There is no Cross in "name it and claim it"  Christianity.

     This life is not about having things and getting what we want.  It is about being transformed so that our desires line up with His.

     At the same time, the declarations of the tongue are critical to the Christian life.  We are not Pollyanna, but we choose to live in His faithfulness over what we see,

     Laziness and/or ignorance cause Believers to fall into the trap of wanting ease or earthly satisfaction.

     The bottom line for us is that we know He wants the best for us and will led us into the richest freedom if we take up the Cross and follow Him.   Anything less is not good for us.

     Those who are willing to trust Him will taste this freedom.  I have never met anyone who said "I wish I hadn't obeyed the Lord."  I have certainly heard the opposite many times.

     Soldier, the power is not in prayer - it is in the One who hears prayer.  Those who need to do war dances don't understand who He is.

     Agree with Him today.  Aloud.  Stand before Him and recommit to taking up The Cross and following Him.

     Lord, as I stand before you tonight I tell you again that  I want you over all else.

     So many things tug, but I stand on your Word.  I believe you.  I choose to wait for you no matter what, to go where you say no matter what, to say what you want no matter what,  and to walk through any fire no matter how hot.

     Lord, you alone know what this means for me. You alone know what comes at me in the night.  You alone know what others say.   But in the end, you are so much more.

     Thank you so much for Grace.  Thank you that I know you are more real than the things I see with my eyes.

     In the midst of it all, I continue to ask to be trained to live by faith.

     My Lord and my God.

     His existence changes everything.

     He is everything.  You know His Word is true because He touched you and you can't go back.  And because His Word is true:

     His existence rules over the the lying witness.
     His existence and the Hope of Heaven sustains and comforts the grieving and broken-hearted.
     His  existence means there is purpose in each moment.
     His existence means you will eat and be clothed.
     His existence means The Everlasting Arms even when it seems the bottom drops out.
     His existence means a reason to wait, a reason to be quiet or to speak and a reason to give.
     His existence means Love should be your aim.

     There is no need to struggle with the enemy.    Resisting the enemy comes when we take hold of Reality.

     There are no "buts".

     We are sojourners moving through the land and on our way to a better land.  We are led and loved by the One who is "upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. "

       Hebrews 1:3b (Amplified Bible)

     Soldier, we see little and we know little.  No problem.  We are His and we are in the Hollow of His Hand.

     Learn to lean.

     Look up and move on!

     No one has it down.

     This is one of Life's unending challenges.    So many areas - the thought life, the tongue, the body, food, entertainment,  idle time.  Where is the balance?

     Soldier, you have the Indwelling Holy Spirit.  He is not an element, He is a Person.    He is present to shed light, to lead and to empower.

     There is no such thing as "doing everything right" and it is foolish to think that such a journey will eliminate what appears to be failure or heartache.

     How did Paul end up in coupling chains?  Certainly not from a lack of discipline.

     We live in a fallen world.  Our job is to obey the Word of God by prayer, resulting in a faith walk.

     The number one discipline in the life of the Soldier of The Cross is the devotional life.  There must be a separate time for taking in The Word.  If that does not happen, there is no real prayer life because there is no fuel. 

     There must be a prayer time that is not while driving or doing dishes.    If you are in prison and never alone, the Lord may provide an early morning time, but if there is no such opportunity, that's different.  Young mothers often tell me there is no time, but the truth is, she does not have an opportunity to be alone with God at a time when her body feels like it has enough energy to pray.

     The prayer life is a matter of determination and making the body respond to the vision.  It is absolutely true that there may be a day when there are no moments available.  That is not often the case.  It is not about being ritualistic, it is about meeting with the Lover of Your Soul.

     Soldier, stand before Him and commit anew to knowing Him and following hard after Him.  Commit again to taking up The Cross daily. 

     Do this aloud.
     Today.

 

    You were not created to feel powerful.

     You were brilliantly designed to learn to lean on the One who never fails and who  knows your anxieties better than you know them.

     Soldier of The Cross,  obedience clears the way to see His Provision and to hear His assurances.  The prime obstacle is complaint.

     It is possible to share even the most distressing matters without a spirit of complaint.   We need each other and we need to be covered and held by one another.   The problem comes when we use each other to vent feelings instead of cleanly reporting the matter.

     There are casual little slips that become habitual if not dropped.  For example, why would a Christian complain about the weather?  Isn't God sovereign?   What good does it do?  If there is an urgent  need for different weather, He is able to change it.  Take it up with Him.

     Why complain about work?  Or traffic?  Or anything?

     Complaining is a habit.  It is remarkable to listen to the way Christians talk about political leaders.   Discussion is one thing, and vitriolic complaint is another.

     Soldier, if you need to talk about it, do so.  But listen to yourself.  If you must complain, do so to Him rather than the one who needs to be edified or the one who has no sight.

     Make yourself available to this life change.  Tap into Power. 

     Tell Him.
     Aloud.

     To many, it seems  as though the Lord is in control of all things except money.

     There are some interesting principles in the Word of God that all quote and few practice. 

     For example, we are to pray in our Daily Bread. 
     We are to be good stewards with the money we have. 
     It is true that there is a biblical principle of work - to all labor there is a reward.
     It is His money, not ours.

     God holds it all.  The bank is powerless absent His consent.  We sing about  ". . . the cattle on a thousand hills. . . but when the going gets rough, the sleepless nights are haunted with whirling speculations of how things can be paid and how money can come from anyhere.  What will happen if the bills are not paid?    How can I stall this off?   Then of course, begging God over and over for help.  And beg we must.

