I never served in the military, but have had the privilege of meeting many current and former active duty soldiers at different stages of my life. I often feel like a “thank you for your service” is not nearly enough to express how grateful I am for their commitment to keeping our country safe. In many cases, you hear stories about long deployments that kept them away from their families, assignments that placed them in harms-way where they were permanently injured; or even times where they were constantly threatened in a foreign land where they were sent to protect the local residents. The life of an active soldier seems to be filled with opposition. The life of a disciple of Jesus often follows a similar pattern.
In 2 Timothy 2:3-4, right after Paul reminds Timothy that he wants him to share what he has learned with others, he points out the fact that Timothy will “suffer hardship with as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. He follows it up with, “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” For the follower of Christ, avoiding entanglement is critical to fully and completely letting Jesus be Lord of our lives. But what entangles men? What are some of the daily battles we fight and how can we gain victory over these areas of our life that can derail our “active service” for the Lord?
Different parts of the world provide their own unique challenges for followers of Jesus who are engaged in active ministry. In first world countries, many of us don’t “fight” for where we are going to get our next meal, or live in fear for our lives when we leave the house each morning. In fact, the battles we face are often in our own minds and it is important to understand what they are, and how Jesus Christ provides the path to victory. As I consider my own life, I realize there are five battles which often entangle me in the affairs of everyday life and derail my focus on serving my Lord and master, Jesus Christ. These battles are: pride, greed, lust, comparison, and selfish ambition. Each one is different from the other, but in many cases they are connected by my desire to live my life any way I choose. However, if I am thinking like a soldier, I am sizing up my enemy, preparing for the fight, and looking for ways to give myself an advantage before the battle begins.
One thing the Bible clearly tells us is that as a man thinks in his mind, so he is. God provides the first part of the “battle plan” for His soldiers to equip them for victory in Romans 12:1-2. Paul includes phrases such as, “consider your body a living and holy sacrifice”, and “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your MIND” to provide us with a path to victory. Being a soldier of Christ requires sacrifice and a commitment to renewing your mind daily with God’s word. Are you going to God’s word to know what He says about pride, or greed, or any of the other battles you know you face? Do you know God’s expectations of His soldiers? Start today with renewing your mind. Use your Bible now to prepare for today’s fight!
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