Know Your Enemy!

Eph. 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Is Satan powerful?  Yes.  Is God more powerful?  Absolutely.

"He ain't got no teeth!"

Writing in Moody Monthly, Carl Armerding recounted his experience of watching a wildcat in a zoo. "As I stood there," he said, "an attendant entered the cage through a door on the opposite side. He had nothing in his hands but a broom. 

Carefully closing the door, he proceeded to sweep the floor of the cage." He observed that the worker had no weapon to ward off an attack by the beast. In fact, when he got to the corner of the cage where the wildcat was lying, he poked the animal with the broom. The wildcat hissed at him and then lay down in another corner of the enclosure. 

Armerding remarked to the attendant, "You certainly are a brave man." "No, I ain't brave," he replied as he continued to sweep. "Well, then, that cat must be tame." "No," came the reply, "he ain't tame." "If you aren't brave and the wildcat isn't tame, then I can't understand why he doesn't attack you." Armerding said the man chuckled, then replied with an air of confidence, "Mister, he's old -- and he ain't got no teeth."

That’s the devil.  Ever since Jesus died on the cross, he "ain’t got no teeth."  He can growl and he can roar, but he’s a defeated foe. As long as you stay in league with Jesus, there is nothing he can do to hurt you.

But ignore him.  Pretend he isn’t there.  He’ll be all over you.  You have to be up to the spiritual battle.  You must always be on your guard.  One final verse.

1 Peter 5:8-11   Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

10        And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Living in the Land of the Un-graced

I have a confession to make. I have never told anyone what I am about to tell you. Not even my wife, though I think she must have suspected something. And I struggle with how to tell you this news this morning. Yet I feel the time has come for me to confess this to you honestly. And I will understand if you do not want me as your youth director after I confess this. I am prepared to accept that.

I am a terrorist (more like an unholy terror). Let me be quick to also add that though I belong to a group, I am not part of the al Quaida organization and have no responsibility for the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks of September 11, 2001. Though I am a pilot, I have never planned, nor would I ever plan on using a plane as a deadly weapon to bring about destruction of human life. I am also not into biological warfare. Nonetheless, I, and people in my group, can cause sleepless nights of anxiety. We can be ruthless when we feel we need to be. We operate quietly and without detection, for the most part, moving in and out of unsuspecting people, leaving behind us a trail of fears. The FBI nor the CIA has us listed, so they aren’t even watching us. We are pretty much free to move in and out of the population at will. As a matter of fact, we have quite a few operatives on the inside of the government, and to date, word has it that we have not yet been noticed.

My cell isn’t in to a quick death. My group is dedicated to long-term torture. We enjoy watching people dangle on a rope, fear in their eyes and terror in their hearts. And we have the ability to rip, shred and filet almost anyone. And what’s more, we can’t get enough. It’s not something I necessarily want to do. It’s something I almost feel I have to do.

I also have to confess, that many in my cell are are often found sitting with you in church each week. Don’t worry, if nobody moves, you won’t get hurt. Any given week, I see quite a few who are in my cell group and we are recruiting all of the time.

Oh, I’ve tried to get out a few times, but you don’t understand the pressure from the rest of the group. If I were to quit the organization, I would be the next victim on the list… and I’ve seen what happens to those who are considered traitors. It is not a pretty sight. So though I might want to quit, I’m just too afraid.

Who is this group? What is its’ name? Before we have people running out of here calling 911, I suppose I’ll tell you, and then you will have to check and see if you, too, are already part of this group. Our organization is called - Ungraced. The Ungraced Organization or the UO for short. Let me explain.

We are a group of people who, though we are called to live in God’s grace, and though we have accepted His call to do so, continue to distribute un-grace to those around us. And as a result, our words and our actions strike anxiety and fear into those around us and steal delicate hours of sleep. We don’t need biological weapons. Our words and actions alone can do the damage.

When confronted or offended by a Person (or we could call them Person A), does our operative launch a full out offensive on Person A?  No. Too dangerous. Could blow his/her cover as an operative for the Un-graced. Rather, he/she takes their anger and cloaks it in politeness, smiles and handshakes, until they are safely out of the confrontation zone. Then it’s action time!

Quickly gathering their ring of friends and supporters for a clandestine meeting, they plot an all out offensive. The guard is dropped and the statements fly. “Did you hear that?” “What was that about, huh?” “That Person makes me so mad! We can’t let them get away with this! Here’s what let’s do!” And that plan of action is put into effect. A little word here. An insinuating remark there. A well-poised question and the trap is set. Now…a little patience and whamo… Person A is in the crosshairs and running for cover and our operative smiles and knows that Person A won’t be quite so quick with their disagreeable statements the next time out. Person A has been successfully intimidated and is now running on fear.

