The Race:

     It's simple- it is about the Pursuit of God.

     It is not about knowledge.
     It is not about keeping the rules.
     It is not about the best reputation- many martyrs have been tortured or killed for crimes they never committed.
     It is not about doing as much as possible for everyone.

     It is about taking up the Cross daily and following hard after Him.  That is the only way to be a disciple.  (Luke 9:23)

     The Cross is the place of the death of the flesh, and the place of identifying with His sufferings.

     Apart from this vigorous pursuit, there is no Rest. (Hebrews 4:9)
     Apart from this pursuit, there is no Peace.
     Apart from this pursuit, there is no rich fellowship with others or with Him.
     Apart from this pursuit, there is no confidence in His Word.
     Apart from this pursuit, there is no vision.  No wisdom.  No Light.  No Life.

     Soldier of The Cross, all we do involves one foot at a time.  Most seldom feel like praying, because it is a physical process as well as spiritual.  It has to be done.  Without prayer, there is no sight at all- life is a braille experience.

     Go to Him now and do it aloud.  Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you, and tell Him you will pay any price to be a disciple.  
     After all, He paid the Price for you.

    

More Than You Know:

     The impact you have on others is far more than you can imagine.

     There is so much we do not know about those around us.  We tend to interpret everything from facial expressions to the reason for silence. 

     Do not fill-in-the-blanks.  What you don't know, you don't know.

     There is no divine edict that compels us to understand it all or to know all the reasons why people do what they do and say what they do.  That is up to Him.

     As a Soldier of The Cross, your job is to take up The Cross daily and walk in The Light.  You are to love. 

     There is not one verse that indicates you need to feel successful.  It is about following Him.  Revealing Him.  Ministering Grace.

     The Glory Train runs on prayer fueled by The Word of God.  We are on a journey.

     We are going home, and all need to see that in our lives.

     Those who have the least luggage enjoy the Journey the most!

     Take it to Him.  Aloud. 

    

 

Your Thoughts:

     Soldier of The Cross, Your body will go where your thoughts are.

     Consider this seriously.   Are you in fact, attracted to being a Living Sacrifice?

     You must understand that the battle is in the mind, and that you can learn to be in control.   You have been born into the Kingdom if Light.  You are now free.  That means that you must be aware of your thoughts and that you must bring them into submission. (II Corinthians 10:5)

     Time is short.  Use it well.
     Take the matter to Him, and ask Him to lead you in this matter.
      Be sure to do it aloud.
    

    

 

    

Paranoia vs. Vigilence:

     The Bible teaches a healthy awareness of the enemy and his tactics.  So much of the time, Christians get caught in emotional spins because they fail to realize they are being attacked.

    Attacks come in many forms, and some are even financial and physical.  Most have to do with lies and emotional tornadoes or smaller dust devils.

    Walking in The Word is a great protection.  The issue is, when we are seeking the Lord and concentrating on him, we easily recognize the enemy.

     Remember, we have The Indwelling Holy Spirit.

    There are folks who blame everything on the enemy. and this is often done without prayer.  More times than not, it is an excuse.  Those folks are usually not in the habit of daily meeting with the Lord.

     Yes, we have an enemy whose delight it is to cause suffering, distraction and create lies.  He loves to divide, and we know he is like a hungry lion, seeking whom he may devour.

     Focus on Jesus.  We are born into the Kingdom of Light and we need to walk in The Light.  When we see Jesus, we get it.
 
    Soldier, we must be confessing sin, interceding for others according to The Word,  privately worshiping Him, and always seeking to be changed.

     We are in a fallen world, and until Glory, we must recognize and resist the enemy.

     He takes care of you.  Really.  Really

     Go to Him and ask Hm for Wisdom, and ask to be reminded to pray about it all. 
     Do it aloud.
 

Peace:

     He is The Prince of Peace.

     So, why are so many Christians in turmoil most of the time?  It seems that Believers are often more conflicted than others.

