One of the most successful crevasses the enemy uses to invade is, what do others think of you?

     For many, the issue is credentials. For others it is appearance. Perhaps it is behavior. Usually is, do they agree or disagree?

     For the Soldier of The Cross, this cannot be an issue.

     Yes, you are not to be a stumbling block.  And you are  to point others to the Lord. 

     I am speaking only of the insecurity that comes when others disapprove, or when there is a fear of disapproval. 

     For those in "Full time Christian Service"  there is always the concern about financial support.   Maturity often forces that hand, but it is an issue for all Soldiers.

     What are you depending on?
     To whom must you prove yourself?
     If that one or those several do not agree with you, what is the cost?

     Soldier, you have been given as assignment fro God.  The One who holds the stars in place has issued a directive, and there is nothing that can touch that. In Glory, you do not account to any one else.

     Take it to Him and do it aloud.
     Today.

     You are a Soldier of The Cross.  You have crossed the line and you have told Him you want Him to have your life and do anything He wills.

     This means the enemy is always lurking around you and hates you.  The world is always there. The flesh always wants to cling to security.  This is not going to change.

     The encouraging thing is, you are being trained to see heaven.  To invest in eternity.  To resist the gravity of this world.

     Soldier, if you are not taking in His Word afresh, you are limping through this life.  Get with the program.

     Tell Him aloud you will agree with Him and will feed on Him.
     Tell Him today.
 

     Power is in learning to lean on the Everlasting Arms.

     Today's congregations are peppered with teaching about success and being empowered to "achieve".

     Soldier of The Cross, the flesh is driven to be in control.

     Who was in control when Paul was imprisoned, beaten, and deserted by Christians?
     Who was in control when Isaiah was sawed in half?
     Who was in control when Peter was crucified upside down?

     What about John on the isle of Patmos?

     Success is measured by Heaven's standards and reaps eternal results.  Human success is worth nothing in itself.  The only godly empowerment is that which is supplied by the Indwelling Holy Spirit.  He enables the Soldier to obey.

     Real power has to do with the choices made in private obedience.    

     The health and wealth preachers on TV may be interesting and entertaining, but they do not reflect what is set forth in the Word of God.

     Tell the Lord you give up all interest in what others think of you.  It's a life-long series of obedient choices.

     Tell Him aloud. Today.
     Keep moving.
 

     Soldier of The Cross, there is little more dangerous than thinking blessing is defined by being healthy,  having money in the bank, and having everyone like you.

      Yes, it's wonderful to know we can ask, and He will supply our needs. Yes, we should  ask for healing unless the Holy Spirit restrains us.   As much as possible, we should be at "peace with all men."

     It is equally important to receive hardship and heartache as blessing.  It is a matter of believing God's Word and agreeing with Him.   It's foolish to look for trouble, and it is not noble to take on unnecessary pain.

     Our children need to see us thanking the Lord for times when we are misunderstood or when there is loss.  We must learn to agree with God.

     How rich is the experience of being able to thank the Lord for difficult situations.  After all, He has allowed it.  Yes, He can lead us out, but it has never been His intent for us to avoid the things that chisel us.

     We are being watched by both the seen and the unseen.

     It bothers me so when in periods of financial comfort and health, Christians tend to say they are "so blessed".    

     We are blessed because we are born into The Kingdom of His Dear Son.
     We are blessed when we recognize Him.
     We are blessed to have One to whom we can come to ask for provision.
     We are blessed because we have the Bible, which is "alive and full of power."
     We are blessed because we know He is preparing a Place for us.
     We are blessed because we have each other and can lay down our lives for each other.
     We are blessed because we have prayer.
     We are blessed because we have the Indwelling seven-fold person of The Holy Spirit.

     We must teach our children to seek real blessing. 

     Blessing is learning to be content with both much and with little.

     Commit it to Him, and do it with and in front of your children.  Aloud.

     Today.    

     How easy it is to lose sight of the most important thing - knowing Him.  This is especially true of those who consider themselves to be in ministry.

     When you are with a Brother or Sister who is pursuing Him rather than pursuing Christianity or ministry, there are always the fireworks of fellowship.  That is because He is present.

     Taking up The Cross and following after Him is an affirmative, all-consuming sphere of living that is not possible without yielded and explicit prayer. 

     The Cross is the place of the death of the flesh, and I can't clobber my own flesh.  It is a supernatural work that takes place as I agree with God.  I don't have to understand it all first.   I must obey, and then I will walk in The Light and understand a few things.

     Soldier, the busier you are, the more you must pray.  The less you have, the more you must give.  And the deeper the hurt, the more you must seek out someone to love and to serve.  Remember, we love the unlovely.  I can certainly tell you I was actively and consciously rejecting Him when He touched me and drew me to Himself.

     There is nothing else worth anything.  Taking up The Cross gives wisdom for family matters, puts relationships in perspective and invites God to make the deepest changes in the heart.

     Go to Him with this now and do it aloud.
     Then, look up and move on!

     It is not possible to fix everything. 

     There is much to do and many are in both physical and spiritual need.

     The enemy is in the business of distraction, and most of us are much too easily distracted.  Of course we must deal with circumstances, but far too often the mind spins and gets sucked into the quicksand of the matter that cannot be immediately fixed.

