It is a thrill to serve the Lord.    Those who are in love with Him enjoy life.     There is no design that make miserable each Soldier who is fully committed.  In fact, those who are His have the possibility of enjoyment of life that is beyond words.    There is a provision to allow the Soldier of The Cross to walk on the water.  He or she does  not need to fear.    Every need is provided. Even laughter takes on an added dimension when the Lord is in it.    Hidden things are revealed.    Soldier, it is His desire to bring you into eternal pleasure, and it does  not begin after physical death.    Those who are His learn to take pleasure in hardship as well as ease.    Look for Him.  Listen for Him.  Memorize His Word and agree with Him.  He has designed you for infinite delight.  It is the burden that prevents joy, and quenches the Holy Spirit.    Let Him lift the burden and taste freedom.

Lead me to some soul today, O teach me, Lord, just what to say; Friends of mine are lost in sin And cannot find their way. Few there are who seem to care, And few there are who pray. Melt my heart and fill my life; Give me one soul today    Words by Will H. Houghton    Music by Wendell P. Loveless

    He is the Great Initiator and He has created mankind with the capacity to respond to Him.    Not only has He initiated through Creation, but He is always initiating to the available heart.    Soldier of The Cross, how did you become a follower of Him?  How did you learn to recognize Him?  How did you develop a love for His Word and His Own?    Simply by responding.     When you accepted the gift of Salvtion, you entered into the privilege of response.  The Indwelling Holy Spirit allows you to respond to Him in infinite ways, and this response will never end.    He is always available.     He always listens.    He is never impatient.    He is ever eager to bless.    What

   Why should you serve Him with all your might?    When things get rough, why should you believe Him?  Why not take a little digression and indulge old fantasies or revert to old habits?  Why not deal with things as they appear?     Because there is nothing else.  There is no one else.    You can't go back.  you can not crawl back into the womb and unborn yourself.  Once you have been born from above,  it can not be undone.  That means that living as though He were not real, is the ultimate foolish living.    Soldier of The Cross, He touched you. You responded, and He lives within you.     Refuse distraction.    Deliberately feed on His Word.    Go out of your way to serve and be with His people.    Pray regularly and specifically, in Agreement with Him.    He will move you along by revealing Himself.

   God has designed a stunning framework for our period of choosing or rejecting Him.    We dwell in the dimension of time and no moment can be relived in reality.   Each day that passes provides numerous opportunities to obey God.  Of course, the initial act of obedience must be the accepting of His gift of Salvation - by faith.  Then, because of the Indwelling Holy Spirit, there is Power to walk with God in obedience.    Each obedient act and thought leads to an other, Conversely, each choice that moves away from Him leads to more distance and possibly to another and more serious choice.    As we grow older, we realize that the things the world offers are of  no eternal significance and that habits and vectors must be corrected.   The older one is, the greater the realization that time is short.    The Soldier of The Cross must learn to recover the ground.    There may be a sharp tongue.  Perhaps there are secret thoughts that are unhealthy.  Thoughts against others.  Passivity or aggression.    There is no time to waste.  On the other hand, the Soldier who brings the matter to the Lord in prayer does not panic about the brevity of life.    The theme must be "Lord, change me."    We are not leaving  the best - we are preparing for the best.

   Many things will come at the Soldier of The Cross.    The most lethal are natural, human emotions.     Most of the time people do not recognize feelings.  Modern psychology has encouraged the rationalization of and justification of blaming everyone else for discomfort.  The truth is, God's Word is more real than the way that you feel.    When the Soldier of The Cross experiences negative emotion,  there must be a turning to the Word of  God.  That means that the feeling must be recognized and compared with what He has said.    Where in the Bible can you be resentful?    Where in the Bible can you feel sorry for yourself?    Where in the Bible can you ignore the sovereignty of God and blame another for your circumstances?    Where in the Bible can you have a temper tantrum?    Where in the Bible can you entertain fear that prevents obedience?    Where in the Bible can you worry about money, or anything else, for that matter?    Where In the Bible can you be vengeful?    Where in the Bible  can you indulge your need for attention and affirmation?    Where in the Bible does it say you can leave your marriage based on feeling or lack thereof?    Soldier of The Cross, your purpose in Life must be to Love the Lord. That means Obedience to His Word.  He has made clear that He has provided for you in all circumstances and feelings if you will let Him.    Tell Him you are His and His alone.    Tell Him aloud.    Tell Him now.    Agree with God

