A soldier is to have Persevering Resistance to the Devil and Sin, and the Wickedness of Men.
A soldier is to be Standing Ground, Enduring Hardship, and Overcoming through the Power of the Cross. Bringing Light into Darkness, and Life into Death, and Love into Hate, and Fragrance into Stench.
This Soldier’s weapons are not carnal, but mighty through God, to the pulling down of Strongholds. Confident of victory which is found IN CHRIST…and assured that even if battles are lost along the way, the war HAS BEEN WON.
Stand your Ground…Jesus is the ONLY WAY! Undo damage and take back ground…release captives that sin and lies have bound. Walk in Christ’s authority and claim Your Land as a victory.
A Christian’s commitment to his Cause and Commander should be as real and complete as for any earthly soldier. And we, the Church, are being called to High Alert!
No other title for this article comes to my mind than the old song titled Onward Christian Soldiers!
II Tim 2:3,4 instructs believers to:
“Endure hardship as a good Soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life – that he may Please Him as a Soldier.”
I pondered this verse and the realities of being a soldier were seen in my mind’s eye:
A Soldier:
- does what he is told,
- where he is told to do it…
- how he is told to do it…
- promptly,
- obediently,
- no matter the outcome of those orders!
- it usually will include endurance,
- and hardship and dying to self,
- as his will is placed under the will and authority of another.
This is the Warfare:
- Truth and Light are under constant attack of Deception and Darkness.
The battleground?
- The Human Heart.
The question?
- WHO will “own” my own mind and my own heart?
- Is it God and Christ?
When we fight spiritually, we respond in the opposite spirit of the World. We overcome evil with good….and as this illustration says, Light removes darkness. Love removes Hate.
Here are some questions for you, a soldier of the Cross, to ponder:
- Who can I encourage and love-on and bless, in a way as to “lift them up” and cause them to “see” the truth and light and LIFE that are in Jesus Christ, the Lord?
- Am I ready to openly declare my allegiance to the Cross, and honor the Lordship of Christ the King?
- Am I ready to put on the full armor of God to stand against Satan’s schemes?
- Am I ready to submit to God and resist the Devil that he might flee?
- Am I ready to get down on my knees and battle in intercessory prayer for the souls of loved ones that they might return unto God?
- Am I ready to obey God’s will over my own?
- Am I prepared to obey promptly and completely? Not just when I want to obey? or partially?
- Am I aware that Pursuing Jesus with A Passion destroys demonic influence over my own life? …that by my going to Christ, about the enemies I deal with, seen and unseen… that I can be as David who said “I pursued my enemies and overtook them! I did not turn back until they were destroyed!”
- Am I willing to confront sin in the camp? Am I bold enough to take a stand against wickedness in high places?
Believers, we are told in I Timothy 6:12 to FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH!
Hold the line! Do not retreat! Do not turn back or around (unless you need to come back to His Standard in repentance that is).
Stand WITH HIM – Christ, our Banner… Christ, our Standard!
Look unto Him, the author and finisher of your faith. Do not give up mid-way!
ONWARD, Christian Soldier!! You can make it! Victory is promised His Church!
Matthew 16:18 says that the gates of hell will not prevail against us, His Church!
I Corinthians 9:7 declares: “Who goes to war at his own expense?” In other words, if you are asked or commanded by the Captain of the Hosts, Jesus Christ, to do something in His Name, be expecting God to “foot the bill”. Your faith will take the first step, maybe without all the supply in hand, but rest assured, if you are obeying the leading of the Lord, God will provide all the means for your assignment(s), as you trust in Him.
Do not step out in presumption…doing something without God’s direct orders! But when your faith is activated by clearly hearing the Word of the Lord, then GO FORTH with confidence. I see too many believers doing things from presumption, not from their commander’s instruction or command.
Are you trying to lead without being under authority yourself? Or are you receiving orders from your Commander in Chief? Isn’t this the error of Saul in the Old Testament? Leading without being under authority himself? Let’s guard against presumption.
And now, The Spirit of God is going to turn our focus for a moment:
Somewhere along the way, after the revival fires of ten years or so ago, some wounding of soldiers has taken place, and some have become weary in well-doing…but what is the promise and exhortation to all of us?