     Soldier of The Cross,  He has told us to give to Him first no matter what.  Yes there is a supernatural principle of return.  Those who tithe or give off the top experience this principle and are never without.

     In terms of knowing Him, giving off the top builds faith with regard to finances.  Those who give even when there is not enough left to cover things, are givers who experience the Elijah story of I Kings 17:16:

    "For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah."

     You are a Soldier of The Cross.  Your life is in His Hands.  So is your money.  So are your debts.  So are the needs of your children.

     Obey God's Word and see the dust settle.

     Tell Him. 
     Aloud.

     No soldier when in service gets entangled in the enterprises of [civilian] life; his aim is to satisfy {and} please the one who enlisted him.

     II Timothy 2:4 (Amplified Bible)

    Are you in Service?  Resisting distraction is something that must be exercised all the time.  Things are constantly hurled at us , and it isn't about ducking - it's about seeing the difference between what is eternal and what is a hologram from hell.

     We need each other.  There are no Rambos in His Service.  No one can move freely through the Pilgrim Journey without the support of others. Even those who have spent long seasons in solitary confinement will tell of the encouraging things the Lord did and those He sent.

     Remember Adino the Eznite who stood alone before 800  of the enemy and killed them all?  Is it possible that rows of angels simply stood and watched passively?

     The biggest distractions are the things that are either unfair or that seem impossible.

     If we could see the unseen, we would operate differently.  The fact is, we have been created to  live by faith.  

       Faith has to be exercised.
     Faith means there is always an unforeseen crevasse that is too wide to cross and there is no bridge.
    Faith means picking up and moving on because He Is and because He Said.
      Faith means  sometimes appearing to stand alone.

      We are never, ever alone

      Soldier, Look up.  Always Look up.
      And move on.

.

     Your daily Pace depends on your goal.

     What breaks your pace?  What interferes with your prayer life?  Or your declaration of Truth rather than circumstances?

     You are a Soldier of The Cross. That means that you have taken up the instrument of the death of the flesh and you have momentum.  You are following Him.

     Many are inspired by messages and books.    It is possible to experience the Holy Spirit without being really filled.  So many Christians have not come to Him and stated their determination to be a Living Sacrifice, and their marching flags are at half mast.

     What is said before Him in prayer is what the goal will be.  If the Believer is always asking for something to be fixed, the goal will always be the fixing of things.   If the prayer is always for change in someone else, the goal will be that change.

     If the goal is to be like Him and to be with Him,  that Soldier has stood before Him and  stated that desire.  That Soldier has a determined purpose and while the things of this world may graze the flesh, the Pace will not falter.

     When we get to heaven, we will discover that some of  His finest were hidden Soldiers who were confined to beds, prisons, or other out of sight trenches.

     Soldier, look up and move on!

     Supernatural love is a no-matter-what thing.

     It may not always feel like it, but we would all acknowledge that God loves us all the time and without condition.

     Many, however, are quick to say they cannot love unless the Lord gives them some special provision. 

     There are times when it seems impossible.   There is always unfairness, misunderstanding, insensitivity, and some people actually enjoy seeing others suffer.  We live in a fallen world.  When you are repulsed, you are repulsed.

     We don't live by feelings or according to what the other party has done.  We live according to the Word of God.

     Wisdom comes by prayer and there are no formulas.  For example, what do you do when the offender takes pleasure in untruth and uses every possible opportunity to make things worse?    Sometimes Love means you are given Grace for the current damage and pain and  the Grace to do or not do,  according to the prayerful insight He gives concerning the situation.  There is no point in running up to hug the coiled, venomous snake who will surely strike again.

     The issue is, you have no idea what is beyond your sight and experience.  Is the Lord free to use you?  To flow through you?

     Corrie ten Boom tells the story of running into a man after speaking in a meeting.  As he came closer, she recognized him as a a cruel Nazi who had been unbelievably brutal to her sister.  The bile rose in her throat.  Worse, there was a look of thrill on the man's face and she could see he wanted to embrace.  She was caught.

     Corrie had just been speaking about Love.  About Grace.  And she had pre-determined  (daily in prayer) to be heaven's representative.

     She could hardly bring herself to do it, but she made her arms raise and met his embrace.  In that moment, she was healed from the blistering resentment and flooded with Love.

     You have no idea what He will do.  His Love is sure and He will flow through you. 

     Feeling is never the issue. 
     The past is never the issue. 
     The Dirtbag is never the issue.

     Love is always the issue.

     Tell Him you are available.  Tell Him in prayer - aloud.
     Today.

     Many do not have Peace because they do not understand Grace.

     Grace is far more than unconditional forgiveness.  It is granted to us daily in the power of the Holy Spirit.  We are given the Provision for the thing that is immediately before us.

     You will not receive Grace for two days hence.  Only for today.  When tomorrow comes, you will be given grace for the situation as it arises.

     This applies to the smallest and the greatest situations.  It applies to:


     Aging and the aches and pains;
     Child rebellion and worse;
     Terminal illness, either yours or someone else's; 
     Money troubles;
     Marriage issues;
     Abuse;
     Lies about you;
     Alzheimers;
     Legal matters.

      This Grace needs to be received in prayer.  Do it aloud.
     Today.
      Keep on receiving Grace.  It is limitless.