There is not one verse in God's Word that even hints we can know why in the Now.

     We are not advancing because we know His reasons.  We advance by faith because He has asked us to trust Him.

     The death of a child is a stunning loss.  Serious illness and chronic pain can only be understood by those who goes through it.  There are no words to describe public humiliation and unfair loss or accusation.

     But, we have a Lord.  That means we come under the One who rules.  We come in submission to Him who named us and counts the hairs on our head. 

     We come to the One who collects our tears in a bottle.

     The Soldier of The Cross must come to the Lord and declare he or she will embrace the death of the flesh. 
That means giving up the right to know why.

      Wanting to know why is the same as saying to the Lord, "I need to know your reason to see if I approve of your decision and I am challenging your sovereignty. . ." and that is not a position of faith.

     The bottom line is always the same thing - can He be trusted? 

     Of course He can.   He is the Prince of Peace.   The Indwelling Holy Spirit can usher in supernatural Peace even in times of desperate grief, physical pain and stunning unfairness.

     Oh, Soldier.  Life is short.  It is eternity that never ends, and it is in eternity that we will be privileged to see it all and know it all.

     Until then, tell Him you will rest in Him and take Him at His Word.  A daily exercise. 

     The Christian Soldier must learn how to live, and it can't be done without unbearable challenges.  If it could all be humanly borne, there  would be no need for faith.

     Tell Him aloud.  Right now.

     What does the offender deserve?

     You don't have be his best friend or even reach out to him.  But if we all got what we deserved, no one would be saved.

     Soldier of The Cross, you must not and may not punish an offender by getting even.  This issue can sneak up in may ways.  One of the most  common is the tendency of women to withdraw and expect the man to grovel in order to restore a liveable atmosphere.

     It is not His way.

     The Indwelling Holy Spirit is gracious and empowers the Believer to behave in the manner commanded by Heaven.  It is not about evening the score or teaching a lesson.  It is about being a Living Sacrifice.

     According to the Word of God, your behavior and your words and your attitude are all to reflect Him.  Not the other guy.

     This is maturity.  This is submission.  This is obedience.  This is protection against the ploys of the enemy that come through those who attack us.

     Soldier, buck up.
     Remember, all of the unseen powers in existence are watching you and listening to your words, or your silence.

     Tell Him in prayer, and aloud.

     Whose are you?

     Are you His or, in fact, are you yours?

     There is a bottom line issue here.  If you are His, it means that on a regular basis you are telling Him He can do anything with your life.  You are telling Him you will go anywhere, and you are telling Him you will say what He wants you to say.    If this is not happening, chances are, you are holding back a personal reserve.

     Oh, Soldier.  Is there anything to gain by holding back?

     The real issue is, can He be trusted?   Is here any advantage to holding back? 

     Who has all knowledge?
     Who is Love?    
     Who holds the stars in place?
     Who called you and named you?

      Many are devoted to business.  To family.  To religion.

     Soldier of The Cross, stand before Him and let Him know you are His and that it is your bottom line. 

     Tell Him aloud.  Today.

     Addiction takes many forms.

     Most of us are addicted to something that needs to be released, and it is the business of the Indwelling Holy Spirit to prod us to submission in the area needing healing.

     Addiction is not always drugs or alcohol.  The flesh has cravings and habits that develope andfeel compelling, though they may not fall into the most societally disturbing categories.

     The flesh wants to be right all the time.
     It wants to get attention, and it may be a screaming need.
     It is desperate for security.
     It wants control.
     It wants to get even.

     Soldier of The Cross, every human being has some issue, and each knows what it is.  No mystery.  It is often under lock and key in the recesses of the heart.

     A physical addiction must be starved.  Cutting back doesn't do it.    And there must be a taking of things one minute, one hour and one day at a time.

     All addictions must be taken to the Lord in prayer.
     Have you understood that He is never impatient?  Have you understood that He understands?

     The issue is, you must want to be changed.  Age does not matter.  He who can do anything is not limited by anything you could name.    

     Go for it.

     Tell Him you give yourself to Him for anything.  Tell Him you will pay any price to be His and to be able to serve Him.

     Tell Him now.
     Aloud.

     There is no room for unforgiveness in the life of the Soldier of The Cross.

     Moreover, the Word teaches that unforgiveness blocks the prayer life and makes an opening for the enemy.

     Without realizing it, many hold a grudge for the way something has made them feel, rather than for the thing that actually happened.  So, because the feeling is so intense that  it is impossible to foresee leaving it behind, unforgiveness settles into a riverbed of the thought life and seals off the power of the Holy Spirit in the Believer.

     Forgiveness happens in prayer.  It's a matter of taking God at His Word, telling Him so, and being willing to lay the matter down.  This might need to happen over and over.  Maybe even seventy times seven.

     We serve a Lord who heals.  We serve One who has told us to cast all our cares on Him.  That means He will receive us, listen and respond.

     Forgiveness is not about acting like nothing happened.  It is not about feeling healed.  Forgiveness is a step taken by faith, so that the The One who holds the stars in place is free to heal us and do His deepest Work.

     Tell Him.  Aloud.

