Every man has been created with a God-shaped vacuum.    Until he meets the Lord, there is no deep, abiding Peace, and there is no answer concerning eternal issues.  Until he meets the Lord, he does not truly know who he is.  Until he meets the Lord, he can not clearly see anyone else.    Until he meets the Lord, he does not have a purpose for the day.    Soldier of The Cross, We have The Great commission, and we may not ignore the call because of personal circumstances.  Many are suffering and dying.    Look away from your own circumstances and raise your hand in obedience to The Master. Do it in prayer.    Aloud.    Today.

   Many Christians limit what God can and will do in their lives.    We talk and sing about an omnipotent God, yet, we fret and fuss about the storm, even when He has told us He will calm the winds.  The problem is that as soon as we feel the storm, we want it to end.     Does He know what is best?  Is there prayer that addresses His Sovereignty and Wisdom.  Is the thought life fed by verses that reaffirm His greatness and our limitations?    Soldier of The Cross, when you take up the Cross each day, it means agreeing with God.  Can there possibly be anything better?

   What is the meaning of life?    Is there a Sovereign God?     Does He care about the major issues and the minutia of your life?    Can He be influenced?       Is the Bible true?    Soldier of The Cross?  What is the bottom line for today?  You need a meaning for each hour of each day.  Soon we will be standing before the Lamb of God, and we will be accounting for each moment and each word.     What is the thing that is needling under your skin?  What does the Bible say about it?  Will you agree with God?    Soldier of The Cross, you must decide that you are going to obey His Word - you must let go of all that would encumber you.  You must press into the Race.    What does this mean?    Love and serve the Body of Christ.    Love the unlovely.    Minister to those who are shut-in.    Visit prisons.       Honor the Great Commission.  It begins in your back yard and expends as you are able to move about the glob e.    Soldier, your life is tremendously important.    Your words are important.    The look on your countenance is important.    Your use of time is important.    Your thoughts are incredibly important.    Are you a Living Sacrifice, or are you not?

   Remember, God's Grace is greater than all your sin.    It is easy to cheapen the Grace of God.  The mind wants to equate His Grace with the forgiven sin.  Such is not the case.  The mind can not conceive of the vastness of His Grace.    There must be a decisive receiving of His Love and Grace.  Otherwise, the Soldier of The Cross is always suffering from the penetrating darts of the enemy.  When He is taken at His Word and there is no more comparison between the offenses and the forgiveness, there is freedom to enjoy New Life in a deeper dimension.    Soldier of The Cross, your sins are removed as far as the east is from the west.  Stop looking back and/or self-examining.  The Holy Spirit is able to reveal anything that ought to be shed.   Look up and move on.

   The Christian who is walking by sight is always evaluating the circumstances.    In fact, it is difficult to help such a one, because all conversation must revolve around how bad thigns are and what things ought to be done.  There are no ears to hear anything about faith or of relying on God, because things appear to be so bad.    Such Christians are always living in trauma.  The Peace that can be theirs is never experienced because they are so convinced that the thing before them must be changed.  To them, the change eviddences God's attention.  His Word is not enough.    The Lord does not work that way.  He is seen by faith.  His timing is different and His methods are far from anything we would design.    Soldier of The Cross, knowing God means looking at Him.    Looking at Him means looking away from the immediate, to gaze upon the eternal.

   Soldier of The Cross, you were chosen and set apart before you were born (Galatians and all the rest of God's Word).    There is a distinct and undeniable purpose to your life.  Not only have you been chosen, but  you have been set apart.  You also have a job to do, and that is to be revealed in a day by day walk with the Lord Jesus.     This is a marvelous thing.  It means that you are woven into The Plan and that you have the assurance of the revelation of, or leading into the purpose for which you were intended.    There are many who desperately seek the will of God.  This is not necessary.  He does not hide His will, nor does He ask His Own to do anything to find Him.  He does not make it hard and He does not require different things of different followers.  He requires only  one thing - faith.    You know He has called you.  In fact, you have responded.     Soldier, stand before Him, Tell Him you will follow.  Tell Him you are available.  It is not hard - it is simple.  Trust Him.    Aloud.  Now.

   He does not give strength for tomorrow.    He only gives strength for today.  Why is that?    It is because He has designed you to have a relationship with Him.  He has designed you to follow Him.  He has designed you to be in love with Him.  He has designed you to believe Him.    Soldier of The Cross, if you deviate from any of these vectors, you will become myopic and fearful.  You will need to have assurance of things that have already been resolved.    The issue is, are you able to believe Him?    Are you able to obey Him?    Are you able to worship Him?    Are you able to Love Him?    Are you able to share Him?    Soldier, these things happen in prayer.  Aloud.    Tell Him now.

    Maturity is not complimented by complexity.     Neither is depth the fruit of study or asceticism.  The riches that are to be found in Christ are profoundly simple and are revealed by revelation.     Those who pray according to His Word will see and know Him. If He can only be known by faith, the playing field has been levelled.  Young and old can know Him.  The educated and the mentally handicapped can know Him.    Soldier of The Cross, the issue is faith.  Can He be believed or not?    It is simple.  Just not always easy.    Agreeing with God takes place in prayer.

   Romans 8:6 (Amplified Version) reads:      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].    What distinguishes a Soldier of The Cross?     There is a Line that is crossed.    A Call has been answered. Many ignore the Call.  Crossing The Line means choosing to follow Him , no matter what.  It means taking God at His Word.  Agreeing with Him.   Such is the theme of the whole of God's Word.     Those who are really His choose to see according to His Word.  They live according to His Word.  They speak according to His Word.  They think according to His Word.    To step aside from following Him, one must analyse without faith.  Think without faith.  Oppose His Word. Yield to the gravitation of the flesh.     Soldier, it is simply not worth it.  The result is the experience of spiritual death.  Depression, anger, resentment and blindness. Spiritual poverty.    Press into the Battle.  Take up The Sword.  Put on the full Armour.    Look up.  Move on!

   You must thank him for everything.    When you crossed The Line, you left behind your right to argue with God.  That means, He is right no matter what.  That means He can be taken at His Word.  That means you agree that He is allowing what is the Best for you.    Soldier of The Cross, you have chosen well.  You have chosen the only Path that leads to Eternal Life.    Trust The One Who holds the stars in Place.    Thank Him for everything- even the very hardest things.    Today.    Aloud.