     Soldier of The Cross, we have the Indwelling Holy Spirit who leads, comforts, is the source of Power for the  Believer,  and He gives Wisdom.  He does and provides even more. 

     The problem we all have is that so often we simply operate on our own and are not willing to step out on the Promises.

      When Peter walked on the water, the Bible says he was able to do it.

              "But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, "
                                      Matthew 14:30

     And of course, when Peter cried out to Jesus, a hand was immediately extended to him.

     We have something Peter didn't have at that time - the Indwelling Holy Spirit to guide and to comfort. 

     So much is available.  And He really does want us to taste the supernatural Peace available to us.

     Soldier, you must rip your attention away from the winds and the waves.  Bask in The Word.  

     Take this privilege for yourself in prayer and cling to it.  Ask to be sensitive the the leading of The Spirit.

     Do it aloud.   Take the Hand extended to you.

Misunderstanding:

     There isn't much worse than a genuine misunderstanding that can't resolve.

     Most people live in it day and night and let it become a leprous tattoo on the soul.  You can't afford that. 

     If you are determined to serve the Lord and be a disciple, it means you have agreed with Him to take up The Cross daily and follow Him.  It means that you are attracted to being a Living Sacrifice
(Romans 12).

     It doesn't mean you are perfect.  It does mean you trust Him to deal with the things that you can't fix.

     Misunderstanding and false accusation are part of the gig because the enemy is so fond of these tactics.

     We deal with these matters in prayer and then there has to be a moving on.  There is work to be done, and if you let it, distraction will stop the flow.

     When you pray about it, be specific and ask that it not be a distraction.  You need to ask for immunity from distraction.  You feel helpless, but in fact, you are a Soldier of The Cross.

      The battle is in the mind.

     Take it to him and do it aloud.
     Then look up and move on!

 

    

Not In This Life:

     Have you ever noticed there is always something going wrong?

     The world promotes the illusion that if everyone just tried harder, there would be a lasting peace.

     There is no peace on this earth outside of learning to lean on the Everlasting Arms.  As soon as all matters are resolved, something else bubbles up creating anxiety and demanding energy and attention.

     Soldier of The Cross, when He said He would make our crooked paths straight and our mountains and valleys level, He did  not mean things in this life would be hunky-dory.

     Walking on the water means gazing into the eyes of the King of Glory and moving out on the swelling waves.

     Where is Peace?

     Peace is a Person.  The Prince of Peace. 
          "For in him we live, and move, and have our being;  . . ."   Acts 17:28a

    There is the experience of a level life.  It is a life lived in the Kingdom of Light. 

    We are pilgrims and sojourners.  Bumpy events are going to be with us until we are on the Other Side.  In the meantime,  there is sweet Peace to be experienced.  We have the Indwelling Holy Spirit to lead us one step at a time.  

     Hallelujah.

     Take it all to Him all the time.  Do it aloud.

Move The Focus:

     Soldier of The Cross, this is not about you.

     Take it to Him in the reality of the situation. It is not about what is being said and and is not about what is being manipulated.

     Kneel in prayer and let Him have it.
     Do it aloud.  Now.  Let it go, aloud.

 

 

 

 

Decision:

     Soldier, if you don't know what to do, do nothing.

     He has promised to lead and if there is  no direction, stand still.

     He will lead and He will not be late.

      Tell Him you trust Him and tell him aloud.

Risk or No Risk:

     Faith is not a risk, but it certainly feels like it to the flesh.

     Faith means taking Him at His Word, and moving when He says to move, no matter how things look.
     Faith means agreeing with God that He can and will do the impossible.
     Faith means giving up concepts of what will work and what won't.

     Oh, Soldier.  Please. please make yourself available to all that He can do.  It doesn't take some kind of super-duper feeling of empowerment.  It just takes agreement with God and submission in prayer.  We are so often limited by our concepts of what can be and how it can come about.

     We are being led by Him.  He goes before, and you must not forget this.

     Tell Him and tell Him aloud.
     Then look up and move on.