The Shakedown Hike

Shakedown hikes test your gear before the wilderness does. Mine have a rhythm: on the first day of a multi-day trip, I’ll hike just an hour or two from the trailhead and camp close to the car. The goal isn’t distance, it’s testing the system. Did I remember my tent stakes? Does the sleeping pad hold air? Is my food stash enough for the time I’ll be gone? It’s a chance to find what’s broken while I’m still near safety — a low-stakes training ground for the high-stakes reality of the deeper wilderness.

Every hiker, soldier, and martial artist knows this truth: you don’t rise to the occasion, you revert to your training. The confidence I have on day three comes from what I dialed in on day one.

The same is true of our faith. Paul gives us a direct command:

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”
— 1 Cor. 16:13-14

That state of watchfulness isn’t an accident. It’s trained in the daily disciplines of prayer, meditating on Scripture, and community. These are our spiritual shakedown hikes — the small miles that prep us for the longer, unpredictable road of following Christ. This training builds two critical skills: spiritual defense and skillful living.

Testing Your Defensive Gear (Resisting the Devil)

A shakedown hike isn’t just about making sure your gear works when things go right, it’s about preparing for when things go wrong. What’s the protocol if a storm rolls in? How do you keep food safe from wildlife? You test your defenses.

Spiritually, we need the same readiness. We face a real enemy. His message is “resistance is futile,” but God’s promise is clear: “Resist the devil ... and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

And Jesus is our perfect model. After his baptism, the Spirit led him into the wilderness for a 40-day — pardon the comparison — “shakedown” (Luke 4:1-2). In his weakness, Jesus didn’t use power unavailable to us, he used Scripture. Three times he answered temptation with “It is written” (Luke 4:4, 8, 12). Watchfulness begins with resistance.

I saw this in my own life not long ago during a minor disagreement with a brother in Christ. Left alone, it could have hardened into division. But recognizing the enemy’s scheme was step one. Step two was defense: initiating a hard but healing conversation. It was a small shakedown — a test of pride and a chance to choose unity.

Shakedown Drills: Spiritual Defense

• Know the Enemy’s Tactics. Don’t be outwitted by Satan’s designs (2 Cor. 2:11). Learn to spot his roles: accuser, tempter, deceiver (Rev. 12:9-10).
• Make No Provision. “Make no provision for the flesh” (Rom. 13:14). On the trail, you don’t pack what you can’t handle. In life, you cut out danger where you can.
• Deal with Anger Quickly. “Don’t let the sun go down on your anger” (Eph. 4:26-27). Unresolved conflict is a foothold for the enemy.
• Confess and Ask for Help. Satan thrives in secrecy. Confession and prayer (James 5:16) break isolation and remind us we’re not alone (1 Peter 5:9).

Dialing in Your Skills (Walking in Wisdom)

But watchfulness isn’t just about defense. It’s also about walking wisely.

A shakedown hike sharpens efficiency. The first time you set up a tent, it might take twenty clumsy minutes. By the tenth time, you can do it in five. That’s skill.

In Scripture, the Hebrew word chokmah captures this blend of skill and wisdom. It’s used for artisans like Bezalel, who built the tabernacle (Ex. 35:30-35), and also for the wisdom Proverbs tells us to pursue (Prov. 4:7). In God’s eyes, wisdom isn’t just knowledge — it’s practiced skill in living well.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
— James 1:5

This is the training we need in our spiritual shakedowns — the practice of chokmah in our relationships, decisions, and emotions.

Shakedown Drills: Skillful Living

• Ask for It. Wisdom starts with asking (Prov. 4:7; James 1:5). Solomon became wise by request, and so can we.
• Guard Your Heart. “Keep your heart with all vigilance” (Prov. 4:23). What we allow in will shape how we live.
• Practice with Your Words. “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt” (Col. 4:5-6). Wisdom shows up in conversations as much as in choices.

Ready for the Trail?

I pack with the shakedown in mind. The small first miles give me confidence for the harder days deeper in the wilderness. The same is true in faith: a watchful life is built on small, daily practices of resistance and wisdom. We can’t wait for a crisis to test our gear. We have to train now, in the ordinary.

By practicing watchfulness in daily discipleship, we prepare to revert to our training when the storm comes — and to trust the Guide who already knows the way forward.

This Week’s Training

• Reflect: Where has Satan tried to attack me lately? What area of my life needs sharpening?
• Request: Pray, “Lord, may I stand in the strength of your might today” (Eph. 6:10). Ask specifically for wisdom in the area you identified.
• Respond: Take one decisive action — cut out a provision for the flesh (Rom. 13:14) or practice gracious speech in a hard conversation (Col. 4:6).
• Reach Out: Ask a friend, “How have you resisted temptation lately?” or “What have you learned from a time you lacked wisdom?”