Truth is Greater Than Fact:

     When you decided to follow the Lord and commit your life to Him, you were born into a realm that often requires standing on what He has said rather than what you see.

      Agreeing with God often requires the deliberate turning away from figuring it out.  Whatever it is.  

          "Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever]."
                                                 Romans 8:6  (Amplified Bible)

     The flesh craves the illusion of being in control by attempting to come up with reason.  The problem is, most of the time this thinking has to do with another person, and the mind tends to fit the best explanation into the blank space.

     I often hear " He thinks. . ."   But actually you don't know what he thinks.  You are taking some facts or what you think are facts, and attempting to patch together a credible reason.  

     Why is it that we are to love and pray for our enemies?  How logical is that?  
     Why is it that we are to give, even when we have little?    How is that logical?
     Is it reasonable to return good for evil?   

     The unregenerate mind cannot operate in the realm of faith and obedience, and the Indwelling Holy Spirit does not operate in any other dimension.

     This is not to cheapen good old common sense, but it is not Holy Spirit common sense unless it is in agreement with God.

     Most people are not aware of their thoughts and first hear them when they come tumbling out of the mouth.

     Soldier of The Cross, there is little time to waste.  It is a lifetime of learning to hear and waiting to see. It's exciting and eternal.

     Take it up with Him and ask Him to remind you when your thoughts try to build an artificial reality.
     If at all possible, do it aloud.

 

 

 

     

    

No Wound-licking:

 

   If you are serious about following and serving the Lord, the will not only be people who will not like you, but you will be the target of all sorts of schemes.

     We have an enemy and  he loves to use other Christians against the Soldier of The Cross.

     There are some basics to follow, all of which are found in The Word:

          Stop talking about the offense or the offender;
          Stop reviewing it over and over in your head;
          Stop fanticizing about how it could have been avoided;
          Do pray for the offender(s);
          In prayer, affirmatively forgive them.

     Remember, forgiveness is not a feeling and it does not mean a restored relationship.  Forgiveness is evidenced by your thoughts and actions, not by your feelings.

     If you predetermine to handle these things according to the Word of God, when it happens, and it will happen, the worst of the sting will have already been removed.

     Soldier, what else is there in all existence other than serving The One who gave Himself for us and has promised He will see it all through?

     Hanging on to an evil done to us is counter-productive and we must learn to handle it His way.

     Tell Him in prayer.  Aloud.

     Then, look up and move on!

           

Not Your Battle:

     

     Oh Soldier, you are not alone and this is not your Battle!

     II Chronicles 20:15 says: 
          "He said, “Listen carefully, all you people of Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. The Lord says this to you: ‘Be not afraid or dismayed at this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s."                                                                        
                      (Amplified Bible)

     How hard is this?  It takes an affirmative standing before the Lord and giving it to Him and if possible, aloud.  With words that are chosen according to His promises.

     The flesh so resists this.  

     There is relief and freedom, but not when we have to hang on to control.  This is so critical.

     You must tell Him and aloud.
     Today.  Then move on.

 

 

     

The Flesh Flash:

 

     If you had it to do over, you would never react that way.  

     But you don't have it to do over, and you reacted badly.  You want so much to make this change, but how?

     We are told that The Soldier of The Cross is not to be easily offended.   Galatians 5: 22, 23 says:

     "But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law."
                                                                                               (Amplified Bible)

     It is absolutely possible to be a committed Christian and still struggle with this.  The first step of course is prayer that agrees with God and that welcomes whatever He wants to do to heal the infected area.  Then, find some verses about being reactionary and write one down each week.  Memorize it.  If you have trouble memorizing it, write it in longhand 10 times.  You will remember at least part of it.

     Then, when the next potential situation arises, the Indwelling Holy Spirit will bring one of those verses to mind and you will have a choice.   Choosing obedience is hard at first but gets easier and easier.

     All the counseling in the world can't compare with the Indwelling Counselor who knows you better than you know yourself.

     Take it to Him.  Aloud
     Don't put it off.

 

 

 

Let It Go:

     There is no way to avoid unfairness and sometimes betrayal.

     For those who have really crossed the line into devoted discipleship, others may be getting undeserved recognition while the Soldier of The Cross is passed over, maybe even having done better than the one recognized.

     When I was in my early 40's, Elisabeth Elliot sent me a sheet of paper on which was printed an old and short essay called "Others May, You Cannot."

     It came in an envelope by itself, so I knew I was to absorb it carefully.  It was a life-changer.

     Now that there is internet, this little piece of invaluable writing is available instantly.

     I suggest you look it up.

     Then take the matter to the Lord.   Aloud.

