I used to have a sign on my university office door that read "for God so loved the world, that He did not send a committee."

     Someone stole the sign.  But to this day I am still convinced that the things of the Lord should not be run by taking the average of the available,  strong opinions.

     So much of the time, strong opinion is offered to leadership because someone is bothered by something.  The annoyance is usually compounded by impatience, and by that time there is no room at all for the Holy Spirit.  The flesh has taken a corner in the ring and is dancing to spar.

     There is no such thing as perfect leadership and if God has appointed the leader, there will be humility.  If God has appointed the leader, it is evidenced in his or her faithfulness.  It is also evidenced in the spiritual growth of those around.

     There should be room to say the thing that ought to be said.  There should also be wisdom and restraint to the extent that it is sight, and not offense or worry that offer the opinion.

     Soldier of The Cross,  we are not left to figure things out.  We can go before the Throne of Grace and ask for wisdom and guidance. 

 
     Does He listen? 
     Is He interested? 
     Is He able?

     Isn’t it His Church?

     Soldier, there is no point of arrival.

  
     We are learning to depend on, follow and lean on Him.  That is not easy for the flesh.   And, there will be no time on this earth when any Christian steps onto some plateau that stands above human frailty.  He and He alone is the Rock of Ages, and we do not become little satellite Rocks.

     Yes, we are adopted Sons and we live in the Kingdom of Light.  Nevertheless, we are to follow Him.  We are not to become independent and improved.  While we can revel in and partake of His perfection, the Bible teaches us that we are needy and do not outgrow our need for Him.

     We also need each other.  Those who try to be lone rangers are always odd, at best.  We were intended to love each other.  To lay our lives down for each other.   

     Soldier, be a forward looking Christian.  We are moving through life with a stunning and unstoppable momentum.  There is a Plan and it does not include living only for this life.

     Memorize the Word.
     Pray.  Aloud
     Read the writings of those who have gone before.
     Be available to love sacrificially.
     Pray more.

  
     There is nothing else.  
     There is no one else.

      When asked what they want in life, many Christians will answer well.

     They will say that they want to be good Christians.  They may even say they want to know the Lord more or they may say they want to serve Him.

     What would you say if asked?  The rubber meets the road in the areas of the thought life.  When the unexpected comes, when comfort is threatened, when the familiar is removed, it becomes apparent what is wanted in life.

     You must want Him and you must tell him so.  Otherwise, life becomes a day after day struggle to maintain the status quo or to avoid discomfort. 

     This is what makes the Cross so beautiful.  When the Soldier of The Cross takes up The Cross and follows after Him, there is something that is left behind - a Cross Bearer is not able to carry other things - things that get in the way of following after the Lord.

     Remember, we are sojourners and pilgrims.  It is far better to be Under His Wings than it is to be in self-designed, self- preserved, decaying  comfort.

      Soldier of The Cross, you know what He wants.

     He has made it clear that we must take up the Cross daily and follow him.  This is not an ethereal or illusive intellectual exercise.  It happens in prayer.

    Soldier, everything begins in prayer.  Prayer is where the Soldier steps out in faith and agrees with God.  The agreement is followed by deliberate choice, and the Holy Spirit illuminates the path for the next footstep.

     God's plan is not modernized.  It has never changed.  It is about the Cross.

    
     Soldier, it is not your job to change the world.  It is your job to go into all the world and spread the Gospel.  It is your job to reveal Jesus.  It is your job to take up the Cross and follow hard after Him.  It is your job to minister to and love one person at a time. If you obey in the area of His priority, sight and Peace accompany obedience.

     Is there anything else?

     Is there anyone else?

     Are you tired?

     Always?  If someone asks you how you are , is your answer, "tired?"

     Soldier of The Cross, we are about life or death.  We are about rescuing those who cannot rescue themselves.  We are about being with the poor, the lonely, the sick, the shut-in, the imprisoned and the desolate.  Ministry does not depend on how we feel, but on how much is possible.

     One of my favorite stories is that of Corrie ten Boom when she visited a woman who was ministering even though she was crippled with multiple sclerosis..  The evening before the visit ended, Corrie relays the account of the woman laying on the couch, propped up by her husband.  The woman could only move one finger, but as she was a skilled translator, she had spent the last hours pecking at an old typewriter , one key at a time.  Corrie's books were being translated.

