We were created to enjoy the Lord and His handiwork at any given moment.    If you have made the decision to follow the Lord regardless of anything else, you are a Soldier of The Cross.  That means that He can have His way with anything and everything in your life.    So then Soldier, if you believe God's Word, He is in control and you can rest in that truth.  You are then free to live in the moment, because you do not need to entertain fear or regret.  You do not need to manipulate circumstances or individuals.    Your life is founded on the Rock of Ages, and you are free to attend to the needs of those directly in front of you.    The Soldier of The Cross must not ride the wave of tension and release - crisis and resolution.    Soldier, as you get older, make sure you are speaking about that very matter with Him.   Make sure you are telling him that you agree with Him.  Make sure you are not settling into patterns of self-protection and leaden earthly security.    There is no one else.  There is nothing else.    Look up and move on!

   Why is it so beautiful that the widow gave her last mite?    Because by faith, she did not hold anything back, even when by sight, there was nothing left.    What a rare thing.  Yet, we all know it is what God requires.     He has not asked us to live without resources.  Nor has He asked us to exalt lean living.  He has asked us to trust and to be willing to learn to lean on Him rather than on physical provision.  That is why Paul says he has learned to be content with much or with little.    Soldier of The Cross, now is the time for the death of the flesh.  You can't do this yourself.  It is not a goal to be achieved.  It is the result of taking up the Cross and following after Jesus.    Go where He is.    Sing a new song unto the Lord.    Live by prayer and memorize the Bible.    In prayer, make sure you are always available for anything He wants.    Invite Him to open and heal and cleanse your deepest wells.    Lay down the burden of survival and follow Jesus.

   How interesting it is that the longer we pray about something, the more we enjoy the assurance that He will answer.    Those who want to know Him intimately are willing to do it His way.  They are willing to wait for His time.  And oddly, the longer the wait, the sweeter it is to rely on Him.    The theme of the entire Word of God is, Because He is.    It is only hard for the flesh.     It is the heart of God to teach us to watch for and wait for Him.

   How should you deal with the difficult person?    No one has ever come up with a formula. Of course, we all know that before we were saved, Grace rescued us when we were more than difficult.    As you are a Soldier of The Cross, you have agreed with God.  You have determined to take up the Cross Daily as He has asked.  You have agreed to follow Him.  You have agreed that He alone is the the Truth and the Life.    What a release.  This means that you do not have to have the right answer.  You have within you the Indwelling Holy Spirit.  You have been promised the Answer will be given at the time of need and not before.    So, go.  Be there if you are thusly led. Say nothing until it is given to you.     He is able, even when we have no idea what to say.    He is able even when we cannot see.    He is able even when facts are hidden.    He is able when there is irrational hostility.    He is able when you are outnumbered.    Soldier of The Cross, move on.  There is nothing else.

   There are only two kinds of people on the planet: those who have decided to follow Him and those who have not made that decision.    Soldier,  many know He is real and many make a token effort to acknowledge Him.  Far fewer have made the decision to leave all behind and follow Him.    What is your decision?  You are attracted to Him and you are attracted to those who love Him.  Have you made the Decision?  Are you willing?  Or is there something you can not leave behind?     Your identity?    Your family?    Your reputation?    Your money?    Your control over the future?    Your right to a great house?    Soldier, invest in the things that are eternal.

   Why are you a Soldier of The Cross?    Because He touched you.    You know it is true because you can not go back.  You responded and you told Him that you wanted Him to be your Lord and Savior.  You tasted the Presence of the Indwelling Holy Spirit.  You were born into a dimension you had never experienced.   So then, how is it possible that you are considering complaining and wondering like those who have not known His touch?  Is it possible you have been more deeply touched by another?  Of course not.    So then Soldier, hold the course.  You must live a no-matter-what life if you are a disciple.    There is nothing to loose, and you have the freedom to promise others that no one who waits for Him has ever been disappointed!

   You are not responsible for anyone's conversion.    You are responsible to take up your part of The Great commission, to preach in season and out of season, to have an answer for the Hope that is within you, to live before all, to soften the soil by prayer and to lead to the Lord those who are willing to meet Him.    You have no idea who will and who won't respond to the Lord. The least likely person might have been wanting Him for years, perhaps without even knowing it.    He is able to reveal Himself.    He is able to make Himself heard.    He is able to soften the most hardened heart.    He is able to forgive anything.    And, He will.

   Why must you  be a Soldier of The Cross?    Because anything less constitutes a compromise that results in eternal regret.    What is the purpose of your life?  Is it His purpose or yours?  It is too easy to gloss over human weakness.   Soldier avoid myopia.  Embrace The Word.  In prayer and by faith, declare your decision to abide by His Word.    After all, there is nothing else

   The Cross separates the Christian mice from the Christian men.    The Cross is the Place of Faith.    The Cross is the Place of Love.    The Cross is the Place of Sacrifice.    The Cross is the Place of Healing.    The Cross is the Place of Vision.    Without the taking up of The Cross, service becomes a job and is absent of ministry.    Without the taking up of The Cross, feelings become more real than Truth.    Without the taking up of The Cross, all the cravings of the flesh run rampant unless there is a temporal reward for abstinence.    Without the taking up of The Cross, there is no discipleship.      Without discipleship, there is no Presence of the Lord.    Soldier of The Cross, life is short.  Spend it in obedience and in pursuit of The One who is preparing a Place for you.  As the minutes pass, they can not be recaptured.  The look on your face can not be recaptured.  Neither can the indulgence in fantasy.  Your words cannot be recaptured or taken back.    But, all can be forgiven and there is always newness.    The Soldier who comes before Him daily in honesty and with clean and empty hands  will be eager to be changed.  The Cross is the Place of change - the death of the flesh.    You must take this to the Lord and speak to him about it.    You must delight in this change.  You must be willing to stand the test.  You must be willing to reveal Love.  You must yearn to be prepared for Heaven.    So, take up The Cross daily and follow Him.    Do it in prayer.    Do it aloud.

   Soldier of The Cross - be assured that the Lord will shed enough Light for the next step.    Most of us want to know what is coming far beyond the next step.  In fact, the flesh craves control to the extent that there is a craving for infinite predictability.    As much as is good for us to know, we have been told what eternity holds for us.  We can sing about it, pray about it and it is wonderful to look forward to it.    In the meantime, most around us are miserable and wandering.    Soldier, your own feelings are not your imagination.  They are real.  But, God's Word is more real than the way that you feel.  You must buck up.  You must attend to the one before you.  You must attend to the lost.        The less money you have, the more you must give.    The less time you have, the more you must volunteer.    The harder the hit you are taking, the  more you must minister encouragement to another.    You have determined what your life is about.    Get out there and live it in supernatural Power!