Soldier of The Cross, make sure you can not be bought.

     One who has enlisted in the service of the King of Kings must not be looking at how much he or she is paid as a factor in deciding on a change.  The assignment, the move, the change in career direction - all these must be because of the leading of the Lord and not just to advance financially.

    Do you know this hymn:

          My Father is rich in houses and lands,
          He holdeth the wealth of the world in his hands!
          Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold,
          His coffers are full, he has riches untold.

     Is it true?  Can He be trusted?

     Those who are His love to work and have a notable work ethic.  I have always enjoyed it that the Apostle Paul was probably a Master Tentmaker. It is likely that his father was a Master Tentmaker, and in order for him to have the background he had, Paul had to have been a master of some skill or trade. 

     We know he worked at his craft and worked hard.  Nevertheless, it was the leading of the Holy Spirit that took Paul from place to place. 

     Soldier, we must all work.  It is not about money or savings - it is about ministry.  The Body of Christ.  The Great Commission.

     I am not saying it is wrong to move because of a job.  I am saying it is wrong to choose a job just because it pays more than another job.   It is just a wrong as a missionary choosing a mission board over another because it provides more predictable support.

     He taught us  pray in our daily bread.  We must learn to do this.  Those who have learned to pray in their daily bread do not take credit for supporting themselves.

     What about this great song:

           I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
           I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
           I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands,
           I’d rather be led by His nail pierced hand.

     Soldier, agree with God about money.  Give liberally and learn how to pray about this matter.  He will teach you.  His Word says a great deal about it.  

      Work and work hard.  Saving is great. So is investing. The issue is, if something happens to the money, was it His, or was it yours?   

    I am often asked what should be done if thus and so happens or does not happen.

     I am rarely able to answer that question.  The fact is, we were created to watch and wait for Him, to grow in Wisdom and to learn to be led of the Spirit.

     In particular, it is important to learn that the Lord often gives insight at the moment needed, but not before.  Oh, how we want it ahead of time!  If only we knew the answer before the question is before us, we would feel more in control.

     Some things can be pre-determined.  For example, if your house burns down, a newscaster should not be showing you broken and declaring that everything you ever had is now gone.   Those who raise their children on their knees commit the children to Him each day and know that their lives are in His hands.  Although losing a child is probably one of the hardest things that can be experienced, the one who has offered the child to the Lord each day is going to agree with God in the loss.

     Wanting the answer ahead of time is different.  It springs from human insecurity. 

     Soldier of The Cross, there are times when others want you to help. You must be sensitive and obedient. It is possible that the Lord will not give you some great sounding thing to say.    There are also times when the Spirit will give you an insight that offers release.  Pray with the person of course, but resist the temptation to sound like you have a handle on the matter.

     It is His business.  It is not about your having the right thing to say. It is not about the problem.  It is about the One who is sovereign over the situation and knows what He is doing.

     Learn to live walk in the Spirit.
     Pray about it.  Aloud.
     Tell Him you are available.    

     The God of all existence loves you to the extent that He has a special name for you and it is written on the palms of His hands.

     He went after you.  He called your name, and you turned to respond to Him.  You are an adopted son, and you can not go back.

     He longs to hear from you and is a tender, adoring and eager listener.  Real love is not squishy and He is not interested in spoiling you.  He loves you enough to let you know how to pray and to let you know that you must come to Him always, and with everything.

     You do not have the ability to understand this Love, but appropriating it by faith creates a capacity to receive and experience it.  You are then empowered to love others without condition.

     Soldier of The Cross, what do you want?
     Love.

     Then, let Him know you are His and you are available to be trained in prayer.
     There is nothing else.
     There is no one else.

     All my life I have heard the phrase ”in the flesh."

     After many years of walking with the Lord, I have decided that doing something in one's own strength simply means  that if the Lord is not in it, there is nothing but dead end in the planning, in the doing, and in the result.

     If the Lord is not in it, the plan is myopic.
     If the Lord is not in it,  the visible result is the goal. 
     If the Lord is not in it,  there will be constant counting of men and horses.
     If the Lord is not in it, sooner or later it will sag and drop.

     Soldier of The Cross,  the Spirit brings vision that breaks through the veil of time.
     The Spirit empowers with energy that is not broken by physical difficulty or discouragement.
     If the Lord is in it, the matter can be put on hold, then revived later, only to sparkle and shine with the Glory of God.

     One is Life and the other is death.  One defies explanation and the other meets only human standards.

     One passes quickly.  
     The other is for ever and ever. 

     What can wash away my sin?

     Not psychology.
     Not apology.
     Not fixing it.
     Not community service.
     Not talking about it all the time.
     Not wrestling with it in the middle of the night.

     Only the Blood of Jesus can and has washed away my sin.

     We know that it is right and necessary to make amends as much as possible.  And, we are privileged to be able to put the burden down at the feet of the One who said we should do so.  We are told that the past is under the Blood.

     It is one thing to deal with it in prayer, give it to Him and let Him restore, heal and renew.  It is entirely another thing to be marinated in guilt and regret.

