When the Lord leads,  He will bring vision, but He will not give the whole plan.

     We are asked to follow.  We are never asked to examine the Plan and then decide to follow as long as all the ducks are in a row or as long as we approve.

     The Soldier of The Cross must operate in Faith only.  It is the flesh that whines and stomps to move by sight.  There is a fallen itch that longs to make sure nothing will hurt or cause stress.

     He calls to service those who will agree with Him before seeing any part of the Plan.

      Be a whatever, wherever, to whomever Soldier of The Cross.

     Tell Him today. Aloud.

     I often see Christians rupture over things that on a human scale are unfair.

     Usually it is false accusation.  Other times it is damage from a drunk driver, financial loss, debilitating illness or a myriad of other circumstances.

     You have been called to take up The Cross and follow Him through life's gauntlet of circumstances.  There is nothing in God's Word that gives the Soldier to take leave to be a corrector of life's wrongs.

     The Follower who pours it out to Him and agrees with Him in prayer, will be able to keep his eyes on the only One who knows the way through.

     Soldier of The Cross, you have the Power to pray according to the Word and not according to the circumstances.
     You have have Power to take every thought captive and lead it away.
     You have the Power to keep moving.
     You have the power to sing.  To pray.  To read. 
     You have the Power to love when you feel numb.

     Because you have The Indwelling Holy Spirit.

     We have not been called to get vengeance, create the balance, or make sure no one gets away with anything.  We have been called to
be Living Sacrifices and follow hard after Him.

     Agree with Him.  Today
     Aloud.

     Oh, Soldier, you must pursue the Lord.

     From the beginning to the end of the Word, He makes it clear that you must go after Him.  He has initiated, and you must respond.

     There is simply nothing else.

      You are a Soldier of The Cross.  That means that you have made the decision to leave behind your lower desires and ambitions.  You have declared yourself for His agenda and there is nothing else.

     What does that mean?

     It means that the false things said about you are to be ignored apart from prayer.  It means that you are to love the unlovely.  It means that you may or not may be vindicated in this life and you agree with God that is it His issue and not yours.

     Soldier, what is your ultimate goal?  Is it to stand before Him and be able to say that you agreed with Him?  Of course.

      Do it now in prayer.  He will inoculate you from the penetrating power of evil and will point you out as His Soldier.

     Tell Him now.  Aloud.
     Today.

     Lord, as I stand before you tonight, I declare that I will move into the thing you have appointed. 

     As I look at the circumstances, my head spins and I know better than to beg you to freeze everything.

     Oh, Lord, there is nothing but you, and I know that.  I can't go back, and it seems I can't go forward.  The things that whistle and spin around my head seem to defy your Word.

     I stand on everything you have said.  I love the Bible.  I know it is personal and true, and I cling to it.

     Oh, Master of The Universe, please encourage me.  Please assure me.  Please reveal Yourself to me.

     My Lord and My God.

     Getting even means indulging in negative fantasy.

     One of the enemy's easiest attacks is getting Christians to go for a false balance.

     Only the Lord knows what needs to happen.  Only the Lord sees it all.  Only the Lord knows the heart.  And, He has commanded that you do not return evil for evil.  He has also said vengeance is His.

     It doesn't feel like evil for evil, does it?  It just feels so strongly that something has to be done.  The offense just can't be ignored.  And, how will it look to others if you do nothing?

     The only way to deal with the root of the matter is to go before the One who says you must forgive.

     What is the beginning of forgiveness?  The letting go of the flesh's insistent scream to say or do something. To somehow even the score.  To teach the person he is wrong.

     Much of the false balance is created in talking to others about the situation.  In matters concerning believers, spreading negative information (whether true or not) gives the enemy access and energy.

     Soldier of The Cross,  come before the One who is All Power and leave it with Him.  Is He able to deal with it?  Does He know more about the situation than you?

     Stop talking about it to everyone else and take it up with Him.  The Holy Spirit will calm you and He will assure you.

Do it aloud.

     Why do so many Christians live in semi-desperation and feel as though they barely get through each day?

     You have a range of choice not available to the lost.

     You are also always the target of the one who loves to see you suffer.   The taking up of The Cross may be simple, bit it isn't easy, especially for the flesh. 

     Because you have the possibility of walking on the water, the enemy is constantly setting up holograms to make you think the storm can't be survived.  He wants your soul to be marinated in fear and unending alternate plans in case God doesn't come through.

