II Timothy 2:3 – Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. When we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we took on his name as we had become Christians. In doing so, we entered into warfare against Satan and his demons. They seek to distract, disrupt, and destroy as many Christians as they can before the inevitable return of Christ. Therefore, we are constantly at war with an enemy that we cannot see, but who often manifests himself in our lives through trials and tribulations of all types. The Word of God; however, gives us all the guidance and instructions that we need in order to be victorious. All we have to do is follow his instructions, but no one said that would always be easy. During my career in the Army, I found myself in Afghanistan, a true combat zone. In Afghanistan, the enemy constantly tried to distract or disrupt our missions. They tried to kill and wound as many Americans as possible in an effort to demoralize our forces. The enemy Afghans were often very hard to distinguish from the friendly Afghans. They all looked alike, which was part of the enemy’s tactics, techniques, and procedures; they wanted to deceive us. They looked for any opportunity to catch us with our guards down so they could inflict us with casualties. Our military leadership understood this concept and knew what we would be facing on the battlefield. In preparation, they had given us specific guidance and instructions on how to not only withstand the attacks of the enemy, but also on how to counter attack and defeat them. Our discipline and obedience caused my unit to be successful in this, but it was not easy – not at all. We faced many difficult situations. We even lost a few people. Without the preparation, guidance, and instructions that our leadership had provided for us, we certainly would have lost many more. This life’s journey brings us all difficult times, heartaches, and trials. We may even get wounded during our Christian walk. We must remember to stay focused and follow the Lord’s guidance and instructions. He has prepared us for everything that we will face. We just have to learn to put all of our faith in the Lord and trust Him, especially when things get tough. That is when discipline and obedience plays the biggest part in the outcome. This is what draws the line between “soldiers” and “good soldiers” of Jesus Christ. Be a good soldier!
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 17:44:36 +0000
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