How tempting it is to try to make sure everything is in order ahead of time.

     Conversely, folks who are too casual about laying the groundwork usually run into problems that could have and should have been prevented.

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     The Soldier of The Cross must do all that can be done.  After that, he or she must be available to let the Lord do anything.   The key is, preparing in prayer.  Those who pray much about the matter are always praying for the Lord to have His Way.   For Him to do the thing that needs to be done even if that is outside the plan.

     There is limited recognition of the Lord by those who only pray for the exact protection of the conceived outcome and method planned.

     We must constantly be reminded that we only know what we know,what we  have experienced and what we can imagine.  Beyond that, the Lord can bring a vision of the impossible,  but that always involves the kind of faith that steps out into the realm of the unknown.

     Nothing is safer.

     Who is willing?

     Faith is the only safe frontier.

     Tell Him today.  Aloud.

     The enemy knows just what buttons to push.

    Just when you think things are under control,  you are ambushed by the unexpected.  It feels unbearable and it is always accompanied by fear.

     The tendency is to work to try to be stronger in the weak area.  Unfortunately, much Christian psychology aims for that area to be "healed".

     God's Word indicates it is possible to be healed in all of the areas of the soul, but never by making the weak area stronger.  It is always healed by learning to be more dependent on Him.

     I am not against all of psychology - just a lot of it.   Surely there are gifted counselors.    The issue is,  where is your treasure?

     Is it in gaining equilibrium or is it in learning to trust the One who holds the stars in place?

     You are a Soldier of The Cross. That means you are taking up the instrument of the death of the flesh and following after Him.  There is no allowance for planting any flag in the soil of Control. 

     It is about yielding to His control.

     This happens in prayer and it must be aloud if physically possible.  The Holy Spirit leads in the choice of words, and through this, He will speak to you. 

     You will hear Him clearly.  You will be empowered to follow.  You will be thrilled to submit.

     Tell Him today.
     Aloud

     Soldier of The Cross, do not look to resolved circumstances for relief.

     Look only to Him.  He is the Rock.  And there is a Place carved out for you.  

     It's so easy to frantically pray about and desperately wring your hands over the present situation.  The problem is, that does nothing.  It doesn't involve eternity.  It doesn't involve faith.  More than anything, it misses the mark and guarantees you will not see His Hand.

     The Lover of Your Soul designed the matter before the enemy crafted a plan to defeat you.

     You are not helpless and you are not a victim.  Neither are others involved.

     This is about His Plan and your submission.  He alone knows what is around the corner.

     So Soldier, pray with all your might and let the Holy Spirit lead you.

     Buck up and ask the Lord to deal with your worrying.

     Do the next thing before you with all your might. 

     God's Word is more real than the way that you feel.

     Stand before Him and tell Him.
     Today.
     Aloud.
 

     In the Body of Christ, Love is not the result of chemistry.

     I have so often seen cliques form in churches.

     The bottom line is that we are to lay our lives down for the Brethren. 

     That means we love the unlovely.
     It means we must  let the Lord flow through to those who seem to have nothing in common with us and those who don't seem to get it.
     It means we are available for the  most obnoxious troublemaker.

     This isn't to say that we pretend everyone is wonderful and overlook the one who is against the Lord.  It just means we acknowledge that only He knows the heart and we are available to the Holy Spirit for the ministry of Love.

     You are a Soldier of The Cross.  You have enlisted in the Army of the Lord and you stand in the ranks of those who agree with Him no matter what.

     You have the Indwelling Holy Spirit. He has given you discernment.  He is the Light-giver.  He empowers.  And He is the example and He holds the nozzle of Love.

     Soldier, this is something that springs from prayer and there is no other source.  Stand before the Throne and tell the Lord you will obey.  You will be a vessel of Love.

    He'll show you what to do when.  He never fluffs over prayer. 

     His Love is demonstrated by and through His Own.

     Tell Him. 
     Aloud.

     It is critical to remember His Word tells us that we are not to place our Treasure in this life.

     Not an easy thing for the flesh.

     Do not gather and heap up and store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust and worm consume and destroy, and where thieves break through and steal.

     But gather and heap up and store for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust nor worm consume and destroy, and where thieves do not break through and steal;

     For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
                  Matthew 6:19-21 (Amplified Bible)

     You re a Soldier of The Cross. You love and cling to the taking up of the Cross and following hard after Him.  That means your hands can't be clinging to other things. 

