Study Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:4
A True Soldier Does Not Entangle Himself
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.
Many Soldiers (Christians) have allowed themselves to be soiled with sin, bribery, immorality etc. All these vices are entanglements which ought not to be found around true soldiers of Christ. Anytime we are entangled with distractions, we displease God. Salvation is not a call for enjoyment but a call for recruitment into the army of Christ. Being a soldier entails putting on the whole armour of God (righteousness, prayer and more) at every [point in time after all no military man goes around without his uniform. Once you get entangled, you end up in a horrible state (2 Peter 2:20). It doesn’t mean you should give up when you make mistake and get entangled with the flesh, sin etc. But you should ask God for forgiveness. Asking God for mercy means confessing your sins in plain language not speaking in tongues to cover up (Proverbs 28:13).
Prerequisite for freedom from entanglement
- He is free from the entanglement of human occupation
- He devotes his energy to fight earthly distractions
- His thought pattern is focused on the Master (the commander) and His heavenly assignment (the commandment)
- The soldier of Christ is in perpetual warfare or perpetual preparation for warfare (1 Timothy 1:18). Everybody will definitely meet this war against entanglement at some point or somewhere. It could be at your workplace or at school or even pleasure from family to leave the faith or wherever. When that illegal bag of money is brought before you, will you sell out? (Romans 8:38-39)
A true soldier is a weapon carrier. We are positioned at different places but we must all have the consciousness that we are soldiers. You don’t play with a military man when it comes to his I.D. or his gun. The military lost their reverence when they began associating with civilians. Similarly, the Christians lost it when they began mingling with sinners. These past years, Christianity has been in the defensive side; it’s time to go on the offensive side.
A Muslim goes into a system with the mindset to influence it for Islam; on the contrary, a Christian enters with the mindset for personal gain. It’s time to adjust. Marriage act, Islamic Studies, Islamic loan are all evidence of Muslims being sold-out to Islam and this is because they understand the message of Islam. Christians on the other hand have failed to understand what God has instructed us to do which is to dominate and promote God’s kingdom everywhere we find ourselves. This is the reason for which most Christians are messing up in leadership positions.
Looking at Hezekiah in the bible, he cried out for mercy when God told Him he was to die and God heard His cry and added 15 more years to his life. In the process, Hezekiah sinned against God, God told him that as a result his next generation will suffer for it. Instead of Hezekiah to ask God for mercy again he relaxed and did nothing about it, he concluded all was well so long as the calamity does not come during his time and he will enjoy peace till he dies (Isaiah 39:8-9). This is the attitude of most Christians today. They feel that they have escaped the calamity of Islam forgetting that their children will meet it if they do nothing about it. You might be thinking you are already old and hence have escaped the calamities of the church which are present now and which are yet to come, how about your children? It’s time to stand for what you believe in!
Prayer line: Lord, deliver me from every form of entanglement in the name of Jesus. Amen!