We are told to resist the enemy, and it is he who will take flight.

     It seems to me that it is the Believer who so often takes flight.  We have been given the armor, the Sword, and instruction to stand.   There is no reason for passivity or ungodly compromise. 

     While it is not by our strength, we are expected to actively appropriate what we have been given and we are to affirmatively run the race.

     The flesh operates in greasy seduction.  As Amy Carmichael put it, ". . . Silken self. . ."  Without God's Word afresh and private prayer (which I believe should be aloud) there is no energy or endurance for the battle.  This is the greatest lack in the church today and the reason so many Christians are seeking to feel good and are ending in shipwreck.

     Soldier of The Cross, look straight ahead.  The busier you are, the more you must protect your private time with the Lord.   Then there is sight.  Then, there is a drawing on His strength.  Then, the insignificant exposes itself.

     Then, He can be seen.
 

    What a wild little member the tongue can be!

     I am always newly amazed at what people say to one another.

     My godly father was a wonderful example for me, and the older I get, the more precious that example becomes.  I never heard him utter a harsh word.  On many an occasion I watched him remain silent or offer a gentle response when most would have tried to even the score.

     Soldier of The Cross,  we must have speech that reflects who He is and what He has done in our hearts.
     The mouth of the Believer should be clean.  There is no excuse for cursing or filthy language in the life of a Christian.  It opens the door for the enemy, and it also pours oil on the fires of anger.  It compromises communication and fills the atmosphere with darkness.  If there is any such issue it must be dealt with in prayer.

     The mouth of the Believer should be available to declare Truth.   To encourage one another in the Lord.  To sing and to praise.   The Holy Spirit is grieved and quenched when there is a misuse of the tongue and the ground must be recovered.

     This is not a small thing.   Where there is argument instead of discussion, it ought to stop.  Slinging back a barbed comment in response to one received, is simply returning evil for evil. 

     The Soldier of The Cross must have a mouth that is yielded to the Lord. 

     It isn't about being perfect. 
     It is about being changed.
    

    Every Christian knows that he is taught to live in Today.

     Soldier of The Cross, your attitude can be predetermined.  For example, do you really believe the Lord leads? 
 
     If so, are you available? 
     If you are available, will you tell Him so? 
     If you tell Him so, will you be eager to reflect Him rather than tomorrow’s circumstances?
     Are you interested in Him enough to deal with this matter in prayer before tomorrow?

     Every breath, every decision, every word - all of life in Christ is about eternity.  The "land of endless days."  Soldier, we are sailing Home.  There simply is nothing else.  We must stand in prayer and give it to Him over and over and over.  There is no arrival in this life, and it must not be sought.

     It is about taking up The Cross and following Him.

     Did you mess up today?
     Deal with it in prayer while it is still today.

     Grief and depression are bordered when the Believer is willing to just do the next thing unto the Lord.

     There is nothing else.
     There is no one else.  
   

     In addition to saving us, the Lord also restores.

     When God restores something, it is far better than it was before and His Glory is all over it.  

     Years of decay and neglect can be obliterated in an instant if His hand is to it.  He shines radiantly out of the most pulverized formations when He is allowed.  The deepest scars don't disappear with analysis.  They turn into Ebenezer stones when room is made for Him.

     You never know what He is going to do. 

     You do know that He is preparing you for heaven and He is doing it now.

     If you are fully His, then He is fully yours. 
   
     He will take the situation and He will reveal Himself in it. 
     You must be willing to let Him.

    There is a wonderful old song entitled "Tis the Song of the Soul Set Free."

     I have not heard it for many years, but it was often sung in church when I was a child.

     It strikes me that there are many believers who have not yet had the experience of being set free because it is either not what they really want, or they do not understand the grand freedom that is to be found in Christ.

     Some are addicted to trouble and must be a victim all the time.  Others are still trying to live out the Christian life in the natural instead of the supernatural.

     Soldier of The Cross, this matter does not need to be a problem for you.  When the door is opened and He comes in to sup, there is a song in the heart.  It is the organic result of sweet, intimate fellowship with Him.

     Take it to Him.  If we are told that we must have a glad heart always ( I Thessalonians 5:16) then it is a matter of being available and obedient. 

     I remember being prisoner one minute and being free the next. 

     I will sing about it for all eternity.

     Neither you nor I know what is best for us.

     We have the Word of God, and so we have Light for living.   We are aware of the things that feel good, that feel bad and we evaluate everything around based on what we think the result will be.

     Because He has said that He alone knows what is best and will withhold no good thing from us, we disobey unless we agree with Him.  The attitude must be one that reflects truth.  Real truth.  Not just our assessment of the circumstances.

     What is your attitude about change?
     About being stretched?
     About loss?
     About forgiveness?
     May He do absolutely anything with your life?  Or are there limits?

     In the vastness of His depth there is the assurance that He does not make mistakes.

     He has called you and you have responded.  He is asking for a response that reflects absolute trust concerning the unknown and the things that seem to threaten security.  After all, there is no security outside of a faith-walk.

     Soldier of The Cross, everything falls under this.

     The living sacrifice does not lie on the altar, all the while fretting and moaning about his position.  He chose to be there and his attitude is that of one who has set aside his right to run his own life.  He does not wave a list of grievances. He now belongs to another and will not have anything to do with a diluted purpose.

     For the Soldier of The Cross, attitude is something that is predetermined.  It happens in prayer.   Standing before the Lord and praying to be changed makes more room for the Holy Spirit.  Agreeing with God allows the Christian to wear an attitude that reflects the Lord.

     What a privilege!

     Lord, I am so grateful that you called me to yourself.

     My tendency is to deal with the immediate, but my stated desire before you is that you would teach me to invest in eternity without giving in to distraction.   My Lord and My God, please do whatever is needed in the deepest parts of me, in order to bring about your likeness in me.

     Again Lord, I tell you that I want to be so available that I can be easily led by the Holy Spirit.

     I love you.  There is none other.  I love everything about you.    I love your creativity.  I love your faithfulness.  I love it that you are the Rock of Ages.

     Lord, please let me recognize you more quickly.  Please fill me with your love.    Reveal yourself to me anew.

     Change me.
     Use me.
     Please reveal yourself through my life

     When will He answer?

     Why does it appear that He is not going to do anything about it?

     Remember, time is a dimension designed to compel mankind to make decisions concerning eternity.   His relationship to time is different than ours.

     What does the bible say?

     He heard you.  He is never late.  Unless you are deliberately disobeying, He has you right where he wants you for today - even if it is not where you want to be.  He is the great Communicator and has no trouble letting you know when to do what.

     The One who holds the stars in place is also holding you.

      What stirs you the most?

     The brain rams at the situation over and over in an effort to gain just a little control in the form of understanding the situation.

     It just can not be understood right now.  This is a time to take it to Him and let Him have all of the matter - by faith.  This happens in prayer and will probably need to happen over and over and over.

     He who listens is able.  Completely able.  If you had the capacity to understand it, you would not be struggling so hard to get a handle on it.  It is what it is, and only He knows why and how it will play out.  Of course we pray these things through, but not because we understand. 

     No faith, no release.

     Soldier of The Cross, He does things that seem strange to us.  Our responsibility is to trust and obey.

     No matter what.