     Because you have the possibility of walking on the water,  there is a constant temptation to do it yourself under your own steam.  To do it now  according to the imagination.  To scoop others into your own anxious web of worry and to constantly attack the winds and the waves.

     The One who made them is the same One who will calm them.

     Soldier of The Cross,  God's Word is More Real Than the Way That You Feel.

     He has not called us to take care of ourselves.  He has called us to learn to lean on The Everlasting Arms and to prepare for eternity. 

     When feeling contradicts with His Word, we get on our knees and claim His Word by faith, in prayer.

     Many Christians have not learned to identify their own thoughts.  Thoughts lead to feelings and often to sin.

     Look away from the storm and gaze upon Him.

     Tell Him.  Today.
     Aloud.

     Oh Soldier, is this your question?

     He is secure and can take it. The issue is, are you entitled  to know why?

     No.

     Are you or are you not  Soldier of The Cross?  It means you will take up The Cross and follow Him no matter what.  It means that He does not need to explain His reasons to you.   Or does He?

     Soldier, listen well.

     He is the Commander.  He is the Lover of Your Soul.  He gave His life for you.

     Is His Love real to you?  You must pour out your heart to Him, and it must be aloud.

     Tell Him and do it aloud.
     Today - there is nothing to loose.

     There is far too much contemporary emphasis on what you can get and who you can be.

     This is no secret to the Soldier of The Cross who daily stands before the Lord and declares his determination to die daily and to take up The Cross and follow Him.

     There is, however, a truth in the assertion that many Believers seem to think there is a place where the Lord allows things to just operate and where things stay the same if there is enough prayer and effort.

     Wrong.

     The enemy loves to assault the Church with distorted teachings of things that are delicate and beautiful, such  as  teachings about the gifts and the incomprehensible blessing of God.

     Soldier of The Cross, this is not about being all you can be.  This is about dying to self so that He can be revealed through your eyes, your mouth and your life decisions. It also means the Holy Spirit needs to be allowed to  move in your thoughts and bring you a vision for something that far beyond anything that could possibly happen.

      After all, that's what He does.  The impossible.

     May He do it through you?

     Tell Him.  Aloud.
     Today.

     Remember, prayer is supernatural.

     Most of us tend to forget that the world changes when we pray.   Souls are healed and lives are transformed.

     The universe is affected by a single prayer when the Soldier of The Cross comes before the One who holds the Mighty Scepter.

     Most Christians want to feel something when they pray.  I have been with folks who practically do a wardance. 

     Mistake.

    The King of the Universe is poised to listen and poised to act.  At His disposal, He has all Power and has promised to intervene according to His will.  The issue is, His will and His name.  What does that mean?

     I have often prayed for things that  I wanted, not knowing if He would grant the request.    It isn't about learning how to get a genie, it is about learning to submit to the Lover of Your Soul.

     Oh, Soldier, pray aloud.  Start by telling the Lord who you are and who He is.  You must pray in the language of your heart.  I take no issue with tongues and do not believe that they have passed.  But in my experience, Christians who have to pray in tongues all the time do not know how to pray according to God's Word.  They are often unable to pray with others concerning matters of extreme importance.

     Most Christians do not pray privately unless in a crisis.

     Soldier, develop this habit and He will lead you day by day. 

     He will make you secure in Him.
     He will open up His Word to you.
     He will illuminate your steps through the day.
     He will cause you to love the unlovely.

     He will reveal Himself even in a terrible and agonizing relationship.

     Tell Him now.
     Aloud.
     No time to waste.
    

     Lord, as I stand before you tonight. I agree with you by faith.

     I agree with you that I know so little and that I must learn to lean. 

     Lord, it seems like so much is wrong.  My children.  My finances.  My marriage.  The local assembly is rupturing.  My body is decaying. 

     I want to be real.

     Lord, I want to learn to follow you through the minutes and the hours.  I want to unlearn the habits of the flesh and go after you hard and fast.

     I seem to fail so often.  I get distracted by the regime of the schedule and oh Lord, I wan to be changed.  I want to learn to listen to you and to set aside the things that interfere so I can hear clearly.  I long to obey and to be used.

     Lord, please do what ever is needed to keep me from unuseful habit.  I want to serve and honor you, but I feel so tiny. 

     As I stand before you tonight, I ask that your Word would penetrate more deeply, that you would lead me in prayer beyond my human limitations and that you would do whatever is needed to make me like you. 

     I know it might be painful to the flesh, but more than anything, I want to be obedient and to agree with you.

     My Lord and my God.