     He is not in the business of making us miserable.  He intends to reveal Himself and He will heal the land and restore the ruins of the Soldier of The Cross who is available.

     How could Paul live from day to day after his conversion?  He had pursued and approved of the death of the martyrs (Acts 8:1).   He was free to exult in the Lord and attend to the Body of Christ because his sin was forgiven by Grace, through the Blood of Jesus Christ.

     The same for me.
     The same for you.
 

     Soldier of The Cross, can you honestly say that you love the Lord?

     It is a commonly used phrase.  What does it mean?

     He loves us through His Word and through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  There is the direct experience of His Love is through the Body of Christ.  Isn't it interesting that He has chosen to manifest His Love for us by the evidence of our love for one another?

     In His realm, obedience happens first and feeling follows.  This means that we attend to the needs of each other before our own needs.  We visit those who are shut-in.  We visit those who are in prison.  We attend to the widows and orphans.  We extend ourselves to meet the needs that are before us in the local assembly.

     When there is obedience, His Presence is enjoyed and there is the satisfaction of His approval.

     Soldier, is your life about your life, or is it about others?  If it is about you, it is time for a change.

     Loving the Lord means:
        Active Service to others.
        Faithfulness as a pillar in The House of The Lord.
        Sacrificial giving.
        A ministry of Grace to the members of The Body.
        Faithfulness in prayer.
        A watch on your mouth.
        Singing loudly even though you may not feel like it.
        An awareness and support of missions.

     Soldier, when did you last tell Him you loved Him?   Talk to Him.  Tell Him the things you love about Him - the beauty of creation.  How He saved you.  How He woos you. How He answers prayer.  How much you love His people.   Your heart will throb with the experience of Love.

     Tell Him today.
     Aloud.         

     Soldier of The Cross, things never stay the same.

     There are so many who want to hit a level and finish out life in a comfort zone.  That is not for you.  God will not allow it, because you have crossed The Line and have told Him you would serve Him.

     So, when others are recognized for accomplishments, you may achieve the same thing or better, yet you may not be recognized.
     You may scrimp and save only to see your funds drained, even though others seem to invest less wisely with a better return.
     You may tow the mark and never miss, when others seem to cheat and still be ok.

     It is because you are His and He is attending to you.  He is answering prayer.  You are not allowed to compare yourself to others - you are His.  After all, isn't your life His business?

     Is it your job?  Are you doubting yourself because He has made a change?
     Is it your family?  Are you in charge, or is He?
     What about your place in the Church?  Is there anything to prove, or is He Lord?  
     Have you been falsely accused?   Wasn't He?

     Soldier, buck up.

     You have yielded your body and soul.   He can be trusted.  Let Him stretch you.  Tell Him so.
     Aloud.
     Today.      

     What counts?

     Agreeing with God.  And those who are recorded as having agreed with Him are those we consider to be the great ones who have gone before.

     I am sure they did not consider themselves to be great.  In fact, it is sure they never felt great because God was all the while training them to see and follow Himself.   Abraham was a "Friend of God." And,  ”Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth."   

     Paul is one of my favorites.  What a tremendous servant. Yet the Lord's best for him and his ministry included imprisonment, beatings, stonings, being adrift on the sea, betrayal and desertion. 

     Those who are faithful and follow the Lord reflect Him and bear a quality of greatness that is only recognized by those who are seeking Him.

     Soldier of The Cross, do not self-evaluate. 
     Taking the heat does not mean failure.    
     Feeling small and incapable does not mean failure.
     Failure does not mean failure.

     No one is anything except in His power and as He allows.  No human charisma can win souls.  No brilliant mind can impart revelation or open blind eyes.

     We were created to obey.  One step at a time.
     It will all come together when we see Him.  And it will be worth everything.

     Soldier of the Cross, you are not allowed to worry about the future.

     Those who are preoccupied with what has not yet happened are always in danger of losing the moment.  The release comes in praying according to God's Word.

     Lord, I want to be a anything, anywhere, anytime, and for anyone Christian.  I want  my life to be about you and not about me.   So, here and now I again commit to you all that I am, and all that I have for your use and to reveal you.

     I trust you.  I can't go back and choose to go forward by faith.  Thank you for Grace that allows me to rest in your faithfulness.

     Anything, Lord.   Anywhere.  Anytime. 

     To Whom do we pray?

     The Lord will never misunderstand you.
     He will not forget what you said the last time.
     He is more than eager to receive you and to listen.
     He is never distracted.

     He can not be influenced against you.
     He understands.

     He loves you so much that He will let you have as much of Himself as you will receive.  

     There are many Christians who might say all the right things, but in prayer, seem to treat the Lord as though He has to be strongly influenced, does not care and may not understand the situation.

     Soldier of The Cross,  when God answers prayer, it never matches the scenes played out in the imagination.  In His infinite creativity and faithfulness, He is secure enough to answer in the best way and in the best time.

     He cherishes and treasures His Own, but He loves them enough to prepare them for heaven.  

     He is real and it is all true!