The mind is never empty.

     We know from God's Word that the thought life runs the Soldier's life.

           "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. . ."
                                        Proverbs 23:7 (Amplified Bible)

     Most Believes are not aware of what they are thinking.  The enemy has a quiver of favorite fiery arrows, and the most subtle and most frequent is the arrow that shoots thoughts into the mind.  And from there, he divides and isolates Christians.

     We are not helpless.  We have the Indwelling Holy Spirit, and we have the Sword.

     There is a battle.   It will not end until we cross over, but so many are crawling through each day with battle fatigue due to a lack of armor (Ephesians 6:17.)  

     There is no defense against this assault without the fresh Word of God.  One of the best practices is to memorize a verse from your daily reading- even a part of a verse.  Write it down, perhaps in long hand.   It's the Sword.    Without protection, the thoughts the enemy projects are like an aggressive fog and reality is obscured.

     Soldier, God's Word is more real than the way that you feel.   That is reality.
     We are passing through.  That is reality.
     Obedience is what defeats the enemy. That is reality.
     He listens to us carefully and unfailingly does what is best for us. That is reality.

     Feed your mind with the Word- that's reality.

     Take this to prayer and do it aloud.
     Then, look up and move on.  We are a moving army.

         Unquestionably today's Church is rampant with Believers angry at each other.

     If offense is not dealt with quickly, it becomes infected and spreads itself through the tongue of the one infected. 

     Let's take inventory:

     You are a Soldier of The Cross, right?   What does that mean?   It means you  have crossed The Line and have told the Lord he can do anything with your life and that you want to be changed into His Likeness.  That comes at a cost, but not at the price of relinquishing your Blood-bought right to know supernatural healing in all areas of life.

     So much of psychology is the review of hurt.   The study of the old nature.

     There is a misconception of real forgiveness.  Forgiveness does not have to mean reconciliation, and in many cases reconciliation would not be healthy.   Forgiveness is not for the offender; it is for you.  For your benefit. For your release. For the flow of His Life through you.

     Real forgiveness happens in prayer and is done by faith.  It doesn’t mean feeling differently toward the person or persons, but it means that you have obeyed Him and considered following Him more important than self protection and wound-licking.

     I believe the battle in prayer should be fought aloud if possible. When you pray aloud, you say it and you hear it.  Your words are carefully chosen instead of cloudy thoughts that often drift about.

     We are to bless our enemies. What does that mean?  Ask the Lord what that means for you.  It could be something you can do for a need and it might have to be anonymous.  You have the Indwelling Holy Spirit to lead you.

     Stop talking about the thing that has hurt you so much and set about to do things for others.  This will bring significant release and joy.  

     Take it to Him. Today. 
     And aloud if you can.

    How easy it is to forget that the Author of time has a different schedule than we do.

     The Soldier of The Cross who faithfully prays according to the Word of God develops a confidence that He hears and can be trusted.  We never arrive.  We are always lovingly moved on into deeper levels of leaning to trust. Learning to wait.

     Love doesn't freeze until it gets what it asked for- it is moving on in the encouragement and help of others. 

     It is always the time for a new beginning.  He is the God of new beginnings.  New adventures. New abilities.  New depths of Love.

     We must be praying to be changed.
     We must be praying to respond wisely to the needs of others regardless of feeling like it.
     We must affirmatively be availlable to let go and move on, when it means following Him.

     Living in Him is never stagnant.  So many have settled down into semi-hibernating Christianity.

     Take this matter to prayer.  Aloud.
     Then, look up and move on!


      

          Has God asked you to take a turn that obviously leads to nothing- or worse?

     Few are willing to trust God even though every Believer would admit that He knows better than we do.

     What does obviously mean?  It means by sight.

     The Lord has no problem giving direction.  The problem usually lies in our refusal to put our weight on the Promises of God.  

     Worry seems just as common in the lives of believers as unbelievers.

     Faith is a frontier.  We do not experience being led of God unless we are attracted to a life of faith. 
 

     Stepping into the unknown.
     Being willing to make a mistake.
     Learning to listen.  And wait.
     Letting Him lead us into what we know is not humanly possible. 

     People like Hudson Tayler, Adoniram Judson, George Muller, Amy Carmichael and Gladys Aylward are only a few of so many who made the decision to choose faith over sight.

     Many of these heroes and heroines of the faith are in nursing homes and prisons.  You will only hear of them in Glory.
     
     What do you have to lose?    There is nothing else lasting or real.

     Oh Soldier!  Be available for exercises and adventures in faith.   That’s where you find rest, confidence and strength for The Battle.

     Tell Him today.
     Aloud

    There is nothing in your history that God can't use.

     Perhaps some of the things you are recovering from will be used to release others if you will allow the Lord to use them.

     Moses was dead.  God called the son of one of Moses' servants and appointed him to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land.  Who was Joshua?  An unknown until he obeyed the Lord.  God promised Joshua amazing things, but the conditions were absolute obedience and the refusing of distraction.

    Joshua was to be strong, confident and courageous.  These qualities come only when the foot is lifted to take the next step.

     Soldier of The Cross, this is a new season.

     Move.

     Tell Him you will be fixed on Him and not the assignment.
     Tell Him aloud.

     Look up and move on!

     Contentment.  Not commonly found.

     We have divine Provision for all things that are available to us and but for so many, contentment seems the most elusive.

     Release begins with an awareness of the thought life and then lining up thoughts with God's Word.  

     Soldier of The Cross, you already have His Peace.  It has been given to you, but is must be appropriated.

