Following the Lord means just that.

     You don't wait until things look right.  Has He spoken?  Is He leading?  If you are going to wait for all the doors to be open before you move, you will never learn to follow.

     Often when He leads, it is a quiet idea, like a fine silver thread, and it just won't go away.  Everything looks wrong.  No money, no time,  you're not qualified and everyone has said you will fail.

     Well, not Everyone.

     Soldier, you stay if He says stay.  You go if He says go.  And you do it no matter what.  The Christian who only does  what is guaranteed to work, doesn't understand Heaven's guarantee. 

     The Impossible is not hard for Him.  And, it won't be hard for you.  It's only hard on the flesh.

     Commit in prayer.  Aloud
     Take the first step. 

     When there is much prayer about a matter,  the Holy Spirit energizes more prayer.

     It is not possible to endure in prayer about something, absent the power of the Indwelling Holy Spirit.

     You are a Soldier of The Cross. You have put aside your own agenda and your own preferences.  You have told Him  you want to be transformed into His Likeness.  And, you press into that each day in prayer. 

     There is an assault. Something that is daunting and appears to be threatening.  Is there any situation in God's Word when that was not the case?  Is there any situation when God did not come through?  Did He ever fail?  Was He ever deaf or weak?

     Soldier, He will still send the fire to burn the false sacrifice and lick up the water.  He will still part the Sea.  He will still extend His hand and you will walk on the water.

     Oh, Soldier.  For today, memorize the next verse in your devotional reading.    Pray about it  - in the understanding.

     Then, look up and move on!

     Soldier of The Cross,  what is the cost of discipline?

     How much do you want what you want?  What is it worth to you?

     So many can't resist a good bargain and end up buying things that are not needed, but they are seduced into the purchase by the price. 

     Others constantly struggle with weight, but will do anything other than get up and leave the table.

     And the tongue.  The unruly tongue. 

     It's hard.  Really hard.  But it has to start somewhere and it has to be a determined vector.    You mess up, you start again.

     How much do you want to know the Lord? He who has a Hand outstretched to you?

     You have a lifetime of habit, but it is never too late.    There is a divine process that is empowered by the Indwelling Holy Spirit.  First, you take it to Him in prayer.  Set out to Him what you long for.  Submit to his reminders and correction.  Tell Him you will stay the course.

     You are not alone. For goodness sake.  He who holds the stars in place is willing to see you through.  He is never impatient.  He doesn't think you should just be able to break off an addiction and never think of it again.  He understands.  He will provide help.  Support.  Will you accept it?  Are you too proud?

     How much do you want this?

     Tell Him.

     Aloud.

     What makes you cry?

     I have never been much of a crier, but I cried during Beauty and The Beast.    And 101 Dalmatians.  Mostly, I find myself weeping in prayer because of the greatness of God or the lostness of the lost. 

     When I was younger , I often shed tears over false accusation or misunderstanding and most of all, the children.

     When I examine the scriptures, it seems to me that God's Word teaches us that to some extent we can choose what causes us to shed tears.   Is there anyone who has been stoic during the death of a spouse?  Or a parent at the death of a child?  

     We are human and we live in a fallen world.  We all cry when certain things happen.  It is a stunning gift given to us, like the gift of laughter.  Something is expressed physically that can't be expressed in words.

     The devotional life draws the Soldier of The Cross into a Fort of Light.  We see what is real and what is  not real.   By walking in the Light as He is in the Light and fellowshipping one with another, we discern what is of Him and what is from the enemy.  We learn how to put on The Armor.

     We learn Love.

     We learn to walk on the water.  We learn to agree with Paul when he declares:

          "But none of these things move me; neither do I esteem my life dear to myself, if only I may finish my course with joy and the ministry which I have obtained from [which was entrusted to me by] the Lord Jesus, faithfully to attest to the good news (Gospel) of God's grace (His unmerited favor, spiritual blessing, and mercy)."

        Acts 20:24   (Amplified Bible)

       Soldier, remember He said He collects your tears in a bottle.  It means He is mindful of your distress.   There is not a situation He dismisses. 

     Each of us has his or her own appointed tests and we must learn to take the matter to Him.  I have known single adults who have no "problems."  No marital troubles, no recalcitrant children, no financial problems, and no action against them.  Yet, they are subject to significant attacks in the area of depression and self-doubt.

     Forget psychology.  It is the study of the flesh.  Let's run to the Lover of Our Souls and submit to His surgical knife.

     After all, there is nothing else.  There is no one else.  And, He always answers.  He always places His hand on the wound and pours on the salve of Heaven's assurance.

     Oh, Soldier.  Trust the Lord.

     Tell Him.  Aloud. 
     Today

     The  ninth commandment says "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."

     It is a specific commandment concerning statements about another.

