you may love to go exploring the beauty of God's masterpiece that has not been paved over yet. The smell of fresh mountain air rejuvenates me. The view from a mountain's peek that is breathtaking and makes me feels closer to God. Though, what I really love is the feel on soft white sand on my feet and the sounds of the ocean's waves crashing against the shore.
No matter where my journey takes me having the right equip for my trip helps make my trip success. I know when I forgot the right supplies, my emotions can get out of control. Furthermore, I still have to remember to use them. When I forget to use them, my whole body pays the price . (For example, forgetting to apply sunscreen on a summer's day, ouch!)
The Cub Scout motto is: Do Your Best! and The Boy Scout motto is:
Be Prepared
No matter what a believer's calling is that both mottos will serve him or her well.
Having a plan helps you prepare better.
Are you going on a day hike to the top of a mountain and back down?
Are you going on a weekend camping trip?
Are you going on a week long backpacking expedition?
All of these are important questions to ask yourself before you go.
Where are you going?
What is the weather going to be like?
How are you going to get there?
All of these have multiple answers, and those answers produces a different ranges of supplies.
Often God does not give us the answers to the questions above.
Proverbs: 16:9 "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps."
What is a believer pack when they are not certain where God is even going to take them?
How are they going to get there?
what the weather is going to like?
How long they are going to be gone for?
Let's start with what not to do-overpack.
I tend to overpack my bags or bag with items that I might need. Packing all the what ifs can be very stressful. Most of all, overpacking leads to a heavy bag I struggle to carry around. A seasoned backpacker would tell you to keep your pack as light as you can and only pack what you need. Packing the "what if" will only weight a believer down and make it difficult to follow through with one's calling.
We do our best to be prepared with what we do know and what God gives us.
Then a possible answer to those unanswered questions is- a six pack.
What is a six pack?
According to the cub scout's manual- it is the six essentials: a water bottle, food, a first aid kit, sun protection, a flashlight, and a whistle. These are great, if one's mission is strictly physical, but it is not and what is why God encourages us to wear Spiritual armor.
Ephesians 6:12
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
Let's explore the six essentials from spiritual, Biblical view
1: water bottle
Galatians 6:9 " And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Our spiritual water bottle is a scrapbooking kit. This includes an instant camera, journal, and pens or pencils. This scrapbooking kit will be the believer's journey of faith. A documentary of his or her continuous testimony. It contains a mental account of memories and records where God' s presence was made clear in believer's life. Like water, it also serves as fuel to rehydrate the spirit to keep moving toward or stand firmly in faith. When a traveler is thirst, she or he can open his or her scrapbook to recall all the moments when God answered his or her prayers, the times when He saves him or her from a storm, or blessed him or her.
It is an essential item to pack before setting out on the calling God gives us. It is vital to stop for water breaks. It will give us the hydration to keep moving to, into, and through the missions God gives us. We also need to remember to keep adding to our scrapbooks. It is important to keep documenting our journey of faith both for our own spirit's welfare and for God to use for the salvation of others.
2: food (trail mix)
Ephesians 6:12-17
"Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes front he gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
Our spiritual trail mix is twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit. In this trial mix recipe, you will find raisins of patience, chocolate-coated candy of joy, mini pretzels of self-control, granola of generosity, peanuts of peace, shredded coconut of courage, marshmallows of kindness, white chocolate chips of goodness, dried cranberries of charity, walnuts of modesty, pumpkin seeds of gentleness, and sunflower seeds of faithfulness.
Patience takes practice. It is like a grape transformation into a raisin, it takes time to learn the art. Patience can go unseen, yet it is such a priceless gift to possess. It prevents problems and provides proof of faith.
Attitude is everything. Joy is essential especially in the season of darkness. S
Self-control will keep a believer blameless and shield her from the arrows of shame the devil targets her with. Sharing with family and friends maintains bonds that feed the heart.
Peace is knowledge of the big picture without seeing it. It is a sword against fear and other toxic emotions. Peace in chaos is a valuable fuel to have in a believer's journey. It helps develop courage.
Courage is like shredded coconut. Fear's power must be removed, not fear itself (there is a difference.) It takes time, even years to produce and the work can be difficult. This happens in the during chaos, sometimes from the ashes of pain. To have it usually means that a person had to shed his old self or old mindset. Doing what is just may not bring you popularity. In fact, a person can feel isolated, betrayed and lonely for doing what is right. Yet, those acts carry light into darkness and can show a lonely person that someone sees, hears, and feels his pain. Plus, God always notices.
He, also, notices acts of kindness and acts of justice. They are like marshmallows in hot cocoa. They bring a little more joy to a person's life.