     Soldier of The Cross, there s much to be done.

     There are many to be rescued, many to be loved and lots of grunt work has to be addressed.

     Today's Church often asks what you think you want to do.  What you think you are gifted for.  What you think is God's will for you in terms of service.

     It is not about what you think or even what you are ultimately called to do.  It is not always about your gifts.  It is about the immediate thing that must be addressed.

     Soldier, do the thing that is before you.  Are you a teacher?  Do the toilets need fixing?  Fix the toilets.  It is Grace that opens teaching opportunities, and the Servant must be available for the immediate need.

     Oh, Servant of the Living God, be available and do so in prayer.

    Tell Him today.
     Aloud.

     Do the thing in front of you.

     There is a big movement in the modern church that requires the Christian to identify his or her own gift, and then plow into that function, and only that.   Romans 12:6 is often used to justify this position.

     While we are instructed to do the thing we know we have been appointed to do, there is nothing to say that the Servant of the Living God is to do nothing else.

     The problem with the modern church is that the exercising of a Gift is being presented and encourged as  self-expression.

     This is contrary to God's Word.  The gifts are for the encouragement of others.  Moreover, those who are ministering by prayer are always willing to do the thing that is most needed.

     The Soldier of The Cross is wiling to express the thing that comes by supernatural power and gift, and he is also willing to clean the dirty toilet, visit the one who is not being visited, and is available to do the very thing that he is least inclined to do.

     You are either a Servant or you are not.
     You are either available or you aren't.
     You either have to express yourself in the area of your preference, or you are willing to be a Living Sacrifice.

     The Apostle Paul was a tremendous speaker, scholar and leader.  Yet, during the period where he is beaten, in disgrace and abandoned by many,  he declares the value of the chains he is wearing for the sake of the Body of Christ and the release of The Gospel.

     He who has a Servant's heart does not hold out for the job that most expresses him.  The Servant does the job that is before him whether or not he thinks he is gifted, whether or not he is repelled, whether or not anyone recognizes him.

     Soldier,  tell Him you are available.
     Aloud.   Today.

     There is nothing that builds faith more deeply and completely than waiting on God.

     Why is it so hard to wait?  Even when there is no open door, the flesh clamors and itches to do something.  Anything.  It wants to feel some sense of event, even if action is foolish. 

     The Spirit trains the Soldier of The Cross to wait.  How is it that one can wait "until you hear the marching in the tops of the mulberry trees"?

     What is that?  It is the training of the Lord.

     Oh, Soldier.  There can be no work of The Cross without submission to this divine discipline.  The bottom line is always, can He or can He not be trusted?   Is the Word of God true?  Is He real?  Does He care, or is He passive, being sometimes weak and sometimes strong?

     We all know the right answers.  So then, why is it so hard to wait?

     Those who hold this training precious learn to hide in the Cleft of the Rock during the storm. 

     He created Time.  He is never late.  He is The Craftsman and pays attention to each detail.

     Soldier, look up and move on.  Do this in prayer.  Attend to the next thing in your schedule, and do it with all you are and all you have.

     Left foot, right foot.  Left foot, right foot.  Left foot, right foot.

     Tell Him in prayer.  Aloud.

     The bottom line is that you must believe He loves you.

     Otherwise, the Bible is not true.  Simple as that.

     So, if He loves you, He is attentive to all of the things that concern you.  He wants your attention, and after all, He came and died for you.  Do you believe it was personal?

     What is the matter at hand?   There is a rift.  There is misunderstanding.  Pain.  Silence.  More pain.  Prayer that seems to hit a wall.

     Soldier,  only  He knows the Beginning from the End.   To us, it is a mystery and must be embraced by faith.  What a hard thing for the flesh.  And for those who are determined to be wholly His, it is  often more public.

     It means misunderstanding, alienation and the pain of watching loved ones fall into the abyss of deception.

     He is in control.  He knew about this from the beginning of time.  He calls us, He leads us, and He can either be trusted or He can not be trusted.

    That is a matter that is dealt with in prayer.    When all is dark and seems to be gathering momentum away from Truth, He is still in control.

     Oh, Soldier, grab onto the handle of The Word of God and take The Ride.  He will never fail you.

     Tell Him today.

     Aloud.
 

     Oh, Soldier.

     Remember that one foot must go in front of the other. 

     There is no other experience for the Soldier of The Cross.  God's Word teaches us that things are done in the moment and by prayer.  We are to stand on His Word and we are to move forward one step at a time.

     You know He is leading you, but you are certain the direction will lead you through a snarl, at the least.  That may be.  Nevertheless, the issue is, can He be trusted?

     I have read hundreds of missionary biographies and have interviewed dozens and dozens of old missionaries.  I have yet to find one person who will tell me that he wishes he had chosen something other than God's leading.

     Soldier, please!  Listen to the Indwelling Holy Spirit.  Learn to follow.  This is not about feeling, as feeling will often contradict the leading of the Spirit.  God's Word will ring in the thought life as a result of prayer, and the Soldier will recognize the voice of His Commander.

     Move in prayer. Tell Him you will obey.
     Aloud.
     Today.