PREPARE YOURSELF FOR CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Zacchaeus
Luk 19:3-5 KJV 3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. 4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
He prepared himself for one time opportunity to see Jesus passing in that direction
Noah
Heb 11:7 KJV By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
He prepared the ark by faith
The Lord prepared David before he faced Goliath
1Sa 17:34-36 KJV 34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: 35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. 36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
Ruth
Ruth was made to prepare before meeting Boss
Rth 3:3 KJV Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.
Ezra
Ezr 7:6 KJV This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.
Nehemiah
Neh 2:1-4 KJV 1 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. 2 Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, 3 And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? 4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
It took him four months from the time he heard the bad news before making his request.
Esther
Est 4:16 KJV Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
It took her and the Jews three days of supplication before her appearance before her husband the king
Paul
Gal 1:17 KJV Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
Paul prepared himself before fully entering into the ministry
Joseph
Gen 41:14 KJV Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.
John mission was to prepare the people
Mat 3:3 KJV For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
Luk 1:17 KJV And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Prepared by faith
Paul told Philemon to prepare a place even though he was in the prison
Phm 1:22 KJV But withal prepare me also a lodging: for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you.
The woman with the issue of blood prepared her heart before touching Jesus
Mar 5:27-28 KJV 27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
Testimony of my boss in Interdrill. He got a job he prepared for by buying a shirt and tie.
For us to be used of God
2Ti 2:21 KJV If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.
Before building
Pro 24:27 KJV Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.
Lessons from ant
Pro 30:25 KJV The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;
When you don’t prepare your heart?
2Ch 12:13-14 KJV 13 So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam was one and forty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah an Ammonitess. 14 And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD.
Need for prayers
God positioned these people for a future time when there would be challenges and they themselves prepared before undertaking those challenges when the time comes.
The Lord had positioned Esther in the palace because He knew what Satan would use Haman to do. Mordecai made this known to Esther when she was doubting her ability
God had positioned Nehemiah for the rebuilding of the Jerusalem wall and gates by making him a butler in the king palace. They were slaves and had no right but because of his position he was advantaged to make request