SOLDIERS OF THE CROSS – Wednesday September 21st
2016
Memorise: Thou therefore
endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 2nd Timothy 2:3
Read: 2nd Timothy
2:1-4, (KJV)
2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many
witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach
others also.
3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of
Jesus Christ.
4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs
of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
Bible in one year: Ezekiel
1-3, Psalms 65
MESSAGE
The
word ‘soldier’ appears in the Bible quite frequently, along with a number of
synonymous terms. A soldier is a person involved in military activity, one who
is specially trained for war. In Bible days, the phrase ‘men who drew the
sword,’ was commonly used to identify a soldier’s primary function as a
combatant and to symbolise warfare in general. Ephesians 6:11-17, is a Bible
reference comparing the weapons of a fully armed Roman soldier to that of a
Christian’s spiritual armour. In recruiting earthly soldiers, some are chosen
while others who are unfit are dropped. The fact that you are born again shows
that you have scaled through the first selection hurdle. The next thing is to
prove that you are a good solider of Jesus Christ. Why? There are bad soldiers
of the Cross. There are many supposed soldiers in God’s army who are no better
than earthly civilians. In 1st Timothy 6:12, Paul enjoins
fellow Heavenly soldiers to fight the good fight of faith. We have been called
into a fight. It is a fight that is based on your faith in Christ. 2nd
Timothy 2:4 says: 21 September 2016 open heavens
“No man that warreth entangleth
himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen
him to be a soldier.”
Open
Heavens 21 September 2016:- Soldiers of the Cross
The
chosen is also expected to be a soldier. Therefore, if you cannot fight to
resist and terminate Satan’s operation in your life, family or church, you are
a civilian not a soldier. If you cannot fight for God’s promise to be fulfilled
in your life and circumstances, you are a civilian, not a soldier. Can you
imagine a soldier who is armed and at the battle front drops his weapons, only
to plead with fellow soldiers to assist him in shooting at his enemies? That is
a civilian solider! In the Christian faith, there are many civilian soldiers.
If you keep relying on others to pray for you, you are a civilian solider. If
you pay prayer contractors to go to Prayer Mountains on your behalf while you
are asleep at home, you are a civilian soldier.
Civilian
soldier make God nauseous. If you are a soldier of the Cross, you must endure
hardness. If because of little trials- delayed conception, no money, or some
persecution, you decide to call it quits with your faith in Christ, you become
a deserter, not a soldier. Soldiers are tough and able to go through tough and
difficult terrains. What would stop civilians cannot stop soldiers. They are
armed, disciplined and operate according to the orders of their superiors. They
are faithful to their oath to defend and kill identified enemies of the
kingdom. They fight, putting their lives on the line. The big question that
every Christian must answer with all sincerity is, are you a soldier of the
cross, a deserter, or a civilian?
Prayer Point
Father, I am determined to be
a soldier of the cross, please help my resolve to stand for you and the Gospel
in Jesus’ name.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional, written by Pastor E.A
Adeboye
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