I think today’s church has been very apathetic.  We are supposed to be in a battle, yet most of us are napping, or at the least daydreaming.

Once, daydreaming cost me dearly 

I was in my ninth grade Physical Education (P.E.) class and our coach decided our class assignment would be to play softball. I did not care about softball.  Softball playing might involve sweat and dirt.  Such things were not in my wheelhouse.

“Winn, come up here, you’re going to be our next catcher,” Coach ordered. Obediently, I trotted up to home plate, crouched down into my idea of what a catcher’s stance would look like, and positioned my hands just so.  If I had been paying attention at all, I would realize the next hitter had a habit of stepping back when she connected with the ball.  But no, I was occupied with thinking about whatever ninth grade girls dream about. Smack! The batter connected with the ball by first smacking my hand with the bat. Needless to say, I had a broken hand to deal with for the next six weeks.

It could have been avoided if I had just been alert!

Spiritually speaking, how many times could failure have been avoided if we had been awake, armed and ready for battle.

The Word says we are to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ; in fact, we are going to have times of enduring hardship.

“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.  Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  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.” 2 Timothy 2:2-4

Have we gotten ourselves so wrapped up in this earthly life that not only are we no threat to the enemy, we don’t even realize we have an enemy?

I started thinking of our call to be soldiers for Christ. What does a soldier, a person in today’s military, do to get ready for battle?

Training for Christ

When a soldier goes to boot camp, he must train.

A Christian soldier must study. Instead of building physical muscles, he needs spiritual muscles.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

When the enemy tries to lie to you, if you know the word, you can tell what the truth is.

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32

When satan tries to bind you up with lies, the truth makes you free. 

You don’t have to fall into the trap that is laid before you when you know better!

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:5-7

If you have been abiding, dwelling in His Word, fruit will start showing in your life. Remember what happened to the disciples?  People took note that they had been with Jesus. See Acts 4:13 They knew they were unlearned men, no college degrees, no fancy titles, yet there was just something commanding and powerful about them. It was the Jesus in them!

It takes work to really know the Word! 

I’m not talking about reading the bible through in a year (although that’s a good thing).  Many times when people are on a quest to read the bible in a year, they are racing along and not really letting the word sink deep down in their spirit.  They are not meditating or memorizing it. I’m talking about getting the word deep down in your spirit where you really KNOW what it says.  That takes work – it takes effort!

A military man might have to hike 20 miles wearing all his equipment.

Can we work just as hard learning to be soldiers for Christ?

Join me next week as we examine how a soldier is equipped.

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