Soldier of The Cross, it is not intended that you would understand the matter.

     The issue is, what does the Word of God say?  You do not need to understand,   you only  need to agree with Him.

     Is there some disagreement with God?  Is that possible?

     Are you holding out, or are you willing for His way?

     Is  there anything else?

     Lord, I want to be available to live by faith and faith alone.

     Please do what ever needs to be done in me.  I am so sorry for the times I want to be in control.  I want to be able to move easily into the impossible when you lead there.  I want to be more sensitive to the Spirit.  Lord, I understand little, but I know I want more of you. 

     I stand before you and present myself again as a living sacrifice.  Please change me, Lord.  I want the ground on which I stand to be a place where your Life is shown and where Calvary Love is poured out.

     Let me learn more of you.  Nothing else compares with you.


     Here am I - send me.

     There is no other created being in your body except for you.

     Yes, there is the Indwelling Holy Spirit, Hallelujah!

     But the fact remains that you alone live in the earthly tent and you alone must make decisions every day, hour and minute.  What does this mean? 

      The bottom line is the relationship you have with the Lord. 

   
      Are you yielded to Him and do you reaffirm it to Him daily?
      Are you actively laying down your life for the Brethren?  Or do you protect your schedule?
      Have you determined that your faculties are for service?  Does your countenance reflect this decision?
      Is your money yours for security, or is it His for ministry if He requires it?
      Who owns your children?
      Are you willing to be an intercessor?
      Will you take up the Cross daily and follow Him?  Are you eager to be changed and do you tell Him in prayer?

          Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
          Or we will walk by His side in the way;
          What He says we will do, where He sends we will go,
          Never fear, only trust and obey.   
         

     True forgiveness is a fruit of grace.

     The Believer who has learned to be a minister of grace does not have issues with forgiveness. 

 

     Forgiveness releases the offender from paying for the offense.  It works two ways:  it can release the one who is being forgiven, and it releases the injured party from harboring resentment and the need to even the score.

     Forgiveness does not necessarily mean embracing a villain, particularly when there is no repentance or recognition of the offense, or when it is likely that damage will result from an untimely offer of reconciliation.  It means that there is no score keeping and no mark on the soul from holding on to unforgiveness.  On the other hand, there is a forgiveness that is part of the flow of grace, much like the story of the Prodigal Son.

     I have been forgiven much.  This quality of forgiveness is not permissive or passive.  It is supernatural and comes from the very heart of God.  It is cleansing and healing.  It always issues out of love.

     Soldier of The Cross, those who follow hard after the Lord are ministers of Grace.  They receive forgiveness from Him always and they forgive easily because they have no room for resentment or bitterness.  They are looking at Him.  Following Him.  Listening to Him.  Laying down their lives for the Brethren and spreading the Gospel.

     This is not about being gullible or squishy. 
     This is about being like Him.          

     How are you living?

      The Battle is in the mind and for the mind.

     It seems that the mind loves to seize on the most painful issues and dive into them with masochistic relish.  It can be almost anything - worry about the future, anger or regret about the past, a wrong someone has done, loneliness and a myriad of other problems. It is never the thing right before you.

     The thoughts come sweeping in and they even sound like your own voice. But in fact, it is the enemy shooting these little fiery darts into the mind. Often there is such a lack of freshness in the Lord that the dry kindling catches quickly and soon, the whole soul is ablaze with infection.

     Soldier of The Cross, there is no time to waste.
         
     "and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)"
                 II Corinthians 10:5 (Amplified Bible)

      The thought have to be led away - how does that happen?  First there must be prayer that is specific about the matter.   It is imperative to be always in the Word.    Then, when the enemy strikes, the Holy Spirit will remind you that your thoughts have not been lining up with God's thoughts.  Then you will see that you have choice. 

     Sometimes, you must sing at the top of your lungs.  Other times, you should be seeking out some way to serve - find a nursing home and ask if you can read Psalms to some of the residents.  Memorize verses afresh. 

     Fight!  Lean on Him!  Obey!  We have been born into the Kingdom of Light, and we do not need to think and live as those who have no Lord.

     Most of the time, it is only a problem if it is a problem. And, if He means what He says,  He will attend to it.

     Christians who refuse to obey in this area are passive, pouty and haunted.
     Christians who obey are able to impart Life and reveal Jesus.
    

     Soldier of The Cross, what is your story?

     How do you recount His rescue of you?  It is alive and fresh to you?  Is it delight to share it? Do you in fact, see clearly that you were rescued from eternal death?

