This summer, thousands of kids from across America, including hundreds from here in Fort Gibson, are attending church camps at one place or another. My youth group just returned from Burnt Cabin Christian Camp on Lake Tenkiller. Our theme was “Step Up to the Plate.” Even though this sounds like a sports-related lesson, it’s really a spiritual lesson that all ages can learn from. Here are some things to think about:

• Satan throws all kinds of pitches at us. We must be steadfast in prayer and Bible study. This will help us discern the best way to overcome life’s curve balls and the occasional fastball that just seems to be on you before you know it.

• It’s up to each and every Christian to make sure we have the right equipment to win our spiritual battles against the devil. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that God’s word is inspired and gives us everything we need to be approved by God.

• It’s important for us to place a priority on staying in great spiritual shape by training or practicing everyday those spiritual disciplines we read about in God’s word. Yes, it’s that Bible knowledge that serves as a great foundation. But, unless we learn how to apply those lessons to our lives, the knowledge alone will not get us to heaven.

• We must choose everyday to be on the right team. The world throws so many choices into our path, we must be willing to compare the available options with what God says is pleasing to him. It is also helpful to look at the New Testament to see the example set by Christians in the first century.

• We must choose to swing. Satan would like to convince us to be so scared of him that we just sit and do nothing. But that’s not even biblical. As Christians, we must trust that God’s spirit will work within each of us to overcome the pitches of deceit that the devil throws our way.

May God bless each of us as we earnestly seek his will in our lives.