SOLDIERS OF THE CROSS – Wednesday September 21st 2016
Memorise: Thou therefore
endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 2nd Timothy
2:3
Read: 2nd Timothy
2:1-4, (KJV)
1 Thou
therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2 And the things that thou hast heard
of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be
able to teach others also.
3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a
good soldier of Jesus Christ.
4 No man that warreth entangleth
himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen
him to be a soldier.
Bible in one year: Ezekiel
1-3, Psalms 65
MESSAGE
The word ‘soldier’
appears in the Bible quite frequently, along with a number of synonymous terms.
A soldier is a person involved in military activity, one who is specially
trained for war. In Bible days, the phrase ‘men who drew the sword,’ was
commonly used to identify a soldier’s primary function as a combatant and to
symbolise warfare in general. Ephesians
6:11-17, is a Bible reference comparing the
weapons of a fully armed Roman soldier to that of a Christian’s spiritual
armour. In recruiting earthly soldiers, some are chosen while others who are
unfit are dropped. The fact that you are born again shows that you have scaled
through the first selection hurdle. The next thing is to prove that you are a
good solider of Jesus Christ. Why? There are bad soldiers of the Cross. There
are many supposed soldiers in God’s army who are no better than earthly
civilians. In 1st Timothy
6:12, Paul enjoins fellow Heavenly soldiers to
fight the good fight of faith. We have been called into a fight. It is a fight
that is based on your faith in Christ. 2nd Timothy
2:4 says: 21 September 2016 open heavens
“No man that warreth entangleth himself
with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be
a soldier.”
Open Heavens 21
September 2016:- Soldiers of the Cross
The chosen is also
expected to be a soldier. Therefore, if you cannot fight to resist and
terminate Satan’s operation in your life, family or church, you are a civilian
not a soldier. If you cannot fight for God’s promise to be fulfilled in your
life and circumstances, you are a civilian, not a soldier. Can you imagine a soldier
who is armed and at the battle front drops his weapons, only to plead with
fellow soldiers to assist him in shooting at his enemies? That is a civilian
solider! In the Christian faith, there are many civilian soldiers. If you keep
relying on others to pray for you, you are a civilian solider. If you pay
prayer contractors to go to Prayer Mountains on your behalf while you are
asleep at home, you are a civilian soldier.
Civilian soldier make
God nauseous. If you are a soldier of the Cross, you must endure hardness. If
because of little trials- delayed conception, no money, or some persecution,
you decide to call it quits with your faith in Christ, you become a deserter,
not a soldier. Soldiers are tough and able to go through tough and difficult
terrains. What would stop civilians cannot stop soldiers. They are armed,
disciplined and operate according to the orders of their superiors. They are
faithful to their oath to defend and kill identified enemies of the kingdom.
They fight, putting their lives on the line. The big question that every
Christian must answer with all sincerity is, are you a soldier of the cross, a
deserter, or a civilian?
Prayer Point
Father, I am determined to
be a soldier of the cross, please help my resolve to stand for you and the
Gospel in Jesus’ name.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional, written by Pastor E.A
Adeboye
Title :
21 September 2016 Open Heavens:- Soldiers of the Cross
Description : SOLDIERS OF THE CROSS – Wednesday September 21 st 2016
Rating :
5
