Soldier of The Cross, your job is to be a responder.

     When you take up The Cross and follow Him you are turning from independence to submission.  It is an affirmative act that agrees with God.

     The Indwelling Holy Spirit rarely storms our thoughts or feelings.  Rather, He is calm, firm, and much of the time can be heard only when one is deliberately listening for Him.  Responding to Him is a practice and, over time,  His guidance, comfort and illumination become more and more clear.

     The mind is always bombarded.  We do not need to listen to it all.  We must learn to be responsive the Him. Only then will the psi go down on the onslaught of the pressure hose to the mind.

     It takes The Word of God.
     It takes The Word of God.
     It takes The Word of God.

     Make no mistake.  The Word is Alive and full of Power.  No Word = crippled response.

     Take it to Him in prayer.
     Aloud.
     Today.

     The thought life determines everything else.

     And, the thought life is determined by the presence or lack of freshness in God's Word.

     So many Christians are miserable and focus on the problem, repeating familiar verses over and over like mantras, hoping to exert some power over the circumstance.

     I was 22 years old and had just arrived in Rochester New York.  I remember taking a package to a basement mail room in McCurdy's department store, and handing it to a man who must have been close to 70 years old.  His hands were gnarled and badly twisted.  He could barely manage to do his job, but it was clear he was filled to the brim with joy.  I knew it was supernatural.  Today, it is as clear as it was then.

     Years later I had a close friend who was an atheist.  One day he told me he had quit his job of taking care of a quadriplegic man who was a Christian.   When I asked my friend why he quit, he said  "I can't stand it- the guy is so happy all the time!"

     About a year before I gave my life to the Lord, I answered a knock at my door to find one of the ugliest young men I have ever seen.  His face was badly pitted and his features looked misplaced.  I mean, it was really bad.  He asked me if he could come in and tell me about Jesus.  I said a firm "No!" and told him not to come back.  But I will never forget the unbridled joy and love that poured out of those gray-blue eyes.

     We all have times of sorrow and even grief.  No one is expected to be above it all a hundred percent of the time.  And there are those who have a need for medical help- Amy Carmichael said she thought God's gift to the 20th century was medical drugs!

     We have the gift of submission to a sovereign God.
     We have His Word that is alive and full of Power.
     We have the Body of Christ.
     We have the Hope of Eternity.
     We have the Indwelling Holy Spirit.
     We have the stunning privilege of prayer.     

     Ours must be an active journey.  We must take hold of the Hand extended to us.  We must be filled afresh with the Word that is "Alive and full of Power".  What an amazing statement!   Is it really true?

     Soldier of The Cross, be encouraged today.  
     Claim what is yours. Act.
     Do it aloud and before Him.
     Then, look up and move on!

     Your thoughts do not all originate with you.

     You can be influenced by everything and everyone, including  the enemy.  Nonetheless,  we are instructed to be aware of every thought and to exercise discipline in this area.

     Not some thoughts- all thoughts!
                        
                  "We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up  against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ . . ."             

                                       II Corinthians 10:5 (Amplified Bible)

     Most are unaware of their thoughts and dive into the emotions of the movie screen that is in the mind.  This is a matter for much prayer, as it determines how life is lived.

     The Soldier of The Cross must learn this.  And we never arrive.   It is an ongoing, daily discipline.  What a blessing that we are not alone in this.  We have the  Indwelling Holy Spirit to bring to mind the Light of The Word.

     Nothing of value comes without prayer.

     Tell Him today, and make this part of your daily prayer life.
     Tell Him aloud.

     Then, look up and move on!

     No soldier in active service gets entangled in the [ordinary business] affairs of civilian life; [he avoids them] so that he may please the one who enlisted him to serve.
                                                                                       II Timothy 2:4 (Amplified Bible)

     How is this possible? 
     Must we ignore the things that scream for our intervention?
     What about the personal affairs of those closest to us.  Shouldn't we get involved and do what we can?

     There is no formula.  The answer comes from prayer for wisdom and for sight.  We are so tempted to rush in with experience and knowledge, especially when feelings surge.  Soldier, one bottom line rule has to be the refusal to be injected by someone else's anger against another or against an idea.  To submit to such is to be immediately allowing the soul to be infected, and that means, no sight.

     How easy it is to sit and listen to someone who is upset about someone else, and then take a position after hearing only one side.  The balance is not found in listening to both sides, rather the answer is often found in not listening to the angry report of the first person.

     It is easier to listen and be influenced than it is to refuse to be a sounding board for what may be an emotionally coated conscription.

     It doesn't mean we never listen or get involved.  It does mean we must be prayerful about the matter.

     If the Lord is leading, it becomes clear that a certain thing must be said or done regardless of the outcome.

     Beware of second hand anger.  It leaves the listener with a prejudice concerning the situation and opens the door for distraction, at best.

     Take it to the Lord.  Aloud.
     Then move on and  wait for Him.

     How wonderful that we can be confident in His being the same yesterday, today and forever.

     Period.

     Yet, everything He does is different than He has ever done before.  When He answers prayer, it is always different than expected, and with dimensions that could not have been imagined.

