Soldiers-Part Three

Here are some verses to consider when you think about engaging in battle
as a soldier of the LORD.

Joshua 1:9-
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

11 Chronicles 20:17-
"You will not need to fight this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you."

11 Timothy 2:3,4-
"You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangle himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier."

Psalm 24:8-
"Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle."

Psalm 140:7-
"O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle."

Daniel 11:32b-
"...but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits."

11 Corinthians 10:4,5-
"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,..."

Ephesians 6:10-18-
"...be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-"

1 Timothy 6:11,12-
"But you, O man of God, flee those things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

11 Timothy 7,8-
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are many other verses about battles, wars, conflicts, weapons, strife, struggles, etc. You can study more by looking them up in a Strong's concordance or online.

I don't know about you, but just reading these verses and typing them out has had a strengthening affect on my soul. Sort of like when you read a book about raising children and you feel strengthened in your resolve to be consistent, strong, and gracious, all at the same time. It's having 'an authority' to back you up that gives you that strength and resolve.

Looking at those verses from top to bottom,
we can notice several truths.

We are never alone in this battle of life.
God is with us. He's fighting for us.
He's our Commander in Chief.
He's got the battle plan.
He's strong and protects our heads.

It's important to know Him.
It's important to endure.
It's important not to let ourselves be distracted.

Our weapons are great.
Know what they are and how to use them.
Put them on and don't take them off at night.

Don't be double-minded.
Don't love the carnal things of this world
and then think you can turn around
and fight against them the next day.

Fortify yourself with healthy 'food'.
Watch the mixture.
Fight the good fight of faith.
Don't think you're off the hook
because you're too old
or not in ministry
or not engaged in hand to hand combat.

And guess what?
It's going to be worth it all.
You're going to receive a crown of life
so keep fighting.

And guess what?
Take a look at Hebrews 11.
It's the Hall of Fame on Faith.
Every one of those people mentioned
messed up big at one time or another.

But eventually, they got up
and kept believing.

That's the biggest battle.
Believing. Having Hope.
And that is our work.
"To believe on Him whom God has sent."

There you go-
That's your first order of business.
Or of battle, I should say.

Believe on Him.
Jesus.
Read the Gospels.
Matthew. Mark. Luke. John.
Read your favorite Gospel 5 times.
And you will get to know Him in a way
you never have before.

Ask Him to reveal Himself through the Scriptures.

He'll be happy to get to know you, too.