In a world that is spiraling toward the end, the outstanding mark of the believer who is walking in the Light is Love.

     Such a Christian has learned to sit at the feet of a Sovereign Lord and by experience,  has learned there is no good way but His.

     That Soldier of The Cross has Peace.  A Peace that attracts some, and drives others crazy.  Without this Peace, there is no supernatural, uconditional  Love.  They are bound together.

     There is no such thing as a strike from heaven that results in this Peace.   Peace comes from experiencing God in the midst of trials.  It comes from choosing His Word over what we see.  It comes from agreeing with God even when it appears that His way guarantees the wrong result.

     Soldier, when the going gets tough,  The Tough get on their knees and  lay it on the Line:

     Oh Lord, I want your way no matter what.  I submit to you regardless of anything anyone else says or does.  I stand on Your Word. 

     Tonight Lord, I take hold of the Hand outstretched to me and I will gaze upon you rather than the storm.

     My Lord and my God.

     It isn't that we have our heads in the sand, it is that we have been carefully instructed to pray about the future and leave it at the Throne.

     The flesh is a writhing, convulsive, dominating vacuum that will dictate every thought and action if allowed.

     We have His Word.  He will not let anything slip out of control.  If things go awry according to human concept, we will still be confident in His Promises if we have prayed according to His Word.

     Soldier, there is much to do.  No hour is without purpose.

     Today you must do the thing before you and you must do it to the best of your ability.

     Give it to him.  Aloud.
     Today.

     There seems to be an idea that if a Christian gets worked up enough in a devotional moment, he will learn the thrill of delighting in the Lord.

     Learning to know Him and delight in Him is a decision and it begins in and is sustained by prayer.

     Wanting to know Him means seeking out those who want the same thing.  Who want to share how faithful He has been.  Who want to hear how you met Him. 

     Learning to know him means doing what you know He has asked.  There are so many who neglect to love the Brethren, neglect tithing, neglect serving, yet they are begging to know "God's Will."

     Soldier of The Cross, we move a step at a time.  He never asked us to lead.  He said He would do that and He has never obscured Himself. 

     He who loves obedience over sacrifice is known the same way.  By faith in obedience.  He proves Himself faithful, and He loves to answer.

     Many Believers are marinated in Christianity, yet they have no experience of Him.

     By prayer.  Taking Him at his Word.  Willing to do anything, go anywhere and say anything to anyone.

     His Presence is not cheap   The cost is availability.

     Tell Him today.
     Aloud.

     There is no Cross in "name it and claim it"  Christianity.

     This life is not about having things and getting what we want.  It is about being transformed so that our desires line up with His.

     At the same time, the declarations of the tongue are critical to the Christian life.  We are not Pollyanna, but we choose to live in His faithfulness over what we see,

     Laziness and/or ignorance cause Believers to fall into the trap of wanting ease or earthly satisfaction.

     The bottom line for us is that we know He wants the best for us and will led us into the richest freedom if we take up the Cross and follow Him.   Anything less is not good for us.

     Those who are willing to trust Him will taste this freedom.  I have never met anyone who said "I wish I hadn't obeyed the Lord."  I have certainly heard the opposite many times.

     Soldier, the power is not in prayer - it is in the One who hears prayer.  Those who need to do war dances don't understand who He is.

     Agree with Him today.  Aloud.  Stand before Him and recommit to taking up The Cross and following Him.

     Lord, as I stand before you tonight I tell you again that  I want you over all else.

     So many things tug, but I stand on your Word.  I believe you.  I choose to wait for you no matter what, to go where you say no matter what, to say what you want no matter what,  and to walk through any fire no matter how hot.

     Lord, you alone know what this means for me. You alone know what comes at me in the night.  You alone know what others say.   But in the end, you are so much more.

     Thank you so much for Grace.  Thank you that I know you are more real than the things I see with my eyes.

     In the midst of it all, I continue to ask to be trained to live by faith.

     My Lord and my God.

     His existence changes everything.

     He is everything.  You know His Word is true because He touched you and you can't go back.  And because His Word is true:

     His existence rules over the the lying witness.
     His existence and the Hope of Heaven sustains and comforts the grieving and broken-hearted.
     His  existence means there is purpose in each moment.
     His existence means you will eat and be clothed.
     His existence means The Everlasting Arms even when it seems the bottom drops out.
     His existence means a reason to wait, a reason to be quiet or to speak and a reason to give.
     His existence means Love should be your aim.

     There is no need to struggle with the enemy.    Resisting the enemy comes when we take hold of Reality.

     There are no "buts".

     We are sojourners moving through the land and on our way to a better land.  We are led and loved by the One who is "upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. "

       Hebrews 1:3b (Amplified Bible)

     Soldier, we see little and we know little.  No problem.  We are His and we are in the Hollow of His Hand.

     Learn to lean.

     Look up and move on!

     No one has it down.

