Suppose a boxing trainer took his fighter to an isolated training camp and spent an entire session psyching him up for the big fight.
“Don’t worry! I’ll be right here with you all the time. And here’s a list of great boxers from the past. Just study their every move and you won’t have to go through the hard workouts yourself. You’re a winner and if you follow my directions and memorize the diagrams I’ve made for you, you can step into the ring with anyone and defeat him!”
How foolish does that sound? What kind of trainer would do such a thing? But many Christians who call themselves warriors have never been tested or trained. The sad truth is, they have never been in battle and they are not prepared to fight.
Why are so many true believers going through such hard times? God knows that Satan is going to be loosed on the earth for his last hour of warfare. And the Lord is going to need well-trained warriors who will prevail over all the powers of hell.
These deeply tested saints are becoming the captains of his last-days army. The kind of training they need calls for spiritual discipline, but also for physical discipline. Jacob threw his whole body into the battle — all his human ability. A fighting spirit had risen up in him and scripture says, “In his strength he struggled with God” (Hosea 12:3).
This verse of scripture has great meaning for all who want to prevail in prayer. It says that Jacob won the battle “in his strength” as he struggled! Dear saint, if you are going to prevail in these last days, you are going to have to put all your strength into the battle. God wants to raise up a people who are consumed with being used by him to help others.