Protection and Training in the Fortress

   “But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge” (Ps.94.22).

   This past week I spent my time at a camp called Camp YoliJwa. I have been going to this camp for over 15 years of my life. It is a great place where you can have fun and learn about God. Each year they choose a theme for camp that summer. This year the theme was Fortress.

   While I was a camper I looked forward to camp. It began to become a place of retreat for me. See, in the past at camp you did not have cell service so when you went there it was easy to focus on your relationships with others and God. When I was at camp I did not have to think about the outside world and it became a place of retreat where I could reconnect with friends and grow in God.

   When I was told that the theme for camp this year would be fortress I was excited. Camp really is like a fortress. It is a safe place where you can be yourself and learn about God. A fortress is: “a large, strong building or group of buildings that can be defended from attack” (Cambridge Dictionary). Camp is a great place to defend yourself against attacks. You go there to relax, have fun, and learn more about God so you can defend yourself against the Devil.

   The problem is that eventually camp ends. You need to leave the fortress and go out to battle with the enemy. That was always a difficult thing for me to do. While at camp, you do not need to worry if people like you, what food you will eat (because the food is awesome there), where you will sleep, or about anything really. Then, when you left, you were thrown back into the real world where you could get hurt and had lots of worries.

   Here’s the thing about fortresses: they are great for learning and defending but if you stay in them you will not gain any more land or you could even starve (if you ran out of food). Fortresses could become your comfort zone. All the training in the world does you no good if you do not use it. That is why camp is great because it trains you and then sends you back out to do the work of God. If you did not have a fortress in the first place, whether it is Camp YoliJwa or someplace else, then you would not have the proper training to defend yourself against Satan.

  Fortresses are vital for training and it is important to have good instructors but you need to go out and spread the good news of the Gospel as we are called to do in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20). It is also important to remember that God is our fortress and he is always with us.

   So, do you have a fortress where you can train and learn more about God? If you have a hard time leaving your fortress/comfort zone what can you do to get outside it? How can you use your training to spread the good news of the Gospel today?

   Image from here.