     Many refuse to pray for the impossible, not realizing that all He does is the impossible.  Those who know Him well, recognize Him quickly, but most have other explanations. 

     Two may be praying for the same thing to be done for each of them.  They may use the same words, and both may seem to want the same result.  He never duplicates Himself. 

    Faith is a frontier.  The prayer of faith is one that launches a trustful request to the One who knows so much better how to articulate the need.   Resist the urge to describe to Him how the prayer should be answered.  In so doing, some pray amiss and miss a greater blessing.

     Soldier of The Cross, it is about His design and His method.  We are not responsible to craft the answer.  We are to make our requests known, and then we are to look for Him.   

     There has to be a momentum to each day- it is the taking up of The Cross and the following of the One Who knows where to go and how to get there..

     Tell Him today.  Aloud

     Are you willing to go through whatever He brings, in order to be able to receive the blessings you are praying for?

     You want to be like Him, and are praying to be transformed.
     You desperately want to learn patience.
     You know you must learn to be wiser with your tongue and want to be more careful to avoid listening to gossip.  That means there will be people who will not like you.
     You are praying for wisdom with money.  Giving when you don't have enough is costly to the flesh.

     We could go on and on.

     The bottom line is, there is a cost to all worthwhile gain.  The battle is in the mind.  Jesus becomes more real to us, as the Holy Spirit turns our gaze upon Him.

     The Glory of the Lord distracts from the discomfort as He leads us on.

     Soldier of The Cross, there is simply nothing else.

     Present this to Him today.  Aloud.  
    Then look up and move on!
     

     "I just couldn't help myself- I had to say something and it just came out of my mouth!"

     Control of the tongue is a raging problem in the Believing community.  Unlike modern psychology which promotes expression of just about everything,  God's Word contains verse after verse about setting a guard on the mouth.

     For most, it begins in childhood, and parents are remarkably slack about dealing what comes out of their children's mouths.   And of course, so many children hear parents constantly and are accustomed to hearing complaining, bickering, gossip and worse at home.

     Soldier of The Cross, words are critical to the Christian life.  After all, He is The Word. 
                       
                         "He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God."
                                                                          ( Revelation 19:13, Amplified Bible)

     It is not an easy habit to change, but as soon as you begin to study the verses and pray about it, you begin to hear yourself.   This is a change that brings healing to the obedient Soldier, and freedom to those around him or her.

     It is critical.  We can be led in all areas, including all speech.

     Bring it to him today.  Aloud. 
     

     No matter what you want, there is no sight or hearing apart from the fresh taking in of the Word of God.

     In addition, there can be no fuel for prayer without the taking in of His Word.

     This is about the basics.  Like all else in this world, the basics determine what is supported by  structure.  This means that absent the most basic of spiritual disciplines,  all else is fragile.

     Soldier of The Cross, do not compromise in this area.  Having a problem with private prayer?  We have all been there.  Get into the Word.  Read it aloud.  Then ask the Lord to reveal Himself and go to prayer.  You will be amazed.

     We all need to be changed.  It cannot happen without a supernatural work of the Indwelling Holy Spirit, and He never barges in uninvited.

    You need insight having to do with your children?   Do not look to the world system.  Look to the Word of God.

      
     Oh, Soldier of The Cross!  Let Him know you want to be changed.  Then, prepare for the divine and glorious test.


     What do you want?

     There is nothing else worth having, and certainly nothing else worth fighting for.

     Tell Him right now and do it aloud.

     Then, move on and do not look down! 

     Soldier of The Cross,  it is always tempting to evaluate the situation based on what you see and hear.  

     That is the reason we are so often reminded that faith takes us beyond the known and familiar.    Without the willingness to turn away from what seems to be reality, there can be no availability to faith's sight and solution.

     Today is no exception.

     We must be led by the Indwelling Holy Spirit of God.  

     There is no other way to live.

     Tell Him today- aloud.

     It never gets easy.

     Because of the profound value of time spent alone with the Lord, the flesh always resists, and so often the enemy throws up interference and distraction.

     Although a spiritual exercise, it is really first a physical effort.  The getting alone, opening that Book, and then letting the Holy Spirit lead in prayer.  If the prayer is not aloud, it almost always turns into wool-gathering. 

     It must become a habit.  Inasmuch as this time is so attacked, making this a habit results in a protective fence around the devotional life.

     A curious development has taken place in the modern Church:  with the advent of music and scripture posted on a screen in front of the assembly,  there is no need to open a Bible.  No need to bring a Bible.  So, compared to previous generations, many lack even the most basic familiarity of The Word because they simply never physically open it.

     Without this time with the Lord, there is no power for the Battle;
     Without this time with the Lord, there is no Light to see what is real;
     Without this time with the Lord, there is little if any wielding of The Sword;
     Without this time with the Lord, there is always self-doubt instead of momentum;
     Without this time with the Lord, the perishable seems more real than the eternal.

     Soldier of The Cross, we are on the move.  There must be fuel for the journey.

     Meet with Him today- and talk to Him aloud.  Always, we must be praying about our relationship with Him. I heard one of today's most highly respected apologists talk publicly about the effort it takes him to be consistent in this area.

     It never gets easy.

     Now, look up and move on!