Open Heavens 11 June 2016: Saturday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Soldiers of the Cross I

Topic: Soldiers of the Cross I [Saturday 11, June 2016]
Memorise: Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. – 2 Timothy 2:3
Read: 2 Timothy 2:1-7 (KJV)
 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.
Bible in One Year: Ezra 1-3, Ecclesiastes 5:10-20
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.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
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