One of the most dangerous, critical accomplishments military troops pursue is establishing a beachhead. There’s risk! Still, an established beachhead enables significant forward progress. Interestingly, your life is a beachhead. In fact, it’s yours to establish.
Let’s take a look.
Your Life Is A Beachhead
Let’s define beachhead.
- An area on a hostile shore occupied to secure further landing of troops and supplies.
- The area is the first objective of a military force landing on enemy territory.
- Once conquered, this area forms a secure initial position to pursue further advancements.
- A foothold.
So, what does it mean to say your life is a beachhead?
Beachheads And Borders
Just like countries have borders, so does your life. Thankfully, God promises to keep your life shores and borders free and protected. Nevertheless, you have a part in this.
Incidentally, Scripture identifies your heart and mind as beachheads. Basically, the territory of life processes and patterns. Naturally, to keep your borders safe, you need to hold onto your beachheads.
Unfortunately, a beachhead can be lost. Sadly, beachheads are compromised when you don’t “do life” with Jesus. When you insist on doing things your own way, established beachheads fall with little compromises that seem harmless at first.
Sadly, an invasion then takes you by surprise.
Compromises
When compromises take place in your life, your beachhead is threatened. This happens with choices. Normally, it’s when you aren’t alert to –
- Your surroundings.
- God’s faithful signs in Scripture.
- Enemy strategies.
- God’s voice.
- Christ’s never-ending love for you.
Did you know – continual beachhead flirtations soon become your war-torn territories?
For this reason, develop the habit of asking yourself –
- “How did I get here?
- “What brought on this mess?!”
- “How did I lose control of life patterns?”
- “When did I forfeit my beachhead?”
- “What happened to the thankful disposition I once had?”
First, you’re not alone to ask such questions.
Second, be honest about how you lost ground. Perhaps you explored too close to the edge of God’s borders.
Third, it’s hard work to hold a beachhead. Frankly, it boils down to choices. Subsequently, it’s worth your time and energy to make good choices.
Fourth, God lovingly sets boundaries. He doesn’t force you to stay in them. If you insist on your own ways, He’ll give you over to them. Tragically, a day could come when God finally says, “OK. Have it your way!” In subtle decline, you find yourself doing things you would otherwise never have done.
Fifth, your conscience is seared when you flirt at the edge. Paul says God gives people over to a depraved mind when they turn away from Him. (Rom. 1)
The best solution is to avoid compromises.
Beachhead Boundaries
Enemy invasion is real. Necessarily, it’s critical to get back into the healthy boundaries God puts around your life.
By all means, agree with God – stay in His boundaries. Obviously, it’s also critical to repent of whatever caused you to lose your beachhead. Amazingly, God will lift you back up into healthy relationship with Himself. What grace!
The good news? God will re-establish your beachhead if you commit to change. The territory of your heart and mind belong to Him.
Remarkably, God is full of love and grace. Regaining lost territory is His specialty. Brilliantly, He forms a forcefield over your life. Plus, He skillfully disengages entrenched enemy holds – with your cooperation. More on this in a minute.
FYI – He is merciless to the enemy. But to you, He is full of mercy.
If you’ve lost your beachhead, repent. Agree with God. Then stay in God’s love. (Jude 21)
Beachhead – How To Get It Back
If you’ve lost it, it’s essential to regain a lost beachhead. But it means working hard to –
- Form [godly] habits.
- Give diligence [to your choices].
- Concentrate [on what’s next].” (MUFHH – O. Chambers)
Simply put –
- Build healthy habits and patterns.
- Establish healthy routines.
- Stay close to God.
“Routine is God’s way of saving us between our times of inspiration.” (MUFHH – O. Chambers) Those times between inspirations, often seem empty, boring, lonely, etc.
Realistically, most of life is lived between inspirations. Subsequently, in those long stretches, God continues to “save you” – as you do your part. Paul calls this – “working out your salvation.” (Phil. 2:12)
Conclusion
Remember, even small, healthy choices fill spaces between inspirations.
So, some practical things you can do to fill spaces – care for your –
- Home.
- Family.
- Business.
- Education.
- Volunteer positions.
- Ministry.
- Free time.
Basically, do everything for Christ. Miraculously, this establishes your beachhead for God.
