IMPLICATIONS:
I asked myself what are the important implications for my own life here?
I need to put into practice what I have learned from God's Word, received from God's Word, heard from God's Word, and seen in God's Word so my life can reflect Christ in me the Hope of Glory. I am reminded of Pastor Hugo's sermon from this past Sunday on faith, hope, and love amidst crisis, that head knowledge of the Bible means nothing if it is not put into practice by our  good works produced by our faith in Christ. Our labor of love and hope in Christ should be lived out by our actions because of our faith in Christ. Today, Pastor Josh reminded me that he was reading from Titus about the importance of living out our faith through our actions of good works that impact other people's lives. More than ever this is needed now amidst the COVID-19 virus.  The COVID-19 virus is a biological warfare and we need soldiers in the Lord's army to be a light in this darkness that lives maybe influenced by the love of Christ. This means we cannot sit idly in the trenches but need to be on active mission now more than ever. Otherwise, we will be like a man who looks at his face in the mirror and forgets what he looks like after he leaves.

 "And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. So don’t fool yourselves.  For if a person just listens and doesn’t obey, he is like a man looking at his face in a mirror; as soon as he walks away, he can’t see himself anymore or remember what he looks like. But if anyone keeps looking steadily into God’s law for free men, he will not only remember it but he will do what it says, and God will greatly bless him in everything he does. Anyone who says he is a Christian but doesn’t control his sharp tongue is just fooling himself, and his religion isn’t worth much. The Christian who is pure and without fault, from God the Father’s point of view, is the one who takes care of orphans and widows, and who remains true to the Lord—not soiled and dirtied by his contacts with the world. (James 1:22-27, TLB)

To be an effective solider in the Army of the Lord which I want to be, I need to put into practice what I have LEARNED from God's Word, RECEIVED from God's Word, HEARD from God's Word, and SEEN in God's Word as a reflection of Christ living in my life. It is of no use if I do not put all of that into practice. However, I cannot do it on my own without the Armor of God provided to me by the Lord Jesus Christ to wear everyday.  I cannot let my guard down but need the Word of God to sustain me daily as I go through my daily drills. So when war time comes and I mean spiritual warfare, I will be able to withstand the devil’s arsenal because I have put into practice the Word of God in my life.

^"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 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. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." (Ephesians 6:10-18, NIV)

I can be a faithful soldier for the Lord Jesus Christ as I wear His Armor provided for me. That takes effort and sacrifice on my part but even that effort cannot be self-effort without Jesus' intervention by His grace. All the self-help or self-motivational seminars to do right will just not do except the Word of Lord applied in my life claiming God's promises which I am so excited about.

Rarely have I found anyone wanting to become soldiers who like getting up early in the morning to go through drills and continue it through the day yet they do it. Putting God’s Word into practice is not going to be easy for me always. There could be times I just wish I did not have to put into practice what I learned and if I do not then I lose practice that day.

In other areas of life I can afford to take a day off or so but not when it comes to God’s Word. I need to continue to put into practice the Word of God as part of my drill to remain a faithful soldier in the Lord’s army. The more I do that, I become a veteran for the Lord as I would have fought Satan consistently using the Word of God, multiple times.

When others see me or my precious wife Chandraleela, and precious daughters Esther, and Evangeline, I want them to see us as a veteran for the Lord being a faithful soldier handling war of the spiritual warfare kind as our Commander in Chief, Jesus Christ gives us the orders.

It does not help to be AWOL (absent without leave) when it comes to practice. As I miss more practice times with the Word of God, I am making myself vulnerable to the enemy.

To avoid giving into D.E.A.T.H as a soldier of the Lord's army, I need to be alive in Christ!

D.E.A.T.H stands for Disobedience, Enemy, Apathy, Temptation, and High Idolatry!

When I join the Lord's army, I have in essence given up my own rights so I can serve my Heavenly Commander in Chief and do what He tells me to do. Help me Jesus!

