Jesus went to ‘boot camp’ immediately after He was baptized by John in the Jordan River. (Mark 1:12-13). I’m led to believe His hair may have still been wet.

What do we like to do these days with newly baptized converts? Oftentimes, we get them ‘plugged in to ministry’ with the hopes they will ‘grow in Christ’ and keep coming back. We seem to think it’s important for folks to begin exercising their ‘giftings’ for the kingdom of God, so we get them singing or playing drums or guitar or working in children’s ministry, etc. I’m not here to debate common church practices today and what churches should or shouldn’t be doing. But I do think we have missed some vital parts that have crippled many sincere converts and if we are not careful, we could make them a ‘two-fold child of hell’ that Jesus accused the Pharisees of doing with new converts. (Matt. 23:15)

So just what is this ‘boot camp’ I speak of? I would submit to you for prayerful study that it has everything to do with teaching new believers what it means to ‘hear His voice...and follow’, as in ‘obey’. (John 10:27; Heb. 5:9). And it’s pretty hard to do if we have not learned it ourselves.

We read there in Luke 4:1-13 that Jesus was having His heart tested, in ‘every point that we are tested’ (Heb. 4:15) which includes the ‘lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life’. (1 John 2:16). Those were the same areas that Adam and Eve were tested in, and failed. (Gen. 3:6). And this idea of God testing those who agree to walk in covenant with Him is not a new thing. Take a look at Deut. 8:2 as God explains His process to the Israelites who were delivered from Egypt and were about to go in to the Promised Land of peace and rest. But they too, had a ‘wilderness’ to go through.

You might say that rich young ruler had his heart tested by Jesus before joining them in his pursuit for ‘eternal life’. (Matt. 19). He failed the test because when Jesus pointed out something in his heart that needed to be let go of, he was unwilling and walked away. (21-22)

I still remember my first big ‘test’ not long after I ‘gave my life to Jesus’. God began to deal with me about my immoral relationship I was having with my girlfriend at the time. Fornication is sin (Eph. 5:5; 1 Cor. 6:9), and when God brought it to my attention soon afterwards, there was no question that I had a choice to make: Follow Jesus or continue following the ‘lusts and desires of my flesh nature’. But you can’t do both; and if you think you can, then you are following another Jesus and have obviously been taught ‘another gospel’. (2 Cor. 11:3-4).

These tests, or ‘boot camp’ are not designed to make you feel good or look good. It will, in fact be just the opposite. If looking good to others is more important than looking good to God, then it becomes clear He does not have your whole heart. And that becomes a problem. (John 12:42-43). You can’t serve two masters. Period. (Matt. 6:24)