Real Trust:

     There is a difference between hoping God comes through and knowing He will do far more than can be imagined if He is allowed.

     The Believer has two choices: trust God,  or worry and be worn out by trying to fix it     

     Even though most of us can quote a number of verses about rolling our burdens on Him and. being anxious for nothing, the mind and the mouth betray the lack of confidence in God's care and intervention.

     Soldier, this is a big issue for you because you became a Soldier of The Cross when you told Him you would let Him do anything He wanted to with your life.   And, the Christian walk is one of always moving on into the frontier of trust.

     It is either true or it is a lie.

     How do you know God is real?

     Review what He has done. 
     Review answered prayer. 
     Review how you have changed since the time you yielded to His touch.

     There are times when we find ourselves in the most unfair situations and it seems like things will never be equalized.  He is a God of justice and He will come through, though most likely not in the way you want or the time you think it has to be.

     Soldier, there is nothing else.  If God can be trusted, let us learn to trust Him.  This means we never stop learning.

     Restate your availability to Him.  
     Aloud.  Then look up and move on!

Talking:

     Soldier of The Cross, Believers ought to know how to talk.

     If His name is The Word, and if all of existence was spoken into being:

        "The Son is the radiance and only expression of the glory of our awesome God reflecting God’s Shekinah glory, the Light-being, the brilliant light of the divine], and the exact representation and perfect imprint of His Father’s essence,  upholding and maintaining and propelling all things the entire physical and spiritual universe by His powerful Word carrying the universe along to its predetermined goal. When He Himself and no other had by offering Himself on the cross as a sacrifice for sin accomplished purification from sins and established our freedom from guilt, He sat down revealing His completed work at the right hand of the Majesty on high revealing His Divine authority, 
                               Hebrews 1:3  (Amplified Bible)

     No more talking about what you hate.
     No more endless would-licking aloud.
     No more over and over telling about how you were abused.
     No more negativity.

     We all need to confide in someone at some point.  Make sure you are reporting and not attempting to influence the listener to hold your point of view against an offender.

     The bottom line is the power of His Word in your life and that manifestation through your words.  This is not about perfection; it is about response to the Indwelling Holy Spirit.

     Soldier, do not second guess yourself.  You are equipped by the Word of God.

     Take this to Him aloud.
     Today.

Prayer Aloud:

     If at all possible, most prayer ought to be aloud. 

     It is not always possible or practical. But much of the time if prayer is not aloud, it disintegrates into wool-gathering or sleep.

     "I cry aloud with my voice to the Lord; I make supplication with my voice to the Lord."
                      Psalm 142:1  (Amplified Bible)

     One ought to be praying during the day and night, and it isn't always going to be out loud.  But there should be an appointed time each day when there is deliberate prayer that flows out of words chosen by the supplicant.

     The Lord often speaks through the prayerful words of the Soldier of The Cross.  It changes everything.

     Start with acknowledging who He is and tell Him what you love and appreciate about Him.  The Indwelling Holy Spirit will take it from there.

     Do it today

Cutting Through:

     Often it is the little annoyances of life that get to us.

     If that is justified or never dealt with, big blows are crippling.

     Stability is an obvious feature of the Soldier of The Cross.  It is the result of making choices that go against feeling but are good behavior and wise words.

     Stability does not mean never having extreme feelings.  It doesn't mean always avoiding mistakes.  It means being rooted in the Word of God which fuels prayer with resulting godly behavior. 

     It means forcing one’s self to move straight ahead doing the next thing according to the light and wisdom available.  That might mean a kind word when you can barely speak, or it might mean not speaking when you feel like eating someone's face off.

     We are sojourners and pilgrims.  We keep moving.  We can't avoid problems, but we move through them with the vast help available to us.

     You are being watched, not only by those around you, but by unseen powers of both darkness and Light.

     Fuel up and moved on.

     Take it to Him and do it aloud.  In so doing, you will choose your words carefully. He speaks to the petitioning heart by leading the choice of words.

 

God's Word is More Real Than The Way That You Feel:

     The behavior of most people is dictated by feelings or the lack thereof.

     This should not be the case for the Soldier of The Cross.  Feelings come from numerous sources, and often from the enemy.  Personal history accounts for much of human reaction and emotion.

     Soldier, this is not to imply all your feelings are false.  Actually, all your feelings are real. The issue is, how do they line up with God's Word?

     You feel what you feel.  If you learn to deal with this matter with the Word of God and in prayer and if you choose what He says, over time, you will not be driven by emotion.

     There will never be a time when you are not slammed by intense feeling.  It does lessen, and because of your determination to be changed into His Likeness, obedience allows you to recognize what is happening and you are then free to choose the right behavior even when you are feeling the wrong thing.

     What is it you want?   Do you want Him?  Do you want to be like Him?  It means tough choices.   When you choose what is eternal, the temporal shrinks to allow the light to dawn.  God's Word will come to mind.  The Indwelling Holy Spirit will present to you the option of obedience.  

     Then, freedom.  Healing.

     What else is there?

     Soldier, take this to Him in prayer.
     Aloud.

Back to Basics:

     Why, oh why is it that so many Believers neglect spending time with God?

     And how can it be that most would agree The Word of God is alive and full of power (Hebrews 4:12) yet, so few have developed that habit of taking it in daily?

     Because it is alive and full of power, there must be a taking in of the Word and it must be in such a way that the mind will consider it during that day.  Reading a large amount is great, but probably not for devotional purposes.

     I am a vigorous advocate of memorization because the Indwelling Holy Spirit will burp it up all day.  