     We must come to understand the He must be allowed room to display His Life in us.

     Pray about it.  Then let it go and move on.

Truth is Greater than Fact:

 

      Truth is the basis of faith, not fact.

     In God's economy, the whole is always greater than the sum of the parts. Answers to prayer come in ways we could not have imagined and sometimes we might have thought such a thing to be impossible.

     In fact, it seems that what God does is impossible to the human mind.

     It is tempting to pray about a situation by approaching the Lord with how the matter should be resolved.  We must be careful about this.  We have the tiniest little hairline view and understanding, whereas He spoke everything into being.

     Soldier of The cross, you have often heard me say that the walk of Faith is a frontier..

     There is no place freer.
     There is no safer place.
     There is no place more interesting.

     Fueled by the Word of God, we move on in the Faith Walk.

     Tell Him today.
     Aloud.


  

Agreeing With God:

     Today someone told me she is angry at God for not healing her child.

     I have never understood being angry at God.  He can certainly take it, but it makes no sense.  The supposition is that the one who is angry sees God a having made a mistake.  Or sees Him as having failed to pay attention to the problem.  

     The Soldier of The Cross must predetermine that the Lord can do anything with that Soldier's life or anything that touches him or her.   If we believe the Word, we know for sure that He is interested in everything and deeply cares for His Own. 

     So, the issue is whether or not you actually believe what He has said.

     Grief has a myriad of expressions.  It is not possible to suffer deep loss and just move on without feeling something.  A famous missionary of yesteryear went into the woods by himself for two years when his wife died.

     One of the deepest pains is the loss of a child and there is little that can be said to assuage that seering grief.  Knowing others care is important, but getting all sorts of advice about "getting over it" is worse than hearing nothing.

     These things must be given to the Lord and that happens in prayer.  It is by faith.   Aloud.  Telling God that you release whatever it is to Him.  This has to be done because it is an act of affirmatively agreeing with Him.  It protects the Soldier against many of the enemy's flaming darts concerning the loss.

     And, it is critical to be aware of thoughts that  are swirling in the mind.

     If allowed, the Indwelling Holy Spirit comforts in remarkably creative ways. 

     Soldier, if this is about you, take it to Him, and if physically possible, it must be aloud.

     Then, go and do something for someone else who is hurting. 

 

     

The Hard Things:

     

        Oh Soldier, do you understand you are called to follow Him and you may not follow your feelings?

     The feelings we have are so strong and if we are not in agreement with God, we will move and behave according to how we feel.

     Feelings cannot dictate action or life.

     Truth is greater than fact, and God's Word is more real than the way that you feel.

     It is His call, not ours.

     Tell Him today and aloud.
     Then, look up and move on!

     

 

 

 

The Past:

     " Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 All of us who are mature [pursuing spiritual perfection] should have this attitude. And if in any respect you have a different attitude, that too God will make clear to you."
      Phillipians 3:13-15

     

      What a tremendous statement from one who had persecuted Believers.

     The past is always a dangling haunt and few can resist rehashing injuries suffered or guilt from hurting others.   Many are still focused on mistakes made years and years ago.

     The enemy loves to flash scenes on the screen of your mind and get you carried away into the past.  

     It is crippling;
     It detours around Peace;
     It distracts from the present;
     It makes your feelings the focus of your thoughts.

     Soldier of The Cross, learn to leave the past behind.  Everyone has a past and the older we get, the more critical it is to live in the present and minister Love.

     You can learn to do this. You long to have your thoughts line up with the Word of God.

     Tell Him today.
     Aloud.
     

 

A Song in Your Heart:

     There is a Place of Rest that results from the determination to agree with God no matter what.

     So the issue is, no matter what, will you agree with God?

     What do you think about that?  Does that seem impossible?  In speaking to groups around the world over the years, I have seen people get up and leave when I have begun to talk about the importance of telling the Lord He can do absolutely anything with you and your life.

     Is anything wrong with that?  Can He not be trusted?  Do you think if you give Him carte blanche, He will find a way to hurt you?  

     Who is He?  Who does He say He is?  And hasn’t He said He will withhold no good thing from you?

     "He who did not spare [even] His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?"
                         (Romans 8:32,  Amplified Bible)

     Ephesians 5:19 talks about a melody in the heart.  This happens when there is a revelation about the stunning Loving Hand of a Savior who left Glory and suffered so that we might be able to know trust, experience freedom and have relief now, in anticipation of being with Him later.

     Soldier, you were not designed to bear burdens. You were designed to go through the fire and the deep waters with supernatural empowerment.

     Sing.
     Now, sing.

     Give it to Him over and over.
     Today and aloud.