Soldier of The Cross, do the next thing with all of your attention and might.

     There is pain.  There is devastation.  There is death.

     So Soldier, your job is not to deal with the whole thing.  Your job is to do the next thing.

     Period.

     And, take it to Him aloud, so that you have the assurance of being able to rest in The Everlasting Arms.

     Do this aloud,  He will lead you in your words.

     There is a long-standing definition of integrity;  the good choices you make when no one is watching.

     For the Believer, it goes far beyond that.  God's Word lets us know that all unseen powers are watching us, both holy and unholy.

     We re not performing, we are simply obeying.  But nothing goes undetected. 

     We walk in the Light, and I believe that light often radiates to the extent that there is privacy between the believer and God -for example in prayer. 

     Nonetheless, we are sojourners and pilgrims, moving toward our Eternal Home, and we are always being carefully watched.

     Go to Him with abandon and do it aloud.  Although all can see you are praying, He protects His privacy with His Own.

     There is not one word in the Bible that promises the avoidance of heartache.

     He has promised healing and restoration, neither of which fits any formula.

     You are a Soldier of The Cross.  This means you have committed to submit to him and He may do anything He wills with your life.  In fact, you tell Him that daily.  But this doesn't mean you are safe from pain, seeming failure, betrayal or slander.

     It means that underneath are The Everlasting Arms.
     It means that  it will all be made clear in the end
     It means that he can sweeten the pain, and He does that when you come to Him in prayer and pray about the matter according to His Word.

     And it means you submit to him in all things so that He is free to prepare you for eternity.

     For you, Eternity started the day you were born.

    Take it to Him.  Aloud.
     Then, look up and move on!

     The enemy loves to remind you of the past.  When he does, he flashes before you images of events that are often remembered by no one but you.

      Reflecting the public or private miseries of the past is equal to putting up a sail to catch the winds of defeat.  What can possibly be gained?  If during prayer, the Lord brings to mind something that should be brought to Him for repentance,  that is different.

     We are being prepared for Eternity.  We are to be forward-looking.

     Take the matter to Him, and do it aloud.
     Then, look up and move on!
 

     How did you ever get here?

     You prayed about it. You followed the Lord, you have done and are doing your best, and yet things appear to be getting worse.  In fact, it cannot continue this way. 

     All around you there are monuments to your commitment.  People.  Investment.  Children, especially.  What can you do?   You are offering up desperate prayer all the time.

     There is deliverance.  Stop letting your mind whirl round and round about the situation and treat it as though you had only a few hours to live.  Do the next thing before you with vigor and trust.  Let Him have room to make something out of nothing.  Let Him have room to do the impossible. 

     His solution and deliverance is something not possible to imagine.  So, stop trying to imagine it.  You will find a soothing peace and a confidence in His attention to the situation.

    Leave it with him, and do it aloud.  Even if it is every hour. 
    Do it and make sure it is aloud.

     There must be a vision for service.

     There are so many stories of those who have had crippling handicaps, yet served to the last breath.

     Soldier of The Cross, what about you?  Is your life about you, or is it about taking up The Cross daily and following Him?   We all need to be reminded of the basics all the time.  The reality is,  this world is not your home.

     Clean up your thought life by prayer.
     Clean  up your mouth by prayer.
     Clean up your private habits by prayer.
     Clean up your schedule by prayer.

     Soldier, everything in your life must be brought before Him.  How else can you be transformed?   He will never force Himself on you.  He is always knocking at the door of your heart.  What does it mean to have Him come in and "sup" with you?   Are you interested in that?

     Oh, Soldier!  Please, please consider eternity.

     Come before Him and remind Him you are available for anything and everything He wants with your life.

     You can't say it if you don't mean it.
     Say it aloud.

     If you have decided to serve the Lord no matter what, and if you have asked to be more like Him, you will already have run into one or more Christians who intend or have intended to do you harm.

     When I first met the Lord, a wise man told me that if I were  going into Christian service (that can be diaper-changing, as it is The Cross that matters), I should be prepared to see the ones I helped the most try to hurt me the most.

     How grateful I am to have been warned of this ahead of time.  It has certainly turned out to be true, but this is one of the things that can be pre-determined;  betrayal happen and it  must not slow you down.

     A living sacrifice does not lie on the alter and then whine about how he or she is being treated.

     There is work to do, and nowhere in God's Word does it say that the Soldier of The Cross will be protected from the dirtbags of this world.   It is the eternal that is protected.

     The enemy would do anything to slow you down and have you lick your wounds.  He invariably uses Christians, and most of the time it is a woman.   This is particularly true in matters involving the local church.

     Soldier, take Him at His Word.  No one can harm you  - everything will wash out in eternity.  For now, love much more,  pray much more, and do the thing in front of you with all your might.

     Commit this to Him in prayer.  Do it aloud.

     You must go to church.

     Are you in a home church that is really a church?  Great.  Many or most have started that way.  What you may not do is make excuses for simply not going anywhere.

     Church is not about getting all you need.  Church is about laying down your life for the Brethren.  Your children desperately need to be raised in a church.  So, drive for an hour each way, but go to church.

     Soldier of The Cross, this is about being a Living Sacrifice.  Go somewhere and be the seed that dies.  Life will spring up around you.
    
     If you are not assembling together, you are opening yourself up to deception and a form of numbness.   The enemy loves it.

     Bring it to Him, and do it honestly - aloud.

     Soldier, you have absolutely no idea what the Lord has for you.

     The issue is, will you be available?  Is there a limit to what He can do with your life?

     You are either a Living Sacrifice or you are not.  It is a decision that must be made, and then you must state it in prayer day after day.   It involves trust.

     Even after singing and agreeing with all of the verses and the preaching, many don't trust the Lord.  So, can He be trusted?  What about you?

     Tell Him.  do it aloud.

     Today.

     What is money?  

     I have heard the wealthy say they feel poor, and must continue to gain more in order to feel secure.

     Very few Christians consider praying "give us this day our daily bread . . ."  So, because of a lack of prayer about this matter Believers often suffer needlessly.

     Soldier of The Cross, your investment must be in eternity.  This does not mean you can't have money.  Of course you must save, and investment is wise.  However if you should lose every cent, you must predetermine that the money is not yours, but that you have been a caretaker of it for the Lord. 

    Financial security does not come from having a lot, it comes from obedience.   The Bible makes it clear that giving is a huge part of financial security.   Those who give out of obedience are also those who know how to pray in their daily bread.

     The New Testament sets forth the obligation for the Believer to support the local assembly as well as other giving.

     Soldier of The Cross, that money is not yours.  f you don't' learn to  pray in your "daily bread", you will have the feeling that it is yours and comes from your own efforts. 

     Resist emotional please for money.  Support the local church - I am a big proponent of tithing.  It's a great place to start.  Then, give as the Holy Spirit leads.  Often you will be led to give what seems to be all you have.  It it is the Lord's leading, He will more than supply your needs, as He has promised.

     Is there one verse in the scriptures that justifies worrying about money?

     If you have a great deal and tomorrow there is another great depression,  predetermine that you are relying on His Provision, not on your bank account.

     There is no security like that of learning to lean on the Everlasting Arms.  Either His promises are reliable or they are not.

     Most do not pray about money until they think there is a crisis.  Prayer about our financial needs should be daily.  That is what we are taught by Him.    

     Do it today.  Aloud