Charity may go without credit (personal I think it should) but its benefits don't. Charity bridges people together and it gives hope and shows the love of God. Charity produces secret tears of joy, builds shelters of hope, gives life to dreams and open doors that were bolted shut. Helping a stranger is not an expectation the world places on a person, but it can soften a hell-bent heart, melt a frozen one or mend a broken one.
Humility is a rare trait in these days. People want to be a G.O.A.T like their favorite sport star or life like a king or queen like their favorite singer or actor. It is important to give God credit for who we. Without him molding us, we would not understand the value of compassion for others whose social status is valued less by worldly standards than ours.
Faithfulness is so value to a believer. Often, a storm fogs our vision and we cannot see what dangers are around us. Knowing God has gone before us and remains with us to guide us through any thing is a must.
These fruits will equip a believer with the nutrients his or her spirit requires to walk a journey that brings glory to God. Malnutrition makes a believer vulnerable to the arrows of the evil one and it weakens the drive to fulfilling the mission God has placed on his or her. So, remember to refuel and ingest a little spiritual trial mix. It will give you the energy to keep you going to, into and through the calling God has for you.
3. First Aid Kit
2 Timothy 2:15 "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth."
Our spiritual first aid kit is full of prayers. There are disposable gloves that represent prayers for protection. Like a glove over our soul. This first aid item is a shield of protection we pray over us brought through the Holy Spirit by Jesus. This protection keeps our souls blameless in the eyes of God. It keeps our flesh from the germs of the evil one and the shame that want to invade us.
The second item in the kit is the tweezers. There are the prayers for forgiveness. There are many moments in life when we experiment with DIY project, trying to repurpose our old wood, and end up getting a splinter. In other words, we forget to bring God into our everyday. We mess up. We overreach and overact. Everyone knows that a splinter can cause a vast amount of pain, even though the wood is very small. Sins can be the same way. We need to ask God to use these tweezers to remove those from us.
The scissors in this kit represent the prayers for discernment. We all need guidance especially in a digital world always ready to feed us information. We need to cut out the false truths, the lies, gossip, and other heavy fear tactics that wish to keep us from our purpose.
Speaking of purpose, next, is the alcohol wipes. These wipes are prayers for purpose. We need to God to tell or show what His will is for our lives. Purpose is not always easy to detect. There is blood (family) that keep us from believing that we are capable or we value them so much that we cannot see when God wants us on the other side of the world from that. There is dirt of shame that keeps us from believing God want us to represent His kingdom and the dirt of weakness keep us from seeing God ability to see a project through.
In this kit of prayers, we will prayers for healing ointment. Life can be a double-edge sword. No matter what we do or say, wounds happens. We need healing physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
With a layer of ointment covering our wounds, we can move to the second part of wound treatment. Varies sizes of Bandages, are next in the kit. They are prayers for growth. Like a bandage, these prayers, work at a shelter to heal so new skin will grow. Our wounds produce spiritual growth-courage, wisdom, and overall character; nevertheless, the growth is a process that begins with treatment and time to heal.
We will also find varies sizes of gauze pads. These are prayers for the power to love like God. Many of our wounds are due to the actions of others. We require the strength to resist the power of emotions. We need help not returning hate and more aid showing love to others, despite how we are treated, only to those who hurt us but to others who may come into our lives when we our hearts are still aching. Gauze pads are not enough alone.
We need Adhesive tape to keep one in place. This tape are prayers for restoration and unity. Because, well, only God loves unconditionally all the time, we struggle and require assistant restoring the relationships our actions, words or thoughts caused. Unity is a power tool for the kingdom of God and the devil is always trying to divide. Being a believer in Jesus Christ does not make us immune.
The last item in our kit is a cold pack, aka: Prayers for self-control. Passion drives us to keep on, improve our lives, and better our relationship with God. Misplaced passion leads us down a dangerous road. Tempers can be as hot as a flame. Egos can cause inflammation. Negative mindsets can create rashes. Criticism is like a razor and can leave a burn. Life is chaotic. Ice! Ice! Ice it, lady (or man). Some people, like me, require a prayer to chill out. Sometimes, I need to put the "cold pack" on for fifteen intervals several times a day because I am a passion person. A kit of prayers is essential for any trip because we are imperfect people.
4. Sunscreen (or in this case weather protection)
1 Corinthians 16:13, "Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong."
Unto everything that is a season... a relationship with God gives us protection through every season and in any type of weather condition.
Our spiritual weather protection includes tools that help us achieve and maintain a strong relationship with God. The first weather protection is studying the word of God in daily (or weekly) quiet time, a Bible study or class with other believers, on listening to a sermon either at a church, on TV, or online.
