I took my DECA students to the district competition last week. Our competition was in downtown Winston-Salem. I was concerned about getting the bus down there and also about the safety of my students in the downtown district. Once I got there my worries were alleviated. The hotel was located right next to some great places to eat. The students could safely get around and I realized we were going to be all right.
My students studied and practiced for their events. The competition has two parts. There is the written test which they take a few weeks before we go to the competition. On the day of competition the students have to do a role-play. It can involve a problem with a customer or co-worker. Sometimes they have to present their ideas to a manager about how to introduce a new product, recruit employees, or develop a promotion plan.
The students are given a copy of the scenario and given ten minutes to prepare. Then they are brought before the judge. Some of the judges really get into the role-playing with the students and provide as realistic a situation as possible.
My students did very well this year and I am really proud of them. What is really exciting to me is that they got a good taste of how things work and now they all want to go to the state competition. They also got along well and had a fun day.
Doing well in the competition takes preparation. The test is really difficult. One of the students won an award for having a high test score and we all agreed his score didn’t seem that high. The students realize that they need to work harder on the test questions so they can be better prepared. The role-play scores will also improve if they practice.
The key to doing well is preparation. It seems like a simple concept. When a business faces a big inspection they clean and prepare for it. If you have a job interview, it is a good idea to brush up on the kinds of questions you will be asked and how to answer them. We know that we will all face many challenges in life; the key is to get ready.
Our spiritual lives are no different, we will go through challenges. We can start to get ready by hiding God’s word in our hearts. If we wait until we are in the middle of a crisis to begin reading our Bible, it might be too late. We have to seek and find God’s promises, learn by applying those promises in small situations, and then we will be ready when faced with the big situations.
Faith muscles aren’t grown overnight. It takes time to develop a strong faith that will see you through when you are faced with overwhelming situations. That’s why I believe God gives us little challenges to our faith so we will dig into His word and find the promises that will see us through.
Developing a good prayer life will also help you to be prepared when you face life’s difficulties. If we can learn to talk to God when things are calm, we will be ready when the storms of life rage. It is vital to develop the skill of hearing His voice when things are calm so that you will recognize His voice when you are in the heat of the battle. I believe God talks to us all the time but we have to develop our listening skills.
Soldiers must learn and practice the skills to be a good fighter. In the same way we have to learn to fight spiritual battles. We have to become familiar with our spiritual armor. We have to learn how to protect ourselves through faith and how to attack using God’s word. We have to remember we are not fighting each other but the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly realms. In order to be prepared for the big battles of our faith, we have to learn to fight the daily battles.
I want to encourage you to get prepared for the spiritual battles and struggles that you will face. Growing your prayer life, learning to listen for His voice, and knowing how to apply the promises in His word will make you a force to be reckoned with. God wants you to live the victorious Christian life and He has provided you the means to do it. I remain convinced that God wants me to have a good trip through life so I plan to be prepared to meet and overcome the challenges.

Doug Creamer’s books are at Amazon including: Encouraging Thoughts. Contact him at doug@dougcreamer.com