In particular, engage these practical action points:
- Welcome drudgery with a spirit of creativity.
- Cheerfully serve in boring details.
- Choose to please Jesus rather than pursuing accomplishments.
- Fill dreary, dull days (perhaps years) with intentional investments and action points.
- Promote a nurturing environment wherever you can.
What The Enemy Targets
The enemy has crafty strategies to target body, soul, and spirit:
- Body – he targets areas of your humanity: comforts, pleasures, and fatigue.
- Soul – he throws your aim off with status, possessions, and accomplishments.
- Spirit – he deceives you to focus away from God.
Incidentally, your mind is actively involved in all three components in one of two ways:
- Engaging destructive processes like: justifying, judging, wanting, defending, fighting, ignoring, shutting down, etc. All these are outlets of fear, insecurity, pride, and deception.
- The fix: “Humble yourself before the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
How To Activate The Fix
First, humble yourself before God.- Next, renew your mind in Scripture.
- “Work out your salvation.”
- Absolutely, refuse to let your heart (and approach) get hardened.
- Critically, pray and invite God’s help.
- Plus, practice God’s Word in practical ways each day.
- Simply, do life with Jesus all the time.
Doing these things is posturing correctly with God. Naturally, it’s God who then forms His character in your heart.
Indeed, this is called “transformation.”
A Hard Heart
Many life conditions are because of hard hearts. Naturally, hard hearts break down relationships and opportunities.
Sometimes, another person’s hard heart causes sadness, sorrow, loss.
Everyone goes through times like this. Jesus did, too. In light of this, how did Jesus respond to hard hearts? Remarkably, His response – always established another beachhead.
In these ways, Jesus responds with Father’s heart.
One Of Jesus’ Beachhead Moments
In Mt. 14, Jesus just got bad news – the death of His dear cousin. Plus, He was just tired! So, He got in a boat and went away from daily responsibilities to be alone with His Father.
Upon reaching His desired destination, what did He find? The solitude He longed for? A safe place to pour out His heart and tears?
No, He found more needy people! All His plans for Himself imploded.
His Response
In view of this, let’s look at His response.
- Did He blow up?
- Was He angry?
- Overwhelmed?
- Did He feel cheated?
Let’s examine what He didn’t and did do for a model to follow.
What He DIDN’T Do
Jesus may have been disappointed. Perhaps He felt stripped of time and space to re-group. Perhaps He felt initial anger? If He did, and Scripture does not say, He did not sin in His responses. He did not lash out or punish.
Further, He did not become consumed with Himself, His needs, nor did He pout.
Rather, He worked hard to establish yet another beachhead. Another crowd of people needed Him – the Messiah. Emmanuel.
What He DID Do
Jesus was unalterably gracious and kind, fleshing out God’s character. He was consumed with compassion. Indeed, He was a living sacrifice.
After a day of serving the crowd, having needs of His own, He personally, provided for everyone reaching to Him by applying His Kingdom’s resources to their needs.
At the same time, He trusted His personal needs to Father.
That’s a good model!
Beachheads And Timing
With this unique “test of character,” Jesus again invested in people around Him.
Of course, He trusted God for His own provisions. Then, proactively, when God’s timing was right, He stole away to be renewed and refreshed with God.
Without a doubt, God is aware of your needs, wounds, losses, griefs, battles. However, He also knows what you can endure. Essentially, He’s training, growing, and strengthening you.
There’s no situation where God will not take care of you.
Application Thoughts And Questions
Answer “yes” or “no” if you believe these things:
- First, you were created by God for Himself and His purposes.
- Second, He loves you deeply and welcomes you as His child.
- Third, God welcomes you into His inner circle as His friend.
- Fourth, He gives you a unique life purpose.
- Further, God wants you to partner with His global work in others’ lives.
- Finally, you are an heir to His Kingdom.
* Portions of this content come from my book –SharpShooting: Your Bronze Bow – a devotional book that takes you through Matthew and powerfully challenges you to live like Jesus. Plus, some content is from my book – 
It’s Your Move – a devotional book that takes you through Romans and powerfully challenges you to live with perspective and purpose. You can find both these books in our bookstore: www.aliveandactivelife.org/store.
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