SOLDIERS OF THE
CROSS I
Memorise: Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier
of Jesus
Christ. 2nd Timothy 2:3
Read: 2nd Timothy 2:1-7, (KJV) 1 Thou therefore, my son, be
strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
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.
5 And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not
crowned, except he strive lawfully.
6 The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of
the fruits.
7 Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding
in all things.
Bible in one year: Ezra 1-3, Ecclesiastes 5:10-20
MESSAGE
One of my sons once said ‘For every new level there is a new
devil’. This is very correct in the life of every believer. I always tell my
children that if they are not relevant in the scheme of things, they cannot be
a target of the devil. But, the moment you make up your mind to obey God, to
love God and to serve Him, you become a target for the enemies, both within and
without. As a soldier of the Cross, you do not fight your battles with physical
weapons because it is the nature of a battle that will determine your arsenal
of weapons. As a good soldier of the Cross, you must be able to endure hardness
in the race to heaven. You have to fight lawfully and follow those rules which
characterise a righteous person.
There are many factors attacking the Christian faith today.
We cannot just continue to be passive; there is the need to defend the
Christian faith against modern and post-modern ideologies, so that we can all
lay hold of eternal life. Any Christian who is timid and fearful cannot carry
out the struggles of spiritual warfare.
“Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil”
Ephesians 6:11
Those who were before us were able to stand strong and give
a reason for the hope they had in Christ Jesus, we cannot but do same. Timothy
as an evangelist, did not waste any opportunity, he constantly stood before men
and confesses his faith in Christ. Jesus Christ our master stood before Pontius
Pilate and defended his Son-ship and Kingship.
One of the ways to be
a good soldier of the Cross is to appreciate the works of the Cross and live
our lives to reflect the sacrifices made by Jesus. This we can achieve when we
begin to live a life of purity and godly behaviour. We must follow the truth
that has been received in Christ. The truth that set you free and gave you
liberty must be passed on to others, so that they can experience what you
experienced. This is why our pastors need to go back to the ancient landmarks
of sound apostolic teaching. There is a need for urgency on the part of the
clergy to feed their flocks with the undiluted Word of life.
Hardship will come, Satan will launch all forms of attack
against the preaching of the gospel of Jesus, yet, we must not allow all these
to divert our focus from our primary assignment as soldier of the cross. Also,
don’t allow the affairs of this world to make you a victim in the battles of
life. As a messenger of Jesus, you must do all that is within your power to
please the Owner of your life and be committed to the work of the Kingdom. It
is my prayer that your enemies will miss whenever they target you in Jesus’
name.
Action Point
Put on the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil.
Open Heavens ckgod, written by Pastor E.A Adeboye
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