The situations are different, but the results are the same. Fear. Intimidation. Anxiety. Irritation. Anger. Sadness. Guilt. Loss of sleep. Loss of appetite.    When we choose to operate out of un Grace, rather than God's Grace, we cannot change those results.

Philip Yancey, in his book, “What’s so Amazing about Grace?” recounts the story from Simon Wiesethal’s book: The Sunflower. It recounts a small incident that took place during the “ethnic cleansing” campaign of the 2^nd World War. It is a story that does much to explain what propelled Wiesenthal to become the foremost hunter of Nazis and a relentless public voice against hate crimes. The book centers, interestingly enough, on forgiveness.

In 1944 Wiesenthal was a young Polish prisoner of the Nazis. He had looked on, helpless, as Nazi soldiers killed his grandmother on the stairway of her home and as they forced his mother into a freight car crammed with elderly Jewish women. Altogether, eighty-nine of his Jewish relatives would die at the hand of the Nazis. Wiesenthal himself tried without success to commit suicide when he was first captured.

One bright, sunny day as Wiesenthal’s prison detail was cleaning rubbish out of a hospital for German casualties, a nurse approached him. “Are you a Jew?” she asked hesitantly, then signaled him to accompany her. Apprehensive, Wiesenthal followed her up a stairway and down a hallway until they reached a dark, musty room where a lone soldier lay swathed in bandages. White gauze covered the man’s face, with openings cut out for mouth, nose and ears.

The nurse disappeared, closing the door behind her to leave the young prisoner alone with the spectral figure. The wounded man was an SS officer, and he had summoned Wiesenthal for a deathbed confession.

“My name is Karl,” said a raspy voice that came from somewhere within the bandages. “I must tell you of this horrible deed—tell you because you are a Jew.”

Karl began his story by reminiscing about his Catholic upbringing and his childhood faith., which he had lost while in the Hitler Youth Corps. He later volunteered for the SS and served with distinction and had only recently returned, badly wounded from the Russian front.

Three times as Karl tried to tell his story, Wiesenthal pulled away as if to leave. Each time the officer reached out to grab his arm with a white, nearly bloodless, hand. He begged him to listen to what he had just experienced in the Ukraine.

In one small town, abandoned by the retreating Russians, Karl’s unit stumbled onto booby traps that killed thirty of their soldiers. As an act of revenge the SS rounded up three hundred Jews, herded them into a three story house, doused it with gasoline, and fired grenades at it. Karl and his men encircled the house, their guns drawn to shoot anyone who tried to escape.

“The screams from the house were horrible,” he said, reliving the moment. “I saw a man with a small child in his arms. His clothes were on fire. By his side stood a woman, doubtless the mother of the child. With his free hand the man covered the child’s eyes, then he jumped into the street. Second later the mother followed. Then from the other windows fell burning bodies. We shot… Oh, God!”

All this time Simon Wiesthenthal sat in silence, letting the German soldier speak. Karl went on to describe other atrocities, but he kept circling back to the scene of that young boy with black hair and dark eyes, falling from the building, target practice for SS rifles. “I am left here with my guilt,” he concluded at last:

In the last hours of my life you are with me. I do no know who you are, I know only that you are a Jew and that is enough. I know that what I have told you is terrible. In the long nights while I have been waiting for death, time and again I have longed to talk about it to a Jew and beg forgiveness from him. Only I didn’t know whether there were any Jews left…I know what I am asking is almost too much for you, but without your answer I cannot die in peace.”

Simon Wiesenthal, an architect in his early twenties, now a prisoner dressed in a shabby uniform marked with the yellow star of David, felt the immense crushing burden of his race bear down on him. He stared out the window at the sunlight courtyard. He looked at the eyeless heap of bandages lying in the bed. He watched a bluebottle fly buzzing the dying man’s body, attracted by the smell.

“At last I made up my mind,” Wiesenthal writes, “and without a word I left the room.”

The SS officer soon died, unforgiven by a Jew, but Wiesenthal was liberated from a death camp by American troops. The scene in the hospital haunted him like a ghost. Over twenty years later, he finally wrote down the story and sent it to the brightest ethical minds he knew: Jew and Gentile, Catholic, Protestant and irreligious. “What would you have done in my place? he asked them. The second half of the book records their responses. Of the thirty six who responded, only 6 said he had erred in not forgiving the German.

My thought: The fact that it haunted him and tormented him for so many years would indicate that he had made the wrong choice. Grace extended rarely comes back to haunt you.