     It is important to take it to Him and to address Him aloud.  This is because you must choose words instead of starting with specifics and wandering off into wool-gathering after a few seconds.

     You may go about your business and still be haunted.  But the Indwelling Holy Spirit will graciously remind you that underneath are The Everlasting Arms.  And that He has already resolved it - it just needs to play out.

     You are a Soldier of The Cross.  It means following hard after Him, and not stopping to look back.

     Do what you can and leave it with Him.  Do the next thing and sing.  It doesn't matter that you don't feel like singing. Do it anyway.  You can govern your body, your countenance and your thoughts.

     Tall Him aloud.  Today.

      Then, look up and move on!

     Some people are easily upset.   You are not allowed.

     This has to be a matter of prayer because you cannot afford to be a sail in the breeze of the enemy.

     Genuine calm is available when there is a realization that God is sovereign over all (even flat tires) and a yielding to the reminder of the Holy Spirit.

     There has to be a vision of what it is like to be solid and to resist a response that reflects the situation or the other upset person.

     I grew up with  father who had determined to never have harsh words.  I never heard him raise his voice or say things he regretted.   He was appropriately scary because wasn't a pushover.

     Many have never seen someone who holds it together when there are showers of abuse or misunderstanding, false accusation or people who refuse to mind their own business.

    Remember what Paul told Timothy?  We are Soldiers, and we are not to be tangled in the affairs of every day life.   We can't avoid them, but we do not need to be entangled by them.

     You are a front line Soldier and you can't afford to be had.

     Give it to Him in prayer and ask for a revelation concerning this matter. 
     Do it aloud.  Then move on and do the next thing.

     There is nothing quite like having to be around someone you absolutely know can't stand you.

     If that has never happened to you, you should be concerned that you are too much of a people pleaser.

     As a Soldier of The Cross, you are committed to obey Him no matter what, and that will annoy some folks.

     It is a foolish myth that people will  hate Christians only because we hold to the Faith.  I have certainly met a number of Christians who were so obnoxious, I was amazed lightening didn't strike them!

     The real issue is how are you going to relate to the person at work or at church, or even in your family, who you know would prefer to never see you again?  Yet, you must be around this individual.  And, to make it worse, it is  not because if any conflict you have had, it simply appears to be a personality conflict.

    Invariably, this is someone who speaks against you to at least one other person.   There is nothing you can do right.

     Firstly, I would call this person an enemy and pray for them as such.  I believe the biblical principle of praying for our enemies sheds light on the real issue and deactivates our own reaction to being disliked.

     Listen to me:  there is no such thing as a personality conflict.  It is a matter of a lack of lubrication, and that is a spiritual matter.

     Prayer protects you against the flesh reacting, resenting and imagining.  Prayer takes the core out of any effect the other one has on you.  Prayer opens the door for God's creativity in the situation.

     I do not encourage you to always go after the other person to make things right.  There are some who are so influenced by the enemy,  you are better off staying away. 

     But because you have crossed that line when you told the Lord He could do anything with your life, you became a Soldier of The Cross, and that means you are in ministry.    Even if you are in prison.  Or if you are  house bound.  Or if you are raising 12 children. Or if you are roofing houses every day.  You are in ministry and do  not forget it!

     Take this matter to Him, and be completely open for anything.  Review the verses.  Remember there is an enemy who loves to use Christians against Christians.  It's his favorite thing.

     We cannot be occupied with these things.  There is so much to do and time is short.

     Take it to Him aloud.    And listen.

     It is about every hour of every day.

     The things you do well, you tend not to pray about.  This means that you are fragile and vulnerable in those areas.

     Without the fresh Word of God, there is no fuel or light for prayer.  Without prayer, you are naked in a snow storm of the enemy's illusions and holograms.

     So Soldier, buck up and make it a life priority to have a devotional life.  I am one who always wants to share what I have learned in my devotions.  My husband is not like that.  He never talks about it, but the first thing every morning, he takes his Bible and disappears for a while.   And ladies, if he didn't, believe me, I would never consider trying to be his devotions police.  Don't ever go there.

     This is about you and your habits.  Your longing for the Lord.  Your need for intimacy with Him.

     He is always waiting for you.  Do you really believe He delights in you?    It's true.

     Feed on His Word and then meet with Him.  No matter what you have been taught, it does not always have to be the first thing in the morning.  It just has to be.  If there is an emergency, no momemtum is lost if you miss a day.  But get back on track.

     It is about your pursuit of God.  This must be the priority of your life.    When women tell me their children are their first priority, I always say that is a huge and most serious mistake.  Big, big mistake.  You can't have wisdom for raising your chidlren if there is no private time with the One Who holds The Stars in Place!

     Soldier, talk to Him about this so that you can have supernatural help in getting time with Him.

     Do it aloud and do it today.    

     He has put this before you.

     The choice is yours, but it is a decision that must be made by prayer.  So how do you know the answer?

     He has never made His will hard to find.   He doesn't hide behind anything to make it harder for you you to follow Him.

     The real issue is, how committed are you to doing His will?  That is the issue.  When that is resolved, no problem.  The light will shine clearly on the path that is to be taken.

     Tell Him you will follow Him no matter what the cost, and tell Him aloud.

     Then look up and move on!