Training can save lives

Training. That’s such an interesting word. I attended “training union” as a kid and we learned about the Bible, sang songs and memorized scripture.

Potty Training. We all know what that is. But what if we had parents who said, “Oh, honey. That is so difficult. I’m not going to make you learn to potty train.” We would all be in a pickle.

Drivers Ed Training. Remember the classroom studies where you had to learn all the rules for driving? But the scariest part was riding in a car filled with your peers and one adult with that embarrassing sign, “Driver in Training.” Aren’t you glad the government didn’t make our parents have a sign like that on the family Plymouth?

With my job at the City, I got to observe up close and personal some TVI training our area officers were learning. TVI stands for Tactical Vehicle Intervention. It’s what they use to stop someone who is fleeing an officer in a high speed pursuit. I didn’t get to drive, but I was riding in the front seat. No one had to tell me to buckle up, either. I had been watching from the sidelines. I knew it would be a wild ride.

All of a sudden a sheriff’s car zoomed past us and then our old Crown Vic took off. I’ve never taken off that fast from a stopped position —  except the Powder Keg ride at Silver Dollar City. And I promise I won’t be driving that way either! But it was so much fun. Even the instructor agreed!

As we caught up to the “bad guy” the instructor knew exactly where to lightly tap the car which caused it to spin and stop. That’s when, in reality, the bad guy would get apprehended. The chief said he trains his officers to stop a high speed chase very quickly to keep innocent civilians from getting hurt.

Then we did it again. This time the training officer tapped the car in a different location to spin the car a different direction. The officers trained and trained, until they could do these maneuvers safely and correctly in a split second.

There’s additional training we need in this life, too. The Bible states there is an enemy of God who is seeking for someone to devour like a roaring lion. Just as a lion looks for an injured animal, the enemy is looking for someone. It could be one of those rare days when you feel down in the dumps. Maybe you're lonely, depressed, sick, tired or stressed! It can be anything.

There is training you can do to prepare for those times when the enemy wants to devour you. We need to be reading the Bible and speaking to God in prayer. You may think I’m crazy, but I had some things on my heart and the weather was beautiful, so Jesus and I went for a walk at Maplewood. I talked to him, as if He was walking right beside me. Because He promised, He would never leave or forsake me, so He was there, too. I was honest with my feelings, no reason to cover them up — He already knew what was bugging me. I didn’t talk the whole time. And of course, I promise He never spoke out loud to me! But I felt the Holy Spirit comfort my heart and give me some ideas to deal with the situations I was concerned about.

The training officer stayed close by the men learning those techniques at a high speed. That was no time for an “oops.” Jesus is right there, too. 

To train for fighting the evil one, we must remember that even Michael the Archangel didn’t directly spar with satan himself. Even though their powers could have been equal, Michael … “dared not bring against him a revolving accusation, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.’” Jude 1:9

We don’t need to fear the enemy, because “Greater is He that is in you, than He that is in the world.” But when discouragement comes we need to recognize it as a fiery dart of the enemy. We can’t tell other people about Jesus, when we are focused only on ourselves and our situation. We have to train for those negative thoughts that pop into our heads. We have to be prepared and ready for action — just like the officers are always in their tactical gear and alert to possible danger.

When an archangel defers to God’s power, I think we’d better too. We must train with God to resist evil and the way we do that is to read the Bible and talk with Him in prayer. We can also ask the Holy Spirit to keep us in check. (when you feel that still small voice whisper in your heart, “You shouldn’t have thought that.” That’s the Holy Spirit. The next scripture says, “Keep yourself in the love of God.” That means we stay in the boundaries where the love of God can reach us and bless us.

Did you realize the sun can be shining bright and beautiful, but you can position yourself under a bushy tree, and block the sun. Or get under a beach umbrella and block the sun. As we are training to stay close to God, we can block the “Son” from working in our life with sin.

Be ready for the enemy. Train well my friend. Share the Good News with others.