Where are you today? God is calling you and I to be gracious people. Not people who arch our backs and dig in our heels when we are provoked. Not people who work to plan our next attack and figure out ways to get what we want. Rather, He calls us to grace. First, for our own needs, and then once we are full of grace, for offering it to others.

The gospel of grace begins and ends with forgiveness. And people write songs with titles like “Amazing Grace” for one reason; grace is the only force in the universe powerful enough to break the chains that enslave generations. God's love and grace alone melts ungrace.

Let me finish with these words 2Tim. 3:1-5   You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!

God is calling you and I to quit the Ungraced Organization. He’s calling us to live a gracious life. One that is quick to forgive wrongs and extend grace, even if the other person isn’t sorry. He is calling you to be one that extends grace in the face of the seemingly unforgivable. There are only two options: Be gracious or get even. Forgive or grow bitter and exhaust your life on making sure they get their just due. Be a gracious saint or an ungracious terrorist. What about you? Are you willing to give up terrorism? Are you willing to release it to God?

Lord, I’m choosing this day, to tear up my card and quite the organization. I’m turning around, again, and saying yes, Lord, thank you for Your grace and that I’m not condemned. Help me to be a gracious person dispensing Your grace and forgiveness to others who offend me. I give You the terrorist in me today. Take it and make me who You want me to be. In Jesus name. Amen.

Only a Boy Named David

We’ve all sung the song.  We’ve all heard the story.  We’ve all been inspired by a little guy taking on the big guy and winning. Ok Pastor Don, we know the story.  Why look at it again?  Why waste the time?  Sure, we know the story, but have we gotten the point of the story?  Have we applied it to our lives as we struggle against the giants in our lives? Go back and re-read the story in 1Sam. 17.  Go ahead.  I'll wait.

What an amazing story!  David, sent out by his father to take supplies to his brothers, is simply going about his daily life when he meets the giant.  Goliath was huge.  The bible says that he was a cubit and a span tall.  A cubit is 18 inches and a span is 9 inches, so that would make Goliath 9’9” tall.    And check out his equipment.  Look at Verse 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; (about 126 lbs)  V.6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back.   7 His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, (between 30-50 lbs) and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. (about 15 lbs)  Goliath is wearing or carrying over 200 lbs of armor and weaponry.  And he has a guy with him who’s only job is to carry his shield.

Not only was Goliath huge, but he had an attitude!  And I’ve met people today that still carry the same attitude. Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me.   9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us."   10 Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other."  

It’s the bully syndrome.  I’m bigger and might makes right.  Come and see if you can do anything about it.  It’s one of the first lessons we learn in the schoolyard.  If you’re a runt, watch out.  And the Israelites had the same reaction that I had whenever the schoolyard bullies came around.  I would try to run and hide.  At the very least, I grew afraid and uncomfortable.

David is going about his duties and greeting his brothers, when the giant enters his life.  He didn’t get up that morning and say, “Hey, think I’ll go kill a giant today.”  His only thought was to do what his father had asked him to do.  But when he gets there, here’s Goliath.  And Goliath has an attitude.  It’s a Yo Mama attitude.  Or closer,  a Yo Daddy attitude. Yo Daddy, yo God, is so weak he can’t even stand up against me.  Yo Daddy is a loser.  If ya’ll are so tough, somebody come on out and do the deed!  Come on, let’s see what you got! And the attitude didn’t sit well with David.

So here he is, just seeking to be faithful to his father’s calling, and now there’s a giant with an attitude.  Ever had one of those days?  When you’re just trying to be faithful and do what your Father asks you to do, and before you know it, you’re smack up against a giant with an attitude.

Pretty intimidating, isn’t it?  Before you know what’s happening, some big, giant, hairy problem is all over you with attitude.  And your first reaction is just like the armies of Israel.  Run, hide and tremble in fear.  Sit there behind your tent and wish that someone would do something to take care of this thing.  Just make it go away.

Why is it when we can’t figure out a solution ourselves, that we just sit and hope the problem goes away?  How is it that we can sit and pine over the problem for days and weeks, anxious and worried about it, but stuck, unable to do anything about it?  It looms large and we feel overwhelmed.  No blows have been exchanged—only words, or ideas.

It’s in times like that when faith gives way to fear, and fear has its way with us.  We let it run rampant in our souls, a giant that keeps us intimidated and paralyzed in our spiritual walk.  We cower in the corner listening to the taunts of  giant fear inside our souls as the icy fingers of dread wrap themselves around the core of our being and begin to choke the life and even the will to live right out of us.  Ahhh, Maybe that’s why we need this story.