Galatians 6:9
Be ye not wear in well doing, for YOU WILL REAP A HARVEST, ifyou faint not!
DO NOT FAINT, DEAR ONES! (I am actually being spoken too, as I am speaking this to you!) Drink from the fountain flowing deep and wide within you. Ask the Holy Spirit to revive you from within! Your “renewal”, as a believer, will not come from outside of yourself, so you need not run here and there for revival fires. Simply draw near to God and into His Word and allow the Spirit’s fire within to set you ablaze. Ask Christ to baptize you afresh with the Spirit and with Fire!
I am writing this article, more-than-likely reminding you of things you already know…Why?…to exhort you to pick yourself up, get yourself strengthened in the Word, purposely draw into the presence of Christ within you, and seek Him and his will for you in this hour.
The assignment God has for you now might look totally different than it did years ago! You may be wearing a whole new mantle! You may be assigned to an entirely different part of the world. You might dwell with a totally different set of circumstances and associate with new people.
The important thing is to come to High Alert, for God is faithful to do it! He fulfills His Purpose in the lives of his willing servants. You and I simply position ourselves for His orders! We come into an attitude of expectation, submission, and responsiveness. We build ourselves up in our trust by remembering what “was before” and pondering His faithfulness. Then, we are given “a knowing” as well, that He leads us from glory to glory!
I get an inward picture that many saints are as wounded animals… retreated into our dens… afraid, hurting, angry or indifferent… without hope or direction… disappointed, and maybe even borderline apathetic. Our lamps under a bushel, rather than our lights set upon a hill. We’ve been oppressed and beaten down by spiritual attacks, ambushes of the enemy, sin allowed without repentance… or are simply falling asleep… almost comatose. Perhaps described as in Ezekiel, as an army of dried bones, dead to all intents and purposes… anyone looking at us wondering if we “can” even come alive as God’s Army.
Pray this aloud with me:
I ask you Lord, as Captain of the Hosts, to take us all – your kids, your army – out of our pits and fox holes –and set us into our places – anointing us with love and power and patience, where we might be to the world, as a mighty army, rolling across the land, as lights that shine among men. That those bound would have their captors, the evil hordes of hell itself, to “release them”, as light exposing the darkness and awakens them to their true spiritual condition. Oh, may we glorify You, Lord, and not ourselves – and may the Kingdom of God advance at a pace and to a dimension as has never before been experienced in the history of mankind! I ask for the awareness to come to each one who has come to Christ as Lord, that “Greater is He who is in us, than he that is in the world!” May all the trials that have caused us to die to self and to our own aspirations, to learn love as a strength, and to exercise patience and endurance now have their perfect work, that we may be perfect and entire…molded now for you, our Commander in Chief, to instruct and command at will.
YOU ARE THE ONE WHO GIVES VICTORY and WE RIDE WITH YOU! Amen!
Now, here are some scriptures for us, God’s Soldiers:
I John 4:4
“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
Psalm 60:11,12
“Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless. Through God, WE will do valiantly…for IT IS HE who shall tread down Our Enemies.”
Joel 2:11
“The LORD thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty is the army that obeys his command…”
John 15:12-16 reveals these thoughts:
“This IS My Commandment: that you “love one another as I have loved you.” and that you will “go and bear fruit” and that your “fruit will remain.” v.16.
Remember, HE CHOSE YOU and APPOINTED YOU!
Draw close to Father God, honor Christ as your Lord and King, heed the leading of the Holy Spirit who lives within you, and you will experience victory! It’s a promise! Amen!
You are a part of the Lord’s army!
You are not alone!
When he fully activates His Saints, we will indeed Be
A MIGHTY ARMY THAT OBEYS HIS COMMAND.
Now, I’m going to enlarge this graphic of “Onward Christian Soldiers” so you can PONDER THE WORDS OF THIS GREAT OLD HYMN! No wonder it came to my mind as the title for this blog entry–the words are awesome and inspiring!
Read them – Better yet, Sing them!
Build yourself up Christian Soldier!
Onward We Go!