The difference between my Heavenly Commander in Chief is that He is never wrong in the decisions He tells me to do. One of those decisions He wants me to obey as His soldier is to meditate on the Word of God day and night and let it lead me and guide me so what I LEARNED, RECEIVED, HEARD, or SEEN can be put into practice in my life.

Jesus never forced me to be a solider in His army because there is no mandatory draft but voluntary enlistment. I thank Jesus for wanting me in His army. Once I joined, I could not expect to continuously do things my own way and expect no consequences. But, I thank Jesus so much for never abandoning me and leaving me but always coming to me and convicting me instead of making me feel condemned when I mess up.

He has also given me His manual called the BIBLE to follow! I like to think of it as 'Breathe In Bible, Live Eternally' manual for daily living as I am in a warfare against Satan and his evil schemes. It is the Armor of God I need as a soldier of the Lord.  One of the things the Armor of God mentions is the Word of God being my Sword of the Spirit.

"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." (Joshua 1:8, NIV)

"But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night." (Psalm 1:2, NIV)

"I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate   on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word." (Psalm 119:14-16, NIV)

"How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!  I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." (Psalm 119:103-105, NIV)

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV)

"Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer." (2 Timothy 2:3-4, NIV)

I can be an awesome soldier in the Army of the Lord because of Jesus' work in my life as I yield to Him daily. You can too because He will take care of us and help us.

I ask you now dear friend what kind of S.O.L.D.I.E.R will you be?
Dear friend, you have the opportunity to be an awesome soldier for the Lord. Of course that is not on your own strength but from the strength your Commander in Chief, Jesus Christ wants to give you.  As a faithful soldier, you can practice daily the Word of God. In that way, you will be building yourself up with the most powerful ammunition you can carry with you.

As the enemy approaches during war, you can fight that war with the Word of God. Let me guarantee you that he will approach everyday with spiritual warfare. But, he cannot fight against the Word of God because it is our best ammunition against Spiritual Warfare. The Word of God gives us the full armor we should wear. It starts with practice my friend.

Have we become soldiers for the Lord that He can be proud of?
Friend, it starts with putting into practice what we have learned, received, heard, and seen others who follow the Word of God do. We have that opportunity friend as we fight the Spiritual Warfare that comes our way. It is not easy being a  faithful follower of Christ and following His orders but there is so much joy in that when we implement His orders. When we die, our memorial in Heaven will be with our Commander in Chief Jesus Christ who will give us all the medals that we have attained while we fought here on earth for the sake of the Kingdom of God!

Not only that but our Names would be engraved in the Book of Life for having fought the enemy of this world, Satan and being faithful to our country, Heaven. Praise the Lord! For remember, we are citizens of Heaven and our allegiance is to Jesus Christ first! We have been placed on earth as pilgrims and soldiers for such a time as this. We do not want to betray our Commander in Chief, Jesus Christ and go our own way forever! This especially happens in the last days when people decide to align with the enemy Satan and take the Mark of the beast.

My prayer is that we would be faithful as soldiers in the Lord’s Army and all believers can remember all the soldiers in the Lord's Army who gave up their lives so others could receive the Word of God and the wonderful commands of our Commander-in-Chief Jesus Christ! They died so that you and I can come to know Jesus Christ and attain freedom from the enemy. It is because of many of them that we now have the Word of God in print.

Dear friend, it is not easy being a soldier for the Lord but I have found it to be worth it. We can always have Jesus with us to turn to. He paid the ultimate Sacrifice by His blood to redeem you and me from the bondage of sin and death.

He loves you so much that if you were the only one living, Jesus would have still died for you and come back to life to save you when you take His antidote and receive the Salvation He offers.

When we mess up, He will always be there to lift us up. Thank you so much Jesus!

Have you learned about Salvation?
Have you received Salvation?
Have you heard about Salvation?
Have you seen Salvation?

All these things are accomplished by the Gospel of Jesus Christ for our sake. You can attain Salvation in Christ! Thank you so much Jesus. It is God's love for you that makes you an awesome soldier when you turn to Him. He sees you as awesome! Thank you Jesus!

Come as you are and receive the Salvation that