     On the day in question, Corrie awoke to learn that the faithful saint had crossed the River in the night and had gone to be with the Lord.

     The lesson?  What is left?  Months, days, hours?    We do what we can.  Love does not peter out and cease to flow because of a lack of physical energy.

     There is so much to do.  Those who attend to themselves only are miserable.

     It is not so hard.  There is always another to love or to encourage.

     Move.

     There are many verses that tell us to expect the Lord.
 

     That means that if we are not expecting Him and looking for Him, we will miss something.  It also means that it is guaranteed He is doing something that can be seen or experienced.

     He should be expected at meetings.
     He should be expected when there has been prayer concerning a misunderstanding.
     He should be expected when we have prayed about finances.
     He can be expected when we pray for healing.  If He chooses to heal the soul and not the body, we can expect His hand to be seen one way or the other.
     He should be expected when asking for wisdom.

     Those who do not expect Him are those who want to be sure they are in control. They seem to think if the Lord could be trusted, He would already have been seen.

     Soldier of The Cross, you were born into the Kingdom of his Dear Son, and that means  a different economy of passing through life.  He who knows no limit has come to our rescue, given Himself for us and is now eager to lead us into explosive, sweet faith.

     Expect Him.
     Wait for Him.
     Look for Him.

     The Lord has allowed just the right things in your life.

     So many look at the lives of others and wish they could exchange their circumstances or mates or children.  Some long for the gifts and talents of others.  These thoughts are always accompanied by low self-esteem and fantasy about how things could or should be.

     You are a Soldier of The Cross.  That means you have told Him He could have your life.  That means you have told Him He can be trusted.  It also means you will take up the Cross daily and follow Him.

     It is the old nature that wants what it does not have.  It is the old nature that presumes it knows more than God.  It is the old nature that bucks the gifts God has given, and wants more.

     He alone knows the beginning form the end and He alone knows what will bring the deepest gold up from the heart.  Depth has never resulted from being spoiled. 

     Look at Him - He who left Glory.  Isn't it remarkable that the One who created the entire universe chose to come as a helpless baby?  And be born in the most unsophisticated circumstances?  And die a humiliating death for crimes He did not do?

     Well, you say we know why.  The Bible tells us all the reasons.

     That's right.

     What about your life?  The difference is, you know His reasons for  His circumstances but you don't know His reasons for yours.   And, you do not need to know.

     Tell Him you trust Him for your circumstances.  Of course we pray for changes and for release and healing.  In the meantime, He knows better than we.  Those who trust Him fully, are those who have told Him so.

     Aloud.

     Why is the exercise of faith so difficult for so many?

     Because it means obedience. 

     This is not about rules and regulations or do's and don'ts.  This is about taking the Word of God into prayer on every level.   Soldier of The Cross, the Christian life is  not a puritanical gauntlet.  It is an open and free frontier of faith that leaves predictability behind.

     The issue is, is it your way or His Way?

     The Apostle Paul has much to say about the flesh.
 

      It has been said that the flesh is fallen human nature under the power of sin.
 

     Soldier of The Cross, the Blood of Jesus executed the old nature according to God's Word.  We live in a fallen world and choices must be made.  But you are no longer helpless or under the power of gravities that do not align with God's Word.

      The flesh is a distraction and those who would follow the Lord need to understand there is no room for resentment,  the need for attention, passivity, the seeking of comfort or the exalting of self.
   

     The world is desperately looking for His Life.  Life that cares about others first.  Life that loves unconditionally.  Life that ministers Grace.  Life that flows no matter what.

     Soldier, why would you not choose whatever He says is best?  You know you can't go back.  You must go forward.  We who know Him understand that we are preparing for eternity until we draw our last breath.  How deeply do you care about others.

     The whole world is looking for love. 

     Go!

       It is His call.

 
      Have you determined that He knows best?  Have you told Him that He can do anything He wants to with your life?  Have you told Him that your heart is to be a Living Sacrifice according to Romans 12?

     Soldier of The Cross,  who is calling the shots?  You?  Your children?  Your parents?  Your friends?

     Hallelujah that we have the Word of God.    Soldier,  we will all stand before the Throne.  Make sure your goal is to hear " Well done, good and faithful Servant. . . "