   There is nothing you could have done by yourself.   In fact, you could not have been born.  You could not have taken your first breath, and you certainly could not have understood anything in school without the God of The Universe. He allows you to drive and to cook.  Only by Grace can you drink liquid.    Soldier of The Cross, He and He alone is the center of each ability, each accomplishment and each increment of growth.  In and of ourselves, we are nothing and we do not have the wherewithal to do a single thing of any kind.     That is why the Apostle Paul tells the Corinthians:        So then, as it is written, Let him who boasts and proudly rejoices and glories, boast and proudly rejoice and glory in the Lord.                           I Corinthians 1:34    Soldier, this is an affirmative act, and it is commanded.    Agree with God.

  Soldier of The Cross, motivation to do the next thing does not come from a feeling of wanting to move on.    It comes from the truth of God's Word.    So many are looking for and even craving a feeling of energy in order to be propelled into the Christian walk.  It will never happen in such a manner.  He has laid out the Way, drawn us into  The Light and sent the Indwelling Holy Spirit in order to give us Power.     Many years ago I had a Jewish friend who was highly educated.  He had everything.    He had looks, money, education and he thought he was above most of society.  As he was finishing his doctorate, he took a position caring for a man who was quadriplegic.    One day I received a desperate phone call from this friend.  He said he was terribly upset and could not work for the quadriplegic man anymore.  When I asked why, he said because the man was too happy.  Unable to understand why that was a problem, I asked why he thought the man should not be happy.    My friend said,  "He talks about Jesus all of the time.  He says 'Praise the Lord"  all the time.  He can't move, he can't go to the bathroom without help and he can't eat.   He has no reason to be happy.  If I continue to work for him, I will have to decide if this Jesus is real.  He is driving me crazy.  How can he possibly be really happy?  I can't stand it!"    I will never forget it.  When we talked later, he had decided that he could not think about it because  the situation was too confrontive.    Soldier of  The Cross, is your life really given over to Him?  Are you willing to yield to the One who holds the stars in place?    Agree with God.

   We all know it is possible to say all the right things and still lack in Love.    It is not possible to minister supernatural unconditional Love, and still say all the wrong things.    We do  not have to agree on everything, but those who have met Him agree on the basics.  And there is Love.  Love that supercedes personality differences and background.  Love that supercedes odor, dirt and warts.  Love that supercedes the past.    He is Love, and where He is, that Love is made manifest.

   The Psalmists compel the Soldier of The Cross to Praise the Lord all the time and in multitudinous ways.    How can this be done?  What is real Praise?  How does one begin?  How does one keep praising?    Praise begins in prayer.  Only by prayer does the Christian see who God is and what He has done.  Yes, there must be God's Word, but without prayer, there is no sight.  Without prayer, there is either legalism or the abuse of freedom.    Thanking the Lord for everything is the beginning of praise.  It is about agreeing with God, no matter what.  When there is obedience in this area, there is a supernatural thankfulness that exceeds any description of the thing  or circumstance for which the Soldier is offering thanks.    When there is thanks for abundance or something thrilling, thanking the Lord makes it clear to the one who prays that God is responsible for all things and that nothing happens without Him.    Then, there is a praise that spills over from obedience. It is a vector and is supernaturally sustained by the Holy Spirit.    Some would have you believe that being whipped up into an emotional state and repeating things over and over results in praise.  Not so.  That is nothing more than getting into an emotional state and repeating things over and over.  There is no spiritual benefit and it does  not bring honor to the Lord unless it is the outflowing of something more.    Christians who do  not praise the Lord feel responsible for running their own lives.  They worry about money and are moody and often resentful of others.    Soldier, agree with God.  In prayer.    Aloud.