    Some years  ago I was at a missionary conference in Ethiopia.  The setting was lakeside and although the "resort" was Spartan no one seemed to mind.  Most of the folks under this particular mission were older in those days and the sessions were tremendous.

    One afternoon the men and women were divided, and the women sat (sort of) in one of the cement rooms and waited for the speaker. The door wasn’t available, so we had to crawl in through a window. I don't remember where the speaker came from, but she had a quiet spirit and talked about contentment.  It was a well-chosen topic for a missionary conference.  

     Without any suggestion of soul-baring, one by one, some of the women proceeded to share their struggles.

     Finally, one of the ladies could hardly speak for crying.  She was probably in her late 50's. When she was able to talk, she told about being in that country as a missionary for most of her adult life. She said she had always fought her revulsion for the Ethiopian people. It was a remarkable confession and the room was almost melting with love as she poured out her heart.  She then prayed and asked the Lord to release her from those chains and draw her into the contentment she had never known

     Talking publicly about such matters is not always the solution, but certainly asking the Lord to show what is preventing sweet release is always the first step. 

     It is not someone else's behavior.
     It is not forced retirement.
     It is not a rebellious child.
     It is not any circumstance

     Contentment is not to be associated with liking everything or with escaping difficulty.  It is in the experiential knowledge that God is in deliberate and sensitive control and will not withhold any good thing from us.

     Talk to Him about this now.  
      Aloud.

.

       A rare discipline is that of resisting rehearsing what will/may/won't happen tomorrow.

     We have an enemy who only lies and whose goal it is to torture at every level those who are Soldiers of The Cross.

     "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
                      Matthew 6:34   (Amplified Bible).

     Soldier, we exercise wisdom, gaining much of it from making mistakes, we plan as best as we can, we prepare carefully, and then we must understand that God's Word teaches that He is in control.

     Scenes flying through your head when you are awake in the night?  You have the power to govern those thoughts that are displayed on the screen of your mind.. 

     The Prince of Peace died not only to give eternal life in the hereafter, but to teach you to take His Hand during the current storm and move on.

     Determine to speak the Word of God during those times.  What about “He leadeth me beside the still waters. . ." 

     He is not weak.
     He is not ignoring you.
     He is not trying to hurt you.
     He is not busy doing something else.

     His whole attention is on you and He is drawing you into Trust.

     Soldier, tell Him today and if possible, do it aloud.

     Then, move on!

     There is nothing in God's Word to indicate that those who are His will be treated fairly, protected from loss, or extolled for successes.

     We are to trust that He who is preparing a Place for us sees it all and has designed an eternal outcome that is far better than we could ever imagine.

     I doubt there has ever been a true servant of the Living God who has avoided all controversy or false accusation.

     There must be a private time with the Lord where the matter is given to Him.  It might need to be given over and over and over.

     One of the enemy's favorite ploys is false accusation.  Some things must be met head on, and some need to be left for the Lord to work out as He wills.

     The real issues are:
     The Servant's heart before the Lord.  
     Willingness to move on.
     Refusal to wound-lick.
     Understanding that talking about it a lot inflates its importance
     Ministering to others in the midst of the storm or the devastation.

     Soldier of The Cross, you have been born into the Royal Race.

     Tell Him you will trust Him.  Tell Him aloud.

     Then, look up and move on
     
     

       Money is a huge issue for most Christians.

     How much time do you spend thinking about money?  Several times each day?   Does your mind ever go around in circles figuring and refiguring expenses?

     Are you in debt?

     There is a divine principle with regard to money and it is sowing and reaping.  If Christians took God at His word concerning money, there would be overflowing streams of supply for ministry and missions.  Many more hungry would be fed and the Body of Christ would know less illness and would be free from financial stress.

     Soldier of The Cross, it is a mistake to assume the money is yours and that you must give God a token portion.  All of it is His.  You are a steward.

     Have you ever tried this:

     “ Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over with no space left for more. For with the standard of measurement you use [when you do good to others], it will be measured to you in return.”

                          Luke 6:38, Amplified Bible

     Mankind’s relationship to money is a form of slavery unless he lives by God’s design.

     So many have said to me “I can’t afford to tithe.”  I have never understood that.  How can you afford not to?  Yes, tithing is an Old Testament law and principle.  However, the New Testament sets forth a freedom from tithing that implies abundant giving beyond comfort.  The Macedonians for example, gave lavishly out of their deep poverty (II Corinthians 8:1-5).

     The only way to learn to depend on God is to take Him at His Word and prayerfully determine to live before Him in this specific area.

     Give regularly and generously.  Give to the Work of The Lord, and also give (perhaps secretly) to those you know are in need.

     Take it to Him.  Aloud
     Then go find someone to love.

     Do you have any idea how dangerous is gossip?

     It is incredibly seductive in that the flesh loves to hear about irregular events in the lives of others.  In fact, there is little else more interesting.  But you are a Soldier of The Cross and you know better.

     How about this:

     “Do not let unwholesome foul, profane, worthless, vulgar words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear you speak. . . .”
         Ephesians 4:29    (Amplified Bible)

     Soldier, the biggest problem happens when someone else wants to tell you something you know does not line up with the instruction concerning what you should hear.

     Develop a backbone that will enable you to say you do not want to hear this, or in the alternative, perhaps the Holy Spirit will give you a gracious out.

     Determine you will not be part of this corrupt dialog and refuse it no matter what it takes.  Perhaps this is new to you.

     Take it to the Lord and let Him know you are available to learn to refuse to participate in this sin.

     Tell Him Aloud.

     Then, go find someone to love!

IT is incredibly seductive in that the flesh loves to hear about