Soldier of The Cross, can you honestly say that you love the Lord?

     It is a commonly used phrase.  What does it mean?

     He loves us through His Word and through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  There is the direct experience of His Love is through the Body of Christ.  Isn't it interesting that He has chosen to manifest His Love for us by the evidence of our love for one another?

     In His realm, obedience happens first and feeling follows.  This means that we attend to the needs of each other before our own needs.  We visit those who are shut-in.  We visit those who are in prison.  We attend to the widows and orphans.  We extend ourselves to meet the needs that are before us in the local assembly.

     When there is obedience, His Presence is enjoyed and there is the satisfaction of His approval.

     Soldier, is your life about your life, or is it about others?  If it is about you, it is time for a change.

     Loving the Lord means:
        Active Service to others.
        Faithfulness as a pillar in The House of The Lord.
        Sacrificial giving.
        A ministry of Grace to the members of The Body.
        Faithfulness in prayer.
        A watch on your mouth.
        Singing loudly even though you may not feel like it.
        An awareness and support of missions.

     Soldier, when did you last tell Him you loved Him?   Talk to Him.  Tell Him the things you love about Him - the beauty of creation.  How He saved you.  How He woos you. How He answers prayer.  How much you love His people.   Your heart will throb with the experience of Love.

     Tell Him today.
     Aloud.         

     Soldier of The Cross, things never stay the same.

     There are so many who want to hit a level and finish out life in a comfort zone.  That is not for you.  God will not allow it, because you have crossed The Line and have told Him you would serve Him.

     So, when others are recognized for accomplishments, you may achieve the same thing or better, yet you may not be recognized.
     You may scrimp and save only to see your funds drained, even though others seem to invest less wisely with a better return.
     You may tow the mark and never miss, when others seem to cheat and still be ok.

     It is because you are His and He is attending to you.  He is answering prayer.  You are not allowed to compare yourself to others - you are His.  After all, isn't your life His business?

     Is it your job?  Are you doubting yourself because He has made a change?
     Is it your family?  Are you in charge, or is He?
     What about your place in the Church?  Is there anything to prove, or is He Lord?  
     Have you been falsely accused?   Wasn't He?

     Soldier, buck up.

     You have yielded your body and soul.   He can be trusted.  Let Him stretch you.  Tell Him so.
     Aloud.
     Today.      

     What counts?

     Agreeing with God.  And those who are recorded as having agreed with Him are those we consider to be the great ones who have gone before.

     I am sure they did not consider themselves to be great.  In fact, it is sure they never felt great because God was all the while training them to see and follow Himself.   Abraham was a "Friend of God." And,  ”Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth."   

     Paul is one of my favorites.  What a tremendous servant. Yet the Lord's best for him and his ministry included imprisonment, beatings, stonings, being adrift on the sea, betrayal and desertion. 

     Those who are faithful and follow the Lord reflect Him and bear a quality of greatness that is only recognized by those who are seeking Him.

     Soldier of The Cross, do not self-evaluate. 
     Taking the heat does not mean failure.    
     Feeling small and incapable does not mean failure.
     Failure does not mean failure.

     No one is anything except in His power and as He allows.  No human charisma can win souls.  No brilliant mind can impart revelation or open blind eyes.

     We were created to obey.  One step at a time.
     It will all come together when we see Him.  And it will be worth everything.

     Soldier of the Cross, you are not allowed to worry about the future.

     Those who are preoccupied with what has not yet happened are always in danger of losing the moment.  The release comes in praying according to God's Word.

     Lord, I want to be a anything, anywhere, anytime, and for anyone Christian.  I want  my life to be about you and not about me.   So, here and now I again commit to you all that I am, and all that I have for your use and to reveal you.

     I trust you.  I can't go back and choose to go forward by faith.  Thank you for Grace that allows me to rest in your faithfulness.

     Anything, Lord.   Anywhere.  Anytime. 

     To Whom do we pray?

     The Lord will never misunderstand you.
     He will not forget what you said the last time.
     He is more than eager to receive you and to listen.
     He is never distracted.

     He can not be influenced against you.
     He understands.

     He loves you so much that He will let you have as much of Himself as you will receive.  

     There are many Christians who might say all the right things, but in prayer, seem to treat the Lord as though He has to be strongly influenced, does not care and may not understand the situation.

     Soldier of The Cross,  when God answers prayer, it never matches the scenes played out in the imagination.  In His infinite creativity and faithfulness, He is secure enough to answer in the best way and in the best time.

     He cherishes and treasures His Own, but He loves them enough to prepare them for heaven.  

     He is real and it is all true!

    

     The temptation to fill in the blanks is one of the most dangerous traps to be encountered in the life of the Believer.

     Terrible things happen when a Christian starts guessing or filling the blanks concerning others.  It is one thing to see what is happening.  It is entirely another thing to interpret circumstances according to one's own experience or best guess. 