     This is one of Life's unending challenges.    So many areas - the thought life, the tongue, the body, food, entertainment,  idle time.  Where is the balance?

     Soldier, you have the Indwelling Holy Spirit.  He is not an element, He is a Person.    He is present to shed light, to lead and to empower.

     There is no such thing as "doing everything right" and it is foolish to think that such a journey will eliminate what appears to be failure or heartache.

     How did Paul end up in coupling chains?  Certainly not from a lack of discipline.

     We live in a fallen world.  Our job is to obey the Word of God by prayer, resulting in a faith walk.

     The number one discipline in the life of the Soldier of The Cross is the devotional life.  There must be a separate time for taking in The Word.  If that does not happen, there is no real prayer life because there is no fuel. 

     There must be a prayer time that is not while driving or doing dishes.    If you are in prison and never alone, the Lord may provide an early morning time, but if there is no such opportunity, that's different.  Young mothers often tell me there is no time, but the truth is, she does not have an opportunity to be alone with God at a time when her body feels like it has enough energy to pray.

     The prayer life is a matter of determination and making the body respond to the vision.  It is absolutely true that there may be a day when there are no moments available.  That is not often the case.  It is not about being ritualistic, it is about meeting with the Lover of Your Soul.

     Soldier, stand before Him and commit anew to knowing Him and following hard after Him.  Commit again to taking up The Cross daily. 

     Do this aloud.
     Today.

 

    You were not created to feel powerful.

     You were brilliantly designed to learn to lean on the One who never fails and who  knows your anxieties better than you know them.

     Soldier of The Cross,  obedience clears the way to see His Provision and to hear His assurances.  The prime obstacle is complaint.

     It is possible to share even the most distressing matters without a spirit of complaint.   We need each other and we need to be covered and held by one another.   The problem comes when we use each other to vent feelings instead of cleanly reporting the matter.

     There are casual little slips that become habitual if not dropped.  For example, why would a Christian complain about the weather?  Isn't God sovereign?   What good does it do?  If there is an urgent  need for different weather, He is able to change it.  Take it up with Him.

     Why complain about work?  Or traffic?  Or anything?

     Complaining is a habit.  It is remarkable to listen to the way Christians talk about political leaders.   Discussion is one thing, and vitriolic complaint is another.

     Soldier, if you need to talk about it, do so.  But listen to yourself.  If you must complain, do so to Him rather than the one who needs to be edified or the one who has no sight.

     Make yourself available to this life change.  Tap into Power. 

     Tell Him.
     Aloud.

     To many, it seems  as though the Lord is in control of all things except money.

     There are some interesting principles in the Word of God that all quote and few practice. 

     For example, we are to pray in our Daily Bread. 
     We are to be good stewards with the money we have. 
     It is true that there is a biblical principle of work - to all labor there is a reward.
     It is His money, not ours.

     God holds it all.  The bank is powerless absent His consent.  We sing about  ". . . the cattle on a thousand hills. . . but when the going gets rough, the sleepless nights are haunted with whirling speculations of how things can be paid and how money can come from anyhere.  What will happen if the bills are not paid?    How can I stall this off?   Then of course, begging God over and over for help.  And beg we must.

     Soldier of The Cross,  He has told us to give to Him first no matter what.  Yes there is a supernatural principle of return.  Those who tithe or give off the top experience this principle and are never without.

     In terms of knowing Him, giving off the top builds faith with regard to finances.  Those who give even when there is not enough left to cover things, are givers who experience the Elijah story of I Kings 17:16:

    "For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah."

     You are a Soldier of The Cross.  Your life is in His Hands.  So is your money.  So are your debts.  So are the needs of your children.

     Obey God's Word and see the dust settle.

     Tell Him. 
     Aloud.

     No soldier when in service gets entangled in the enterprises of [civilian] life; his aim is to satisfy {and} please the one who enlisted him.

     II Timothy 2:4 (Amplified Bible)

    Are you in Service?  Resisting distraction is something that must be exercised all the time.  Things are constantly hurled at us , and it isn't about ducking - it's about seeing the difference between what is eternal and what is a hologram from hell.

     We need each other.  There are no Rambos in His Service.  No one can move freely through the Pilgrim Journey without the support of others. Even those who have spent long seasons in solitary confinement will tell of the encouraging things the Lord did and those He sent.

     Remember Adino the Eznite who stood alone before 800  of the enemy and killed them all?  Is it possible that rows of angels simply stood and watched passively?

     The biggest distractions are the things that are either unfair or that seem impossible.

     If we could see the unseen, we would operate differently.  The fact is, we have been created to  live by faith.  

       Faith has to be exercised.
     Faith means there is always an unforeseen crevasse that is too wide to cross and there is no bridge.
    Faith means picking up and moving on because He Is and because He Said.
      Faith means  sometimes appearing to stand alone.

      We are never, ever alone

      Soldier, Look up.  Always Look up.
      And move on.

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