We’re the little guy.  Problems, fears, anxieties, issues…those are the giants.  What would God have us do with the giants.  Go back in the story and look at David. 44  "Come here," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!"   There’s the giant talking.   It’s enough to intimidate any of us.  Come here and I’ll rip you up!  Come here and I’ll finish you.  And while the rest of the army hides, David has a response. 

Check out v. 45 David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.   46 This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.   47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands."  

Do you see the response?  Turn to those fears, those anxieties, those issues and in the name of Jesus confront them.  Say, “this day the Lord will hand you over to me and I’ll strike you down.  For the battle is the Lord’s and he will give all of you into our hands.

Notice something.  David relied on the Lord, but he still had to go out to meet the giant.  Some people feel they can’t do anything unless they are rescued.  You still have to pick up the rocks.  You have to put in your time.

David had put in hours practicing with the sling.  The sling was considered a weapon of war.  In their conflict with Israel, the Benjamites, mustered on one occasion, according to Judges 20:16 “seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.”  It was an instrument of war…but they had to put their time in to be effective.  David had spent hours practicing, so that he knew how to use his weapon.  He trusted God, but he still picked up and used a stone.

God wants us to trust Him, but in order to have the faith that we need, we have to put in the time.  Our best weapon in spiritual warfare is the word of God.  The only way to win is to recognize that the battle belongs to the Lord, and launch the rock of His promises.  His promises can turn fear back to faith, anxiety to trust, and uncertainty to a calm assurance. 

2 Peter 1:3-83 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.   4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.   5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;   6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;   7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.   8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We can be victorious too, but we have to put in the time.  We have to practice.  And as the test come, we can learn to meet each one with faith.  And each test passed takes us up to a greater challenge. The lion, the bear and then the giant.

And with that experience under your belt you can begin to meet whatever challenges you face with a renewed faith and trust.  Giants are there to get our attention, but God never intended that they stop us.  He only wants us to refocus on Him and what He wants to do for us.  That’s truly a reality.

Whether it be in our personal lives, or our corporate life as a church, God wants us to face the giants, recognizing that the battle is not ours, but the Lord’s.  And that’s reality.

Reality check here my friend.  What are you turning back from in discouragement and defeat that you should be meeting in faith with the promises of God? Where are you talking discouragement and impossibility when you should be quoting, “For with God all things are possible.”?   What has you cowering in a corner today?

Stand up.  Go out in faith, and with God’s help, kill the giant. 

The Love Response

When it comes to the word sacrifice, we must look at attitudes. Our attitudes. Have they grown selfish and inward, or are they ever expanding to include our fellow man? Are we learning to share more, love more and show God’s love more, or are we too busy, too important or too calloused to be bothered by it all?

Eric Fellman speaks of meeting a Chinese couple in Hong Kong, while traveling to China. He said, "A friend took me down a narrow alley to a second-floor flat to meet a man recently released from prison in China. I knew I would be pressed to carry Bibles and literature on my trip. But I was hesitant and tried to mask my fear with rationalizations about legalities and other concerns.


A Chinese man in his 6Os opened the door. His smile was radiant, but his back was bent almost double. He led us to a sparsely furnished room. A Chinese woman of about the same age came in to serve tea. As she lingered, I couldn't help but notice how they touched and lovingly looked at each other. My staring apparently didn't go unnoticed, for soon they were both giggling. "What is it?" I asked my friend. "Oh nothing," he said with a smile. "They just wanted you to know it was OK--they're newlyweds." I learned they had been engaged in 1949, when he was a student at Nanking Seminary.

On the day of their wedding rehearsal, Chinese communists seized the seminary. They took the students to a hard-labor prison. For the next 30 years, the bride-to-be was allowed only one visit per year. Each time, following their brief minutes together, the man would be called to the warden's office. "You may go home with your bride," he said, "if you will renounce Christianity." Year after year, this man replied with just one word; "No." I was stunned. How had he been able to stand the strain for so long, being denied his family, his marriage, and even his health? When I asked, he seemed astonished at my question. He replied, "With all that Jesus has done for me, how could I betray Him?" The next day, I requested that my suitcase be crammed with Bibles and training literature for Chinese Christians. I determined not to lie about the materials, yet lost not one minute of sleep worrying about the consequences. And as God had planned, my suitcases were never inspected.” Eric Fellman, Moody Monthly, January 1986 p. 33.



Sacrifice comes from realizing that someone already sacrificed for you. It is a love response. And here’s the kicker. If there is no love response, it means, quite frankly, there is no love. In other words, if you are not willing to sacrifice for the sake of Christ, you really don’t love Him. Love means sacrificial action.