     What are you thinking about?  Talking about?

     The battle is in the mind.  

     Soldier, make sure that you are not always striving for control over circumstances.  Your goal must be to know Him.  To be like Him.  To be quickly responsive to the Holy Spirit.

     Stand before Him and deal with the matter of your thought life. He will renew your vision of following Him.
     Do it aloud.
     Today.

     In a world that is spiraling toward the end, the outstanding mark of the believer who is walking in the Light is Love.

     Such a Christian has learned to sit at the feet of a Sovereign Lord and by experience,  has learned there is no good way but His.

     That Soldier of The Cross has Peace.  A Peace that attracts some, and drives others crazy.  Without this Peace, there is no supernatural, uconditional  Love.  They are bound together.

     There is no such thing as a strike from heaven that results in this Peace.   Peace comes from experiencing God in the midst of trials.  It comes from choosing His Word over what we see.  It comes from agreeing with God even when it appears that His way guarantees the wrong result.

     Soldier, when the going gets tough,  The Tough get on their knees and  lay it on the Line:

     Oh Lord, I want your way no matter what.  I submit to you regardless of anything anyone else says or does.  I stand on Your Word. 

     Tonight Lord, I take hold of the Hand outstretched to me and I will gaze upon you rather than the storm.

     My Lord and my God.

     It isn't that we have our heads in the sand, it is that we have been carefully instructed to pray about the future and leave it at the Throne.

     The flesh is a writhing, convulsive, dominating vacuum that will dictate every thought and action if allowed.

     We have His Word.  He will not let anything slip out of control.  If things go awry according to human concept, we will still be confident in His Promises if we have prayed according to His Word.

     Soldier, there is much to do.  No hour is without purpose.

     Today you must do the thing before you and you must do it to the best of your ability.

     Give it to him.  Aloud.
     Today.

     There seems to be an idea that if a Christian gets worked up enough in a devotional moment, he will learn the thrill of delighting in the Lord.

     Learning to know Him and delight in Him is a decision and it begins in and is sustained by prayer.

     Wanting to know Him means seeking out those who want the same thing.  Who want to share how faithful He has been.  Who want to hear how you met Him. 

     Learning to know him means doing what you know He has asked.  There are so many who neglect to love the Brethren, neglect tithing, neglect serving, yet they are begging to know "God's Will."

     Soldier of The Cross, we move a step at a time.  He never asked us to lead.  He said He would do that and He has never obscured Himself. 

     He who loves obedience over sacrifice is known the same way.  By faith in obedience.  He proves Himself faithful, and He loves to answer.

     Many Believers are marinated in Christianity, yet they have no experience of Him.

     By prayer.  Taking Him at his Word.  Willing to do anything, go anywhere and say anything to anyone.

     His Presence is not cheap   The cost is availability.

     Tell Him today.
     Aloud.

     There is no Cross in "name it and claim it"  Christianity.

     This life is not about having things and getting what we want.  It is about being transformed so that our desires line up with His.

     At the same time, the declarations of the tongue are critical to the Christian life.  We are not Pollyanna, but we choose to live in His faithfulness over what we see,

     Laziness and/or ignorance cause Believers to fall into the trap of wanting ease or earthly satisfaction.

     The bottom line for us is that we know He wants the best for us and will led us into the richest freedom if we take up the Cross and follow Him.   Anything less is not good for us.

     Those who are willing to trust Him will taste this freedom.  I have never met anyone who said "I wish I hadn't obeyed the Lord."  I have certainly heard the opposite many times.

     Soldier, the power is not in prayer - it is in the One who hears prayer.  Those who need to do war dances don't understand who He is.

     Agree with Him today.  Aloud.  Stand before Him and recommit to taking up The Cross and following Him.

     Lord, as I stand before you tonight I tell you again that  I want you over all else.

     So many things tug, but I stand on your Word.  I believe you.  I choose to wait for you no matter what, to go where you say no matter what, to say what you want no matter what,  and to walk through any fire no matter how hot.

     Lord, you alone know what this means for me. You alone know what comes at me in the night.  You alone know what others say.   But in the end, you are so much more.

     Thank you so much for Grace.  Thank you that I know you are more real than the things I see with my eyes.

     In the midst of it all, I continue to ask to be trained to live by faith.

     My Lord and my God.