Let me begin by saying, although I’ve never felt called to be in the military, I’m extremely grateful for the men and women who have taken on that responsibility for us all. One thing I know for sure is, I’d be a sad candidate for boot camp! But then again, I’ve learned a few things in the spirit that may have prepared me more than I think.
Natural & Spiritual Comparisons
When you look at the purpose of Military Boot Camp, it’s not hard to see the parallel with that of the spirit. For example, most aspects of basic training are psychological. The reasoning is that if a recruit cannot be relied upon to obey orders and follow instructions in routine matters, it is unlikely that he or she will be reliable in a combat situation where there may be a strong urge to either disobey orders or flee.
This is exactly the same for Christians in a spiritual sense.
The average length of a military boot camp is 3 months. Some Christians could wish our training only took 3 months… remember the children of Israel in the wilderness? Their 11-day trip took 40 years! And sadly, many died in that boot camp. Thankfully, today we have God’s Word as a help and instruction manual.
For example, the Bible says in 1 Peter 5:9-11, “Resist [Satan] steadfast in the faith knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
These verses remind us that no one’s exempt from the trials of this life. But secondly, we’re reminded that the goal of all training is to perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle believers for God’s glory. But it’s the word “suffer” in these verses that can confuse believers. There’s no sugar coating here—the word literally means to endure pain. But why would God want us to “endure pain”?
It’s sad that a lot of preachers have misunderstood God’s meaning here and insinuated that God Himself will put you through pain (such as disease, tragedy, etc.) for the purpose of bringing Him glory. But how does tragedy give God glory? —It doesn’t. False doctrine concerning scriptures like this one have actually led believers astray, or away from God altogether.
Jesus knew this and was the first one to bring attention to the devil’s strategies. He constantly called him out during His earthly ministry. Satan is God’s enemy and Jesus wanted people to understand this, which is why the underlying meaning of the word suffer means to learn your adversary.
Read it again:
“Resist [Satan—your adversary] steadfast in the faith knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have [LEARNED YOUR ADVERSARY] a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” If you’ve lived even a little bit of life, you know this to be true.
So in doing a little studying on Military Boot Camps, I found some tips given to new recruits that actually work in a spiritual sense as well. The numbered titles are from a real life training brochure. My commentary on the spiritual side follows.
- Shut Up and Listen: Satan WILL assault you, your integrity, and your family. It’s a trap! The question is, how much can you take mentally?
- You Don’t Make the Rules: The rules have already been made for you –it’s your Bible. Every word and instruction in it is for your advantage.
- Pick Me: The Bible says, “Let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment” (James 3:1). If God calls on you for an assignment, it’s a test first. Satan’s goal is pride.
- Prioritize: You will not always want to pray, read your Bible, or witness to your friends and family, but God has set certain things in order… first.
- Stay Focused: The battle is won and lost in your thoughts. Do not entertain thoughts of quitting or of going back –there’s no going back now!
- Help Your Buddy: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking WHOM he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The devil doesn’t try to devour the team—he’d be outnumbered. He only seeks to devour those who are straying away—so be aware.
- Break the Rules at Your Own Risk: The Bible isn’t much different—there are really very few “rules.” But God does expect you to follow them for a reason. He has our best interest at heart.
- Do Not Question the Logic Behind What You’re Doing: God said, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). In other words, don’t question the logic.
No doubt we could add to this list, but the point is if we will focus on these, our spiritual boot camp (and our suffering) will be much easier.
