“Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier for Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.” – 2 Timothy 2:3-4 (NLT)
In case anyone missed it, when you become a follower of Christ, when you say yes to laying down your life for Him, you have just enlisted yourself into the army of Heaven. We as believers become soldiers, we become fighters for the faith. Don’t believe me? “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12 NLT) Paul’s words to the church in Ephesus. He understood that believers signed up for a fight, yet our church culture today seems to miss this. And the reason for that is because the enemy has been winning the war for our minds for a long time now.
So what does the life of a soldier look like? Well, a soldier is disciplined in what they do and how they act. They do not aimlessly wander around hoping that everything will work itself out in the end. They know what they are supposed to do, what their mission to accomplish is. And because they have received the training necessary for their mission, they know exactly how to execute it.
When an army lacks proper training and discipline, it is an automatic defeat. The opposing side barely even has to lift a finger to combat them. They defeat themselves by not having the proper tools and knowledge. And this is where we find our current church culture in America.
Not only that, but we have also become so concerned with civilian life that we have no desire to even think about the warfare that still wreaks havoc around us. We have chosen comfort and wealth over the mission of the Kingdom of God. And because of this comfort, we have bought into the lie that, as long as we don’t pick a side, we’re good. We won’t be affected by the war. How is this mindset working out for you?
Dear proclaiming Christian, wake up from your delusional state and come back to reality!
Start with this basic instruction that Paul gives to Timothy: “Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.” – 2 Timothy 2:22 (NLT)
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