Boot Camp is a Must!!

“God never made a promise that was too good to be true.”
― D.L. Moody



   Prophecy is seldom ended with the word "now".  I know people who waited decades for prophecy to become reality.  Revelations is a book of prophecy that has not been completed and look how long ago it was written. 
     One of the saddest situations I see in the army God is building for this time is those who have been called to powerful positions in His military, but have no concept of His timing.  I would guess if a soldier at boot camp was told within his first few weeks that he will be a great general one day, he wouldn't expect it to happen before the year was through.  He would understand that boot camp and climbing the ranks would be a requirement to reach that goal.
     In God's army I see prophecy given all the time about powerful people and where God wants to take them.  When this happens, a person should first look for confirmation and then ask God the same question he would ask if he hadn't heard the prophetic word.  "Where do you want me now?"  The Lord will provide that training and I for one can say boot camp is not swimming, fishing and boating on the lake.  it feels more like drowning, starving, and storms.   Too many people want to lead before they have been trained to follow, eat from the tree before they plant the seed, and minister to others before they are willing to be ministered to.  They set there sights on where God wants to take them not realizing that there is a rough road of training that leads there. 
     Some people will need to realize that their journey is like Josephs and they will spend years as a slave, years in prison, be lied about and deceived before they even take the first steps into the position God promised.  Some people will have a journey like Jonah and head the wrong way.  How many years did David spend shepherding sheep before becoming a soldier and eventually shepherding people. 
     I know a woman, whom I highly respect, who is a general in the army of God. I am not the only one who received this word about her from the Lord.   She is a quiet woman.  She doesn't need attention, praise or glory.  She loves God, she loves her neighbor.  She is also transparent about her battles and the years of training she has endured.  She is highly respected by many people because they see her loyalty to her King.  She is not afraid to call you out if the Lord instructs and she is just as quick to hug you if those are the orders she receives.  This woman is over 60.  It did not come easy, but with the will of a true general she always kept her eye on the goal and kept moving forward.  God trusts her. 
     Before the Lord can even begin the training with you, you have to know who He is.  It's only when you enter a true relationship with Him that He can trust you to go through the training and recognize it is a must.   Prophecy is usually a word given so you are aware that the intense training in that area is about to begin.  It is not a notice to go wait in the car.

“...It is a proud privilege to be a soldier – a good soldier … [with] discipline, self-respect, pride in his unit and his country, a high sense of duty and obligation to comrades and to his superiors, and a self confidence born of demonstrated ability.”
― George S. Patton Jr.