FOREST OF RIGHTEOUS MEN III

What is a Forest? A forest is not one tree standing alone; it is many trees growing together, strong, deep-rooted, and unshakable. We are the Forest of Righteous Men—standing together, influencing our world for God.

Being ready doesn't always mean physical war anymore; it means being ready mentally, spiritually, and emotionally to face life's battles, to take responsibility, and to stand for what is right.

The strength of every nation is the youth. They are the ones that bring innovation and advancement to every nation. Their mind is shaped like the eagle’s eye, their strength is like the lion’s, and their imagination is vast like God’s. However, all this potential remains chained and useless until they are ready.

If we look at the military setting of every country, it is the youth they request. Those who have built the military defense systems are youth; the front lines are manned by youth; and those who fly the fighter jets are youth.

This is not a mistake. It is a divine pattern. God designed youth to be the period of strength, energy, and courage. In the Bible, King David said,

"Your people offer themselves willingly on the day of Your power" (Psalm 110:3).

God intends for the youth to be the army that moves when He speaks.

Just as a nation trusts its youth to defend its borders, God trusts the youth to defend the faith and advance His Kingdom. Solomon wrote,

"Rejoice, O young man, in your youth... but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment" (Ecclesiastes 11:9).

This means your energy is not wasted energy; it is energy that must be channeled towards God’s purpose.

Reading Ready@20 by Heward-Mills makes me realize the things I am not yet ready for. Still being in my early twenties, sometimes it feels sad.

These are the things listed in his book that a man should be ready for by age 20:

1. By the age of twenty, a man is ready for war.

2. By the age of twenty, a man is ready to go to war and to die for his nation.

3. By the age of twenty, a man is ready to go to war and to fight for any cause that is deemed appropriate.

4. By the age of twenty, a man is ready to go to war and to fight to the death.

5. By the age of twenty, a man is ready to kill or be killed in a war.

6. By the age of twenty, a man is ready to be disciplined and prepared for war.

7. By the age of twenty, a man is ready to forsake the pleasures of civilian life.

8. By the age of twenty, a man is ready to live the life of a hardened warrior.

9. By the age of twenty, a man is ready to be in a war, which is a mission to extinguish the enemy.

10. By the age of twenty, a man is ready to be part of a war where he will march for hours in the heat and in the cold.

11. By the age of twenty, a man is ready to be at war where he will take orders from authorities.

12. By the age of twenty, a man is ready to be in a war where he will live apart from his parents.

13. By the age of twenty, a man is ready to be in a war and take up the responsibility of bearing weapons.

14. By the age of twenty, a man is ready to be loyal to a cause.

15. By the age of twenty, a man is ready to be a good soldier.

16. By the age of twenty, a man is ready to invade another person’s country.

17. By the age of twenty, a man is ready to travel far from his home.

18. By the age of twenty, a man is ready to go to war and never come back home.

19. By the age of twenty, a man is ready to be at war where he will eat little and sleep very little.

20. By the age of twenty, a man is ready to go through untold pain and sacrifice.

📖 LOOKING AT THE APOSTLES: THE PERFECT EXAMPLE

When we look at the lives of the Apostles in the Bible, we see they were all youth! They were ready to follow Jesus and never go back home. They were ready to receive authority from Jesus without looking back. They were ready to die for the mission. In fact, they fulfilled all the twenty things listed in this book perfectly.

They left their fishing nets, their families, and their businesses. They endured hunger, cold, and persecution. They marched for the Gospel and never surrendered. They were true soldiers of Christ.

We might be civilians physically, but spiritually we must all be military persons.

2 Timothy 2:3 says, "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."

We must be growing in ranks—growing in maturity, authority, and power. This is the point God wants every believer to reach. He does not want us to remain as babies; He wants us to rise up as generals in His army.

Jesus Christ is our Commander-in-Chief.

Even though these points sound physical, Jesus fulfilled them all spiritually. He was ready to die for His nation (Mankind). He was ready to take orders from the Father. He forsook the pleasures of life to live as a servant. He marched through the heat of pain and the cold of rejection.

In this modern world, few people are ready to do all these things in their twenties. Some are just discovering life, and some are still struggling with school—which is not bad—but the full reality of life is not yet fully revealed to them.

The Bible says, "Know the Lord your God in your youth." We must be ready to take over the culture of the world with the knowledge of God. We must be ready to lay down our lives for the truth and for others, not only because they are righteous but because God wants them saved.

Theologically, we understand that we do not fight against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:12). Just as the physical military uses jets and weapons, God has called us to be His spiritual air force and army. We are to fly high in the spirit and strike down every stronghold that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.

We must strive to make things right, not because we want to look right, but because we want to be right by legacy. Jesus’ death was more than two thousand years ago, but His legacy speaks volumes because He didn't only look right—He was right.

My brethren, I commend you to the Word of God which can build us up. Let us start making our decisions intentionally, rather than living by chance.

Sad reality

Some people want to live their lives like Jonah. God gave him an assignment to preach the Gospel, but he refused. So God had to make him submit His will by putting him in the fish’s belly for three days. In the same way, if we spend our youth doing worldly things, expecting one thing will lead to another, and we might find ourselves forced into the assignment anyway, you might not have that chance.

Let me tell you the danger: Few people find mercy in God's sight to fulfill their assignment in this order, but others die without ever fulfilling it, I beaches you choose wisely. God wants everyone and the systems of the world to be fixed with the knowledge of God.

Therefore, let us arise:

- Study to show yourself approved.

- Pray without ceasing.

- Be disciplined like a soldier.

- Do not love the world or the things in the world.

Let us get ready, and let us raise others to be ready too.

🙏 PRAYER

Father Lord, in the name of Jesus,

I thank You for the grace of youth.

Lord, deliver me from the spirit of procrastination and the love of worldly things.

Give me the heart of a soldier—ready, disciplined, and loyal to Your course.

Help me to fulfill my assignment and not die empty.

Make me a general in Your Kingdom, and use my life to bring glory to Your name.

I am ready!

Amen.

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