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)
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.
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.
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