Do it Ahead:

     So many things can be predetermined.

     When the Spirit-filled Soldier of The Cross steps into this level of obedience, the Indwelling Holy Spirit meets the crisis by sweetly reminding the injured one about the decision made by faith and brought to the Lord in prayer.

     For example, you can decide now that your possessions belong to the Lord and not to you.  Inasmuch as we all know we can't take them with us, it is critical that we understand everything comes from Him and He can have His way with anything.

    Under no circumstances is God waiting for this kind of yieldedness in order to have a chance to clobber someone, but He is looking for someone who trusts Him more than they trust the false security provided by owning nice things.  Release from the need to own.

     There is always something inconvenient.

     You can make the decision now that if your house burns down, you will acknowledge that you will not have "lost everything" and that it is not a life-stopper.

     I had taught this in a bible study years ago, and did a mini-series on it.  Only a few weeks later, one of the families came to stay at my house with their three children.   They had never done this before, but someone was arriving at the airport at 5 in the morning and it was more convenient to stay somewhere near the airport..   The woman was a musician and had just gotten a new piano. She was also a harpist and had a fine harp.

     At 5 in the morning, the Dad went to the airport and on the way the sheriff called from the family's home location about an hour away.  Their just-built house had burned down, and absolutely everything was lost.   It had been assumed all were dead because a car had exploded in the garage.

     Because Mom had come to the Lord with this ahead of time, she was calm.  That means the children were calm.  It was inconvenient and took years to replace things, but the decision made ahead of time meant protection from the thoughts and emotions the enemy loves to project when things go "wrong."

     What if you told the Lord you want to pray for the person who cuts you off in traffic instead of saying unpleasant things about them out loud as you drive?  How life- changing is that?

     Do you always want to have the last word?

     We need to pray about the matters that snag us or or might snag us as we pass through the wilderness.

     Soldier, this is important.   We need to see God. To pursue Him. It means learning to yield and learning how to pray about areas He wants to heal.

     Take these things to Him in prayer as they come to mind. Do it aloud because if it is not aloud, thoughts tend to wander and fade off like fog.

     Then, look up and move on!