Rom. 5:6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The Wicker Basket

The story is told of an old man who lived on a farm in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia with his young grandson.
 Each morning, Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading from his old worn-out Bible.  His grandson, who wanted to be just like him, tried to imitate him in any way he could. 


One day the grandson asked, 'Papa, I try to read the Bible, just like you, but I don't understand it, and what I do understand, I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Bible do? 


The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and said, “Take this old wicker coal basket down to the river and bring back a basket of water.”


The boy did as he was told, even though all the water leaked out before he could get back to the house.
 The grandfather laughed and said, “You will have to move a little faster next time,” and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again.


This time the boy ran faster, but again the old wicker basket was empty before he returned home.
 Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was 'impossible to carry water in a basket,' and he went to get a bucket instead.


The old man said, “I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water.  You can do this. You're just not trying hard enough,” 
and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.
 
At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got far at all. 


The boy scooped the water and ran hard, but when he reached his
 grandfather, the basket was again empty.
 Out of breath, he said, “See Papa, it's useless!”


”So you think it is useless?” the old man said.  “Look at the basket.” 
The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket looked different.
 Instead of a dirty old wicker coal basket, it was clean.
 
”Son, that's what happens when you read the Bible. 
You might not understand or remember everything,
 but when you read it, it will change you from the inside out.” 
 


Moral of the  story: Take time to read a portion of God's word each day; It will affect you for good even if you don't retain a word.

I Am A Soldier

I was reading an old book the other day about the Huguenots, the Waldensians and others that tried to remain true to the commands of God during the Dark Ages, and the contrast  between them and us is absolutely incredible. 

Thousands died cruel deaths; burned at the stake, hurled over cliffs, hung up with meat hooks, starved in prison, and yet very few, if any, turned back from following God. 

Yet today, it seems the slightest thing can turn many of us back from following Jesus.  Our feelings get hurt, so we quit.   Our leadership gets criticized, so we quit.  A pastor doesn’t come visit us at the right time, so we quit.   We don’t want to get involved, so we don’t.   We are afraid to make our neighbor uncomfortable, so we don’t share.  Church doesn't suit our tastes, so we stop attending.  At the slightest hint of resistance, we turn back.  Could it be that the worst enemy the church has is prosperity?

I mentioned this to a friend in another state, and he sent me this piece which I think needs to be our rallying cry.  Read it and see where you stand.  It is entitled, I am a Soldier.

I am a soldier.

I am a soldier in the army of my God;

The Lord Jesus Christ is my Commanding Officer.

The Holy Bible is my code of conduct.

Faith, prayer and the Word are my weapons of warfare.

I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience, tried by

adversity and tested by fire.

I am a volunteer in this army and I have enlisted for eternity

I will either retire from this army at the Second Coming or die in this

army; but I will not get out, sell out, be talked out or pushed out.

I am faithful, reliable and dependable.

If my God needs me, I am there.

If He needs me in Sabbath School to teach children, work with youth,

help with adults or just sit and learn, He can use me, because I am there.

If He needs me in church Sabbath morning, Vespers, Wednesday, revival or

special services, I am there.

I am there to preach, teach, sing, play, pray, work or worship.

God can use me because I am there.

I am a Soldier. I am not a baby.

I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up, pumped up, picked up or

pepped up.

I am a Soldier. No one has to call me, remind me, write me, visit me,

entice me or lure me.

I am a Soldier. I am not a wimp.

I am in place saluting my King, obeying His orders, praising His name

and serving in His Kingdom.

No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy or give me

handouts.

I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for or catered to.

I am a Soldier, and I am committed.

I cannot have my feelings hurt badly enough to turn me around.

I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside.

I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit,

When Jesus called me into this army, I had nothing,

And if I end up with nothing I will still break even.

I am a Soldier, I am committed, I will win.

My God will supply all my needs.

I am more than a conqueror, I will always triumph.

I can do all things through Christ .

Devils cannot defeat me. People cannot disillusion me. Weather cannot

weary me. Sickness cannot stop me. Battles cannot beat me. Money cannot buy

me. Governments cannot silence me and Hell cannot handle me.

I am a soldier. I am committed. Even death cannot destroy me.

When my Commander calls me from this battlefield He will promote me and

then bring me back to rule this world with Him.

I am a Soldier in the army and I am marching, claiming victory.

I will not give up, I will not turn around. I am a Soldier marching Heavenbound.

I am a Soldier. Will you stand with me?

If God is in it, you can do it.

2Tim. 2:3    Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.  4 Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.

2Tim. 2:14     Remind everyone about these things, and command them in God’s presence to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them.

2Tim. 2:15    Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.  16 Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior.  17 This kind of talk spreads like cancer.