OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-SATURDAY-11/06/2016-SOLDIERS OF THE CROSS I-BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
SOLDIERS
OF THE CROSS I
Memorise
Thou
therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 2nd Timothy 2:3
Read
2nd Timothy 2:1-7,
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.
5 And
if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive
lawfully.
6 The
husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.
7 Consider
what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.
KJV
MESSAGE
One of my sons once said ‘For every new
level there is a new devil’. This is very correct in the life of every
believer. I always tell my children that if they are not relevant in the scheme
of things, they cannot be a target of the devil. But, the moment you make up
your mind to obey God, to love God and to serve Him, you become a target for
the enemies, both within and without. As a soldier of the Cross, you do not
fight your battles with physical weapons because it is the nature of a battle
that will determine your arsenal of weapons. As a good soldier of the Cross,
you must be able to endure hardness in the race to heaven. You have to fight
lawfully and follow those rules which characterise a righteous person.
There are many factors attacking the Christian
faith today. We cannot just continue to be passive; there is the need to defend
the Christian faith against modern and post-modern ideologies, so that we can
all lay hold of eternal life. Any Christian who is timid and fearful cannot
carry out the struggles of spiritual warfare.
“Put on the whole
armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”
Ephesians 6:11
Those who were before us were able to stand
strong and give a reason for the hope they had in Christ Jesus, we cannot but
do same. Timothy as an evangelist, did not waste any opportunity, he constantly
stood before men and confesses his faith in Christ. Jesus Christ our master
stood before Pontius Pilate and defended his Son-ship and Kingship.
One
of the ways to be a good soldier of the Cross is to appreciate the works of the
Cross and live our lives to reflect the sacrifices made by Jesus. This we can
achieve when we begin to live a life of purity and godly behaviour. We must
follow the truth that has been received in Christ. The truth that set you free
and gave you liberty must be passed on to others, so that they can experience
what you experienced. This is why our pastors need to go back to the ancient
landmarks of sound apostolic teaching. There is a need for urgency on the part
of the clergy to feed their flocks with the undiluted Word of life.
Hardship will come, Satan will launch all
forms of attack against the preaching of the gospel of Jesus, yet, we must not
allow all these to divert our focus from our primary assignment as soldier of
the cross. Also, don’t allow the affairs of this world to make you a victim in
the battles of life. As a messenger of Jesus, you must do all that is within
your power to please the Owner of your life and be committed to the work of the
Kingdom. It is my prayer that your enemies will miss whenever they target you
in Jesus’ name.
Action Point
Put on the whole armour of
God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Bible in one year
Ezra 1-3, Ecclesiastes 5:10-20
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