     Soldier, this one is so easy to violate.  Gossip falls under this commandment.  So does offering a slanted report of a disagreement in order to gain support.    Jealousy, greed, insecurity and irritation all tend to launch burning temptation into the tongue.   So often, it is almost impossible to resist some barb or even a disguised comment that give an impression that may not be accurate.

     The flesh always wants to even the score.  The flesh feels vindicated when it gets another person to agree with it.  But the flesh is wrong and this behavior opens the door for the enemy to make camp in the festered area of the disobedient soul.

     You are a Soldier of The Cross and your commitment is to follow Him.  To move by prayer.  To let Him discipline you with regard to everything, the tongue included.  To be made into His Likeness.

     James say if one has complete control over his tongue, he is perfect.  I don't know about you, but I am not perfect and I make mistakes.   I have made it a goal of my Christian life to govern the tongue, but I am convinced that is this life, we will always need His discipline in this area.

     I have learned the precious value of refusing to speak about other Christians or anyone else for that matter, in a way that might not be accurately representative of the situation.   It's an essential part of serving the Lord.  It is also a protection against cancer of the soul, which comes not to the one being misrepresented, but to the one with the loose tongue.

     The Holy Spirit will check the one who is listening for Him.

     Tell Him.  Aloud.

     Soldier of The Cross, what is it that you want?

     You must decide.

     Are you aiming for resolution now, or are you going to agree with Him about eternity?  You absolutely understand what I am asking.

     Oh, Soldier.  You must do this deliberately and you  must direct your thoughts accordingly.

     Everything revolves around the local assembly.  Many would have you believe your life revolves around your family.  That is not scriptural. 

     The issue is, His Kingdom first and all the other things will be added unto you.

     He said you could call unto Him and He would show you things formerly unrevealed. (Jeremiah 33:3)

     So, do it.  Present yourself to Him and state your case aloud.
     Today.

     "I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)."

                   John 10:10b

     Are you experiencing Abundant Life?

     It's His heart for you.  It's the reason He came.     There is nothing in the Bible that promises a cream-puff life.  But of course, that's not Abundant Life.

     If your heart is throbbing for Him, you know it.
     If your thrill is in Him, you will think about Him, talk about Him,  and want to be like Him
     If you want to be like Him, the things He allows are received in prayer and thankfully, even when the experience  is excruciating.

     Abundant Life means being lifted up from the things of this world, and it happens when the Soldier of The Cross walks in The Light. It comes from accepting by faith that His way is better than all of your designs.  It comes from following after Him in the moments of choice.

     Did Paul suffer?  Did everyone love him?  Were there false accusations?   Was he ever cold and hungry?  You must admit the prison epistles radiate with Abundant Life.

     It's about agreeing with God.  No matter what.

     Tell Him.  Aloud
     Today.

    

     Most are looking for magic instead of God's deliverance and restoration in God's way.

     When God heals and restores a life, He does it from the inside out. 

     What seems to elude so many, is that He can and will do anything.  So many have issues with anxiety, anger and addictions.  Christians, that is. 

     Every Christian will say God can do it, but to submit in prayer and then to be willing to follow a step at a time, that is usually another matter. 

     There are times when He heals the body and times when He doesn't. We know from His Word that the soul can always be healed when the spirit is lined up with His Spirit.

     If Naaman had dipped in the Jordan only six times, we would not have heard about his healing.  But, he dipped the seventh time, as he had been instructed.    And he was healed.  Why in the world did God do it that way?  What difference does it make?  His way is the only way that heals.

     Soldier of The Cross.  don't give up.  He is the one who can take a thousand failures and recover the ground with one success that comes by prayer.  We serve one who doesn't leave potholes for those who follow Him. 

     It isn't possible to move through this life without some heartache and sorrow.  But it is possible to know the deep, deep Peace of the one whose heart is to trust and obey.

     It has to be His way. 

     Tell Him.  Aloud.

     You love the Word of God and you know it well. 

     You believe it and you talk about it and sing about it.  You also study it and have shelves and shelves of  scholarly books.

     How wonderful that the Word is alive and full of power.  

     A. W. Tozer said he read Shakespeare on his knees, asking the Lord what was in the material that had such a broad appeal.   Tozer was a brilliant, self-taught scholar,  and was widely recognized as such.  As an old man, he stated that the more he learned of the Lord, the more he needed to pray that the Word would be opened up to him.

     Soldier of The Cross, it is too easy to get familiar with things and operate as though there were no fresh Light.

     Disciplining a child or preaching to thousands both require wisdom from above.  Fresh.  Alive.

     Prayer brings out the things that are hidden.

     Ask Him.  Be sure to ask aloud.
     Today

     Soldier, the Lord is not looking for brilliant, trained, charismatic or skinny servants.

     He isn't looking for dragon-slayers.

     He is looking for those who will grasp the Outstretched Hand.  Those are the ones He can use.  Those are the ones who will let Him say what He wants to say when He wans to say it and where He wants it to be said.

     Tell Him.
     Aloud.