     There is a pattern that leads to blindness, spiritual death and usually divides the Brethren.  When an unenlightened person decides that he knows what is in the heart of another, he begins to approach the situation according to his own interpretation.  He then decides his opinion is truth and he goes to the next level, always involving a weak Brother or Sister in an attempt to gain support.  This is followed by more speculation and an attempt to connect the dots.

   At this point, the matter has become somewhat of an obsession for the one who has assumed he knows the motives and thoughts of another.  The enemy has swept in freely.  Drama and emotion now motivate the guesser, and the imagination has played out the scene that ends in the most satisfying result.

     By this time, the one who has fallen into assumption is fully deceived.  There is anger, depression, and a fierce desire to be proven correct.    Much, damage is done when Christians are lured into the quicksand of trying to be Heaven's judge and jury.   And, they rarely go down alone.

     Soldier of The Cross, we have clear instruction.  If we don't know, we don't know.  We are not to guess and then act according to our own speculation.  

     Be on the alert with regard to this matter.   Blindness loves to identify itself as sighted.

     We know there are hidden things and they are revealed as the Lord wills.  We ask to see what is really happening and if the Lord wills, we will see.  Stop the whirling thoughts that attempt to imagine every possible motive.  Resist the urge to fantasize about scenes that may or may not have happened.

     There is much work to be done.  The thought life must be clean.  Learn to recognize your thoughts.  If they are not of faith or not in agreement with God, take them captive and lead them away. 

     You have been empowered.
     You have been instructed.
     You have been commissioned.

     Soldier of The Cross, be His and be clean!   

     Soldier of The Cross, you must live by prayer.

     Those who pray do so because they made the decision to obey in this critical matter.
     Those who pray release the Holy Spirit to move in depth and manner that is not possible without prayer.
     Those who pray do not try to manipulate the lives of others in prayer, but want for them the vast Treasure that is in Christ.
     Those who pray are sensitive to the Holy Spirit and are not easily duped.
     Those who pray are those who are in God's Word and are fueled by it.
     Those who pray do not consider themselves responsible for the outcome.
     Those who pray learn to leave their burdens with the Lord.

     Those who pray recognize those who pray, because they quickly recognize Jesus.

     Soldier, pray aloud.  If you do not pray aloud, your attempts to pray will turn into wool-gathering and the thoughts will dissipate into wisps of nothing.

     No prayer, no Lordship.

     It seems to me that Christians are all too eager to jump in with advice.

     There is a great saying in Spanish.  The translation is, "No one knows what is really in the pot- only the spoon that stirs it!"

     When approached with a request, the Brother or Sister must be prayerfully available to the Holy Spirit.  Often the best thing is to listen and pray.  Sometimes the reminder of the most familiar verses is what is needed.  Other times, the Lord may bring to mind a word of wisdom or some firm exhortation.

     All too often folks charge in where angels fear to tread.  Advice is one thing.  Holy Spirit counsel is another.

     In our women's Bible study, we have a policy that I faithfully enforce:  if someone wants to bare her soul and share a matter, no one else may jump in and start trying to help by giving advice.  Often such a thing is a ministry of spiritual death and cripples the listener in the very area that needs healing or release.

     I do not cheapen the experience of those who have gone before.  I have a dear friend who is now in her eighties and from childhood has truly been a Soldier of The Cross.  I have never asked her for an opinion or for advice, but she has often volunteered these to me.   We have been prayer partners and have shared the Lord with each other for many, many years.  I have listened carefully to everything she has said, including her suggestions about my marriage, my hair, my bible teaching and my travels.

      Those who are hungry for the Lord will seek out those who are following hard after Him.  Those who are occupied with Him and are determined to let Him have His way in the deepest places, are also attracted to Wisdom and will not spout off casually.

      There is a difference between a multitude of counselors and a crowd of advisors. 

      His sheep hear His voice.

     For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood [by God].
        I Corinthians 13:12

     We are living a miracle.  We have been born into the Royal Race and all the privileges are ours.  We can pray.  We have the Indwelling Holy Spirit.  We have each other and God's Word.

     Although many Christians seem to feel poor, we know our Father owns all that exists.

     Yet, we are so needy. 

     We need each other.  
     We need repentance. 
     We need the Bible. 
     We need prayer.
     We need correction.

     We need to learn to lean on Him.  

     Soldier of The Cross, Do the Everlasting Arms exist?  We know so little and our sight is limited.   The flesh wants desperately to exert independence.  The Spirit yearns to lead us into deeper and deeper dependence on Him.

     It is a matter for prayer.
     Aloud.

     Lord, as I stand before you tonight, I submit to you in the area of the thought life.

     I know that I must learn to take each thought captive and lead it away if it does not line up with your thoughts.  The tug to bend with the thoughts is strong, but I want you more than anything.  So Lord, I submit to you and ask that you do whatever is needed in me to bring about your likeness in this area.

     Lord, I need you so.  Please teach me and encourage me in this area. 

     I want  nothing but you.
     I humbly bow before you and ask that you change me, my Lord and my God.