All tagged soldier
When I was young in the faith I sang the song "Onward Christian Soldiers" as if I were at war with the world. What I missed in those opening lyrics was the word "as". I missed the fact that this was a song of unity and support for one another and the church; not a call to a spiritually founded world war. I missed the message of 1 Timothy 6... The real war isn’t in the world, it is within ourselves.
It is the Holy Spirit’s job to sanctify us, but do we treat his presence too lightly, and deny him the full access to our spirit that he requires to make this happen... to make us holy? Do we as Christians seek to become better men and women in Christ, but stop short of committing ourselves to the pursuit of holiness, and perfection, that should be our greater goal? Are we satisfied with doing enough to be saved, yet fall short of pursuing sanctification, and holiness?
When we are actively engaged in spiritual warfare we are to stand firm against the enemy, the armies of darkness, but do we pray solely for our own deliverance? Certainly we pray for God to protect us, but any soldier knows that if those around him go down on the battlefield, or are not prepared for the battle ahead, then success is unlikely, and many others will fall. So how does this relate to us as Christians? Well, we are to pray for all those around us as we engage the enemy, and before that day, we are to have helped them in their training, and putting on their armor.