Study Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:1-3
We used to be scared of soldiers but not anymore because soldiers have compromised, they now take bribes so not every offence will be effectively punished. Similarly, every believer is a true soldier of Christ and hence, must not compromise in order to meet up to God’s standards. You become what you eat, i.e. what you hear and what you see hence you must constantly feed on God’s word.
There are three major things that have brought the church to the place of compromise and they are: the spirit of religion, covetousness and immorality. These are all distractions the devil has released upon the church and because the church fell for it, Islam is gradually manipulating Christians to leave the faith.
The means by which we remain true soldiers to the end is by enduring hardness. We are called into an endurance battle. In order to endure hardness you must pay attention to the following:
(a) Fighting the good fight (2 Timothy 4:7)
(b) Finishing well
(c) Keeping the faith
You need to endure hardness against the pride of life, lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh.
A soldier doesn’t have a will of his own. He is bent on carrying out the orders of his master.
So long as you are in the kingdom, endurance is inevitable (2 Corinthians 6:4-5). What will validate your work as a true soldier is hard times. If you don’t train hard, you cannot perform well in the field. You can’t make full proof of your ministry until there’s endurance.
Why do you need to endure?
- Our Commanding Officer – Jesus endured (Hebrews 12:2-3).
- My generation depends on it (Matthew 12:46-50)
Prayer line: Oh Lord, grant me the grace to endure hardness in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!