Nellie sat in a group of military wives at a retreat center in the Rocky Mountains. “I never wanted to be a military wife!” she said:

I knew nothing about the military, but I did know it was not for me. The constant change, the many moves, and short roots did not feel comfortable. I grew up in the same house until my freshman year of high school when my mom remarried. Our family moved into a new house about a mile away to provide the new marriage a fresh space. I remember sobbing as I sat on the floor surrounded by stacks of boxes in my childhood room. Moving from that home was very difficult. That move, however, began a series of moves that ultimately allowed me to embrace the nomadic routine of being part of a military family. God used those difficult moves to prepare me for what was ahead. I am so grateful for his path of preparation!

Today, Nellie thrives as a wife, mom, entrepreneur, and follower of Christ. Through her web-based business, she connects other military wives with services in new military communities and makes their adjustment easier. She helps “prepare the way” for other military wives and God is using her as a voice of encouragement.

God is all about preparation. Before he sent Jesus into the world, God used John the Baptist to prepare the way. Even before that, he spoke through prophets like Isaiah and Zechariah with the news that Messiah would come. He prepared Jesus for his public ministry through the life he lived in a small village with an ordinary family among ordinary people. Similarly, God prepares us for the mission he has for us. He uses our past experiences to make us into people ready to serve him where we are. As a Christ follower, you are not in a military community to waste or bide time; you are there for a mission. You can’t always see how your mission will play out, but you can rest assured that the Lord can and will use you if you have a willing heart. Just ask Nellie!

Preparation for any mission is a process. In what ways can you look back and see how the Lord prepared you for military life?

“Who, me? Are you sure you’re asking the right person?” I feel embarrassed when I think of my response to an invitation to serve punch at a welcome coffee for the incoming commanding general’s wife. I know it sounds old school to write about serving punch at a formal gathering, but trust me—this was a big deal.  Formal protocol was more the norm than it is today, and it was an honor to participate. I was brand new to this military wife gig and to describe myself as insecure is an understatement. What if I went to this formal function and spilled something, or forgot a military acronym, or made a complete fool of myself in any myriad of ways? I felt inadequate to serve.

To compare my fear of accidently baptizing a general’s wife with punch to John baptizing Jesus is certainly out of balance, but the emotion attached to feeling inadequate is universal. Jesus approached John to baptize him and John clearly felt inadequate to serve in that capacity. Yet, to baptize Jesus was part of the mission John was to fulfill. His was the task to introduce the Messiah to the world. He was inadequate, but in his service he was obedient. John dedicated himself to do God’s will by doing as Jesus asked, even as Jesus dedicated himself to do God’s will in leaving heaven to come to earth. The picture is one of obedient service: John served Jesus as Jesus committed himself to be a servant of all. Jesus invites us to participate in his mission of service.

We should feel inadequate to serve the way John and Jesus did, yet the call to be obedient requires that we allow Jesus to serve through us, and he is beyond adequate. Remember, the first trait God is looking for in someone to be used in service is not competence, but obedience. The self-declared obedient servant of God, the apostle Paul, revealed the secret of his competence when he said, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

How are you involved in serving others? What can you do to combat feelings of inadequacy that may keep you from serving?

“We can do it!” are the words emblazoned on the iconic World War II motivational poster featuring a woman who became known as Rosie the Riveter. As America’s men went to fight in the war, women were recruited to fill the colossal gaps in the factory workforce. Rosie the Riveter was an empowering figure as she challenged women to carry out an important mission for the nation.

The dramatic pronouncement from heaven here in Mark 1 is a moment of heavenly empowerment. Jesus is commissioned by God to do the work for which he was prepared. The Spirit confirms that he is equipped for the role. In essence, Jesus is reminded with words from his Father that he is not alone. “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” are words of approval and empowerment. The words communicate the competence of Jesus to fulfill the mission before him. In a loose paraphrase, God is saying: “You can do it!” Jesus could do it because he is the Son of God. He could do it because the Holy Spirit empowered and equipped him.

Empowerment is that intangible something that enables me to hold my head up high, walk with confidence, and do something positive with the influence that is mine. When I’m empowered, I have that Rosie the Riveter attitude of “I can do it!” As a Christ follower I know that my “can do” must come from reliance on the Holy Spirit’s work within me. Thank God that the same power that equipped and empowered Jesus for ministry is available to each of us!

Sisters, God does not send us on mission on our own. He empowers us. He equips us. He says to us, “With my help, you can do it!”

Think of a time you felt empowered. Write some of the words that come to mind in your journal. What do these Scriptures have to say about empowerment?

• Deuteronomy 31:6
• Acts 1:8
• 2 Corinthians 12:9
• 1 John 4:4

I don’t like to talk about temptation. I’m, well, tempted to ignore it and not think about the reality of its effect on my soul. I could even boast about the mega-temptations that do not make it past my line of sight and make me feel pretty good about myself. If I did, I would be succumbing to the temptation of deception. Temptation is a reality of life for everyone. Even Jesus was tempted.

The road toward mission fulfillment for Jesus took him to the wilderness. For the Hebrews, the wilderness was branded as God’s proving ground. It was dry, dusty, difficult, and dangerous—as in “he was with the wild animals” dangerous. He was sent there by God, full of the Holy Spirit, to be tested. In this desolate place Satan set out to thwart the mission of Jesus and compel him to be disobedient to the will of the Father.

This was no Survivor: Judean Wilderness Edition to see if Jesus could “outwit, outplay, outlast” Satan. Jesus was not tested to merely see if he could survive. It can be hard for us to comprehend that Jesus as God faced a genuine test. Scripture is clear that Jesus is both God and man; we can understand his humanness being tested because our humanness is tested every day. Temptation and testing come to us not because we are sinners, but because we are human. In this barren place Jesus came face to face with his humanity.

Satan’s goal was to get Jesus to deny his dependence on the Father and to act on his own. Is there room for a little true confession? I’m tempted to do that every single day! I am tempted to provide for myself, protect myself, and promote myself—and so was Jesus! He understands my temptations and I know his victory over temptation offers hope for me. I overcome temptation not only by following the example of Christ, but also by inviting the victorious Christ to live in me.

How can the areas of provision, protection, and promotion be areas of temptation? In what ways are you tempted to provide for, protect, and promote yourself?