He said He would never leave us and He never will.

     Actually, the raw translations says:
          ". . .for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]
                          Hebrews 13:5b  (Amplified Bible)

     The key is, this follows an earlier part of the verse:
              Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have] . . .
                          Hebrews 13:5a  (Amplified Bible)

     So then, Soldier of The Cross,  you are to take the contentment that is supernatural and promised to you, based on the eternal fact that He will never leave you.

     He knows about it  because He designed it.
     He wants you to tell Him about it and to lay it all out before Him. Over and over and over again.
     He holds out His hand to allow you to walk on the water, offering you choice when it appears that none exists.
     He isn't tired of you. 
     He won't be turned off.
     He does not consider your difficulty to be less than another's.  He is the God of the vast and of  the tiny.

     You must claim the thing that is yours.  His Promise.  His Presence.  His Power.

     Do it in prayer.  Today
     Alone and aloud.                        

     We know our Treasure must be in the eternal.

     Yet, here we are.  The days are numbered and the body is decaying. It seems like some things are completely out of control, and then we enter into conflict between what we know can be, and what is.

    What is real?

     Those who are His have the Indwelling Holy Spirit.  He makes all the difference in how things are perceived.   There is only one reality; that which is experienced by faith.

     In the thick of the howling storm, He is faithful to point us to The Cross.  To the One who is Love.  To our real home - in Glory.

     Soldier of The Cross,  those who walk by faith are those who see heaven clearly and have wisdom for the hours of Time.

     They are calm.  They lead ordered lives, but are resilient when assailed by the unexpected.  They pass through this life with a song in the heart and Love in their eyes.  They aren't perfect, but they don't miss a thing - they just have their priorities in the order of His.

     Heaven can be seen the most clearly when faith blows away the fog of earthly treasure.        

     It takes one to know one.

     Soldier of The Cross, are you His?  Have you counted the cost?  Have you considered what is to be given up?  What is to be gained?

     Hallelujah that there is nothing else.  There is no where else. 

     Iron sharpens iron.

     Soldier, look up and move on!

     The Lord has no problem leading His Own.

       He doesn't tease and He has never tried to hide from anyone who has sought Him.  Nor has He ever forgotten those who wait for Him.

     Soldier of The Cross, He will not hand you the blueprint.  He has instructed you to take up The Cross and follow Him, and there is no shortcut.

     The practical day-to-day fact is, His Word is a Light for each step.    I can safely say I have rarely known God's will ahead of time with regard to choices that were not sinful.  Most of the time, I have tried to make the wisest choice and see Him in looking back.

     He does not want us to be dot-to-dot Christians.  He is training us to know Him.  To recognize Him.  To crave Him.

     The biggest problem lies with those who are not really interested in His will, but in safety, comfort and visible, acknowledged success.

     Today's mainline Christian Church is way off the mark.  Financial stability, perfect children, glass house marriage, Christian knowledge, success - it is not possible to serve two masters. 

     Do you truly want to follow the Lord?  Then, He must be Lord of everything. 

     Tell Him.
     Aloud.  

     Thank you Lord for the hard things that are yet to come.  Thank you for those you will send to encourage me.  Thank you for never letting me get too comfortable.

     Thank you for your precious Word which burns in my heart and mind.  Thank you for correction.  Thank you for discipline.

     I am so grateful for prayer.  That you want to hear from me and listen so attentively.

     Lord, thank you for the saints who have gone before and have passed through fiery trials.  Thank you for their footprints in the most trying places.

     Thank you for Grace.  Oh, Lord, thank you for Grace.

     God's Word is More Real Than the Way That You Feel.

     Soldier of The Cross, there is no compromise when it comes to obedience.   It is the highest calling.

     How could that be?   We only know it is what He has said and that settles the matter.   

      The issue is, you must learn to obey and follow the One who named you before you were born, became sin for you before you cared, and is now preparing a place for you.

     Power? 
     Obedience.

     Release? 
     Obedience.

     Peace? 
     Obedience.

     Soldier,  He is your all in all.

     Right?

     There is nothing more.   There is nothing less that is real.

     How are you praying?    For His will?  For His Glory?  For His Plan?  For the health of His Body?

     Make you are not praying for the matter to be resolved according to human resolution.

     Your prayer life should not be about comfort, or the avoidance of difficulty.

     Claim your birthright - the privilege of learning to submit to the One who is Perfect.

     Declare it to Him.
     Aloud.    

     Lord, as I stand before you tonight I thank you that you alone are perfect.   While I am deeply thankful for my Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I look to you to alone lead me.

     I want to be able to hear you through anyone or anything, but is you alone I want to hear.

     Teach me to bend away from the opinions of others and to walk in obedience no matter what.

     Thank you for age.  Thank you for experience. But oh Lord, please change me, and do whatever is needed in the deepest parts of me in order to bring about your own likeness.

     In prayer, I turn from listening to negativity and I turn from applause.  

     My Lord and my God.

     It is not possible to have all circumstances in order before moving on in the Lord.

     Those who follow Him learn that He wants "Here am I, send me" rather than a list of things that must improve first.   Those who feel fully equpped and prepared are in for a surprise.

     Grace went after you, just as you were.   Grace will use you just as you are, provided you are clean before Him.

     Soldier of The Cross,  no one has ever lived long enough to get "prepared" to serve Him.  We are dependent on Him.  We draw provision from the One who fed the multitudes with a handful of food.   We can follow hard after Him, even when we cannot physically move.

     Learn to pray aloud.  Take a firm hold of the fact that He is the ultimate listener. 

     Become an encourager of others.  Call.  Write.

     Memorize His Word vigorously and memorize the hymns of the faith as well.

     You will find yourself already on the move.   

     Soldier, give it up in prayer.

     After all, He knows far better than you.  Is it your issue?  Of course not.  You did not set the universe in motion. .

     He who became sin for you is keenly aware of the depth of your struggle.

     Are you a Soldier of The Cross?
     Do you acknowledge that He does only the best?
     Will you bend to the will of the Lover of Your Soul?

     After all, there is nothing else.

     All of Christless humanity languishes for something.
     We who are His languish for nothing. 
     We need only His touch. 
     His voice. 
     His Word.

     Oh, Soldier.
     Look up and move on!