     Everyone ought to learn a number of the key verses to quote at any time, but in devotional reading, you don't need to wait for some verse that grabs you and makes your hair stand up on end.   Just select the next verse or one of the next few verses and write it down several times.  Say it over and over.  Even if you remember only a part of it, your life will be different and you will hear it in your mind all day.

     God's Word protects us from getting entangled in everyday life.  Living is one thing, but being entangled is entirely different and so unpleasant.

     True discipleship is not possible without meditating on His Word.  Meditation is not possible without taking it in afresh.

     Are His Promises true?  

     Learn them.

     Develop the habit of saying the scripture back to Him while in prayer.
     Aloud.

 

     

Behind The Scene:

     We must always remember that God supports His own work.

     Hudson Taylor said "God's work done is God's way will have God's supply."   That was behind his policy of never asking for money for his missionary endeavors.  George Mueller operated the same way.

     God has assigned some of the weakest people to do the biggest things and He has won battles in ways we would never think possible.  
 
     What about Jericho?  Marching around silently and then playing a trumpet?  What?
     What about Gideon's defeat of the Midianites?
         "When three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow, and they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”
                             Judges 7:20   (Amplified Bible)
     And the enemy army clobbered each other and ran away!

     The list is endless.  God never does the same thing twice.  He is infinitely creative and watches carefully over the thing He has appointed.  

     We put one foot in front of the other in love and obedience, knowing He is clearing the way for the next step.

     God anoints His own for what is to be done and supports His own in the doing of it.

     Soldier of The Cross, the big issue is pursuing Him and desperately wanting to know and recognize Him more fully.

     He never hides.
     His attention to you is way, way more than you can imagine.

     Bring this to Him and do it aloud if at all possible.

     

Real Love:

     The test of the heart before the Lord is how you treat people.

     There is nothing in God's word that allows us to give back what is deserved.  In fact, we are told there is a blessing in loving our enemies.  What does that really mean?

          "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor (fellow man) and hate your enemy. 44 But I say to you, love that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may show yourselves to be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on those who are evil and on those who are good, and makes the rain fall on the righteous, those who are morally upright and the unrighteous,  the unrepentant, those who oppose Him. 46 For if you love only those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, wishing them God’s blessing and peace, what more than others are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles who do not know the Lord do that? 48 You, therefore, will be perfect, growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
                  Matthew 5:43-48

     This does not imply there needs to be any kind of warm feeling.  It is about behavior.  

     It is about affirmative action to help when needed and to pray for blessing on those who have abused us.

     Blessing is not a shower of stuff.  Real blessing means the revelation of who God is and what that means.  So praying for our enemies means putting aside the negative value of what they have done to us and moving forward in obedience.

     There are people who are so toxic, we must avoid them.  But we cannot avoid praying for them.

     Are you a real Soldier of The Cross?  When you told Him you wanted Him, did you mean it?

     This is a time for all out obedience.  You can take this to Him and ask Him for wisdom and empowerment.

     Do it aloud and do it now!

 

Creating With Words:

     "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words."
                                               Proverbs 18:21   (Amplified Bible)

     Yikes!

     And, God's Word also tells us that everything was spoken into being.  Hebrews 1:3 says that He whose name is The Word, keeps everything in existence by the Power of His Word.

     Soldier of The Cross, this is a threshold that requires an affirmative decision.  Will you cross this line?  Will you take your ability to speak before Him and ask that you be transformed in this area?

     If God's Word is to be taken as absolute Truth, this matter is one of stunning power to heal or to wound.  In dealing with decades of missionary problems, I have found that in the homes of many Christian servants, the tongue is aloud casual abandon because it is the home.  How are you at home?  When there is something annoying do you express things that are not productive? 

     When you are angry does that tongue let loose and allow a flood of cursing and anger?

     How can this change?  Perhaps you have had a lifetime of volcanic verbal expression.

     Being furious does not excuse the unleashing of things that ought not to be said.  The discipline in this area is for you.  It is for your good.  It is so you can be used of God in every situation.  You are the only Jesus many of the people around you are seeing.  

     Including some of your families.

     So, what are they seeing?  Or hearing?

     Oh Soldier, when you told Him He could have your life, you meant it.  So take this matter to Him, and trust the Indwelling Holy Spirit to lead you through the Word of God and to remind you when things get rough.

     It's not about being right or religious, but it is about clearing out things that quench the Spirit.  The process is supernatural.

     Look up the verses about the mouth and the tongue.  Write one down each week 10 times and memorize it.  Then next week, do another.

     Make sure you take this to Him today. 
     Aloud.

     

     

                                 

Something Out of Nothing:

     “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah;
      From you One shall come forth for Me [who is] to be Ruler in Israel,  His goings forth (appearances) are from        long ago,  From [a]ancient days.”
                                     Micah 5:2   (Amplified Bible)

     This text is critical in God’s Word in that it indicates that the Messiah would be born in one of the most unlikely towns in the country- Bethlehem.

     Have you decided to be a disciple and take up The Cross and Follow Him?  Have you told Him and did you mean it?

     Now you are a Soldier of The Cross.  Consider this:  God has never chose the most qualified or the most talented or the most highly achieved.  He has always chosen those who would hear Him and obey Him.  

     One person can make a stunning difference in the lives of unnumbered people.
  
     Think of Paul who had persecuted Christians;
     Think of Peter who had a mouth that would not stop;
     Think of David who, though anointed King, caved in to a weakness of the flesh;
     Think of Elijah who tried to succumb to depression after great victory.

     The lineage of Jesus does not reveal God’s need for perfection but rather assures us that He makes whatever He wants out of whomever is available.

     Soldier of The Cross, might that be you?