     Every testimony is vibrant and is energized. 

 
     In the courtroom, it is not usually difficult to discern who is telling the truth.  The witness who has nothing to hide is more interested in the account than in whether or not he is believed.   He often leans forward and gives detail that frames the point of his testimony.  Everyone in the courtroom, including the bailiff, is riveted.

     We who have met the Lord and have been touched by Him must say so.  So many need to hear.  It can be tough, because the flesh craves approval.  Credibility.

     Look up.  Gaze upon The One who died for you, who named you, who rescued you, called you and now sustains you.  

     Come before Him and go over with Him your salvation.  Do it aloud.  The Holy Spirit will lead you, and you will find yourself delighting in Him.

    Can you name anything more important?

     Soldier, you must pursue Him.  
     Do it in prayer and do it aloud.

     The beginning of Wisdom is, get Wisdom. . . And with all you have gotten, get understanding. . .

Proverbs 4:7

     What is understanding? For the Soldier of The Cross it is the ability to see beyond the immediate words or situation. One with understanding sees things as they are rather than according to his own needs or limitations. It comes through experience with God and is fueled by the determination to run hard after Truth.

     Of course as soon as one says he sees himself as wise or understanding, he is probably neither. Understanding is not merely agreeing with everything presented, nor, is it just a skill for filling in the blanks. It is a flow and is available when the Holy Spirit is allowed to lead.

     Soldier of The Cross, understanding is demonstrated by a ministry of Grace, a mouth that is not casual about truth, consistent living and supernatural Love.  It is a companion to Wisdom.

     The Believer who is available to minister in this way is one who has chosen God’s ways over anything more convenient or comfortable.

     The greatest riches the Lord bestows are always in or released by, hardship.

     May He do the deepest work in you?
     Are you available?

     Tell Him. Aloud.
     Today.

    Nothing stays the same but the Lord.



    Time bears a momentum that contrasts the things that will pass away against the things that are eternal.



     When I was a little child, I was privileged to know and be around scores of older China Inland Mission missionaries who had been forced to leave China.  We moved into a Chicago parsonage that was adjacent to two huge buildings housing the returned missionaries. I remember some better than others, but all spoke of the Christians left behind. What I  remember most was the constant hope and prayer that they could return to the land of their calling. Although some had lost family to the communists, and all had seen heartache and cruelty, the discussions centered around the work of the Lord and the need to attend to those to whom they had been assigned. Although they all undoubtedly left everything behind, I do not remember hearing about possessions.  Just people.  The cause of Christ.  The Body of Christ.



      Far too many Believers are trying to invest in things that are not eternal.   

     Soldier of The Cross, are you aware of your thoughts?
     What are the things that trouble you?  
     Do they concern others or just yourself?
     Are you caught between wanting Him and planting your treasure in the temporal?



     The issue is not where we serve, but whom we serve.  I have been impacted by school bus drivers, prison guards, librarians and even prisoners, whose lives have been about the Lord. He is able to take that which to us appears to be totally inadequate. and use it to His Glory.


          
     We are sojourners and pilgrims, and our lives should reflect this truth.



     He is eager to reveal things that are hidden. Ask Him.
     Then, look up and move on!

    There must be a rigorous private prayer life that lines up with God's Word.


    Much of the church today knows little about prayer.  Most will say the right things,  but when rubber meets the road, personal prayer is last on the list.   


     Without prayer, He is more of a belief than a Person.
     Without prayer, there is little recognition of Him.
     Without prayer, there can be no affirmative agreement with Him.
     Without prayer there can be no brokenness for the lost.
     Without prayer, there is no sense of His provision, and the Believer feels responsible to do it all himself.


     Without prayer, sight is dull and hearing is faint.  Soldier of The Cross, find a physical position that works for you and pray aloud.


     Prayer is fueled by the Word of God.  No freshness, no direction in prayer.
 

     We know there is a Throne of Grace, on which is seated the Lover of Your Soul.


     Everyone who meets with the  Lord daily will tell you the same thing - it can be and often is a battle.  Unlike other duties,this one shirked results in living from one flesh flash to another.


     The most common excuse?  No time.  And, of course, it is not true.

     Those who pray can easily led by the Lord.
     They know Him as their High Tower.  
     Their Fortress.  
     They can see eternity.
     They have seen Him and are more like Him.


      Let the Indwelling Holy Spirit lead you in prayer.


     It is not necessary to feel like it.  Move, and He will lead.