To have a relationship with God, we need to first learn who he is. We also need to read that he loves us limitlessly and see that He keeps His promises through reading the stories of judges, Jews, Gentiles, and prophets in the Bible. Like sunscreen we need to reapply the truth of scripture to our spirits often. It also helps to attend a Bible study with other who share their testimonies and may often a new perspective on a verse or God's presence and purpose in Biblical characters' lives. Sermons can be a great time to soak in the presence of God in our hearts and heads. It is important to note that spiritual sunscreen is to be apply to our own spirits. Listen to what God is trying to say to us instead of thinking of others the preacher may be preaching to or about. Trust me (guilty, here), God is dealing with them and most of the time God is only asking you to pray for them, not force them to wear the SPF sunscreen you think they need. Spiritual sunscreen can protect us from harmful UV rays as we venture outside of our comfort zones or simply walk within HIs will.
Next, in weather protection, is a poncho. We can improve our relationship with God by serving our communities, not only our church families. I have heard on numerous accounts through many different sources that helping others when you are hurting can be healing. Honestly, I never understood this until I try it for myself. This poncho helps keep us dry when trials pour down, emotions begin to flood, and we are waiting for a rainbow. I found both healing and growth in my relationship with God as we helped others. The most comforting things I found was that they are hurting the similar to the way that I have been. It is easy to fall for the devil's trick that we are the only ones who have or who are going through a painful experiences. Most important, God's presence shows when we give our time and resources.
The last item in the weather protection kit is a thermal blanket. This tool is for those dark and cold seasons when we are overwhelmed, lost, and longing for peace. This thermal blanket is resting in the presence of God. It may involve the flashlight (usage of the Bible) or/and the first aid kit of prayers; yet, it is most often the art of rest. Our lives can be a consent jump from task to task. Sometimes, our bodies decide they have had enough regardless of matter our minds still want to keep moving. Sometimes, the unexpected tragedy happens like Covid-19. We need to rest and get wrapped up in God's presence so we are protected from the freezing power of fear and the negative effect it can have on our flesh and spirit. Be good to be still and let God fight for us. He is the blanket we need both in times when we can and even more in times when we just cannot. God uses events to get us to yield from our own ways so he can speak to us. So, remember to stop and rest in HIs presence. It is a necessary tool to pack in your six pack.
A Weather Protection Kit will protect us from the harsh elements.
5. Flashlight
1 Peter 5:8 "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."
Our spiritual flashlight is the Bible. Sunscreen is studying the Bible. This flashlight is putting its contents into action. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. As a flashlight the Bible works off a power source, usually batteries. The word of God works when we call upon the power of the Holy Spirit and as we apply scripture to our lives. There is a Bible verse for our situation. We can see more clearly when we open our Bible. When we speak it to the situation, it does not control us. Throughout many seasons of my life, I have found a handful of Bible verse to repeat over and over in my mind until they found their way into my heart. Even in my darkness moments, there was always one that bring a sliver of light into that darkness. Bible verses can keep us from tripping on obstacles in our path. They can expose dangers in the distance or alerts us to the devil's schemes. It is essential to bring a flashlight with you wherever God takes you.
6. Whistle
Ecclesiastes 9:10 " Whatever the activity in which you engage, do it with all your ability because there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."
Our spiritual whistle is a spiritual radio or phone. To be honest, we need assistance to do our best. We need godly witnesses to go before us to show us the right way to act and mentor us in what it means to be a godly example. We need brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus to push us to keep growing, keep moving in God's Will and keep believing in the Truth of who God is. We need to have a church family that empowers us to go all-in with the task or tasks that God has given us. But most of all, we need people in our lives who are there to help us when we fall short. It is necessary to have a phone-a-friend lifeline. Life is difficult for the average self-serving person, but living a good God-glorifying life as a faithful servant that is a whole new kind of difficult. It is easy to step off course, get distracted by the appearance of ours success, or get discouraged within one's calling. God does not want for us to live life alone. There are times in life when we are lost, and we need help from other God-fearing believers or a close believing friend. We may only require a piece of advice, but it can make all the different. One piece of godly advice can help us fulfill our mission sooner or empower us to keep on keeping on. Other times, a whistle can save us from the danger of darkness. A friend's presence is like having a properly working GPS. It reroutes us when we get off course. A whistle is a spiritual tool you never want to forget to pack.
The six pack is other unfamiliar piece of the armor of God. So, let's do our best to bring our six pack with us on our journey of faith. Let's get that six pack ready and let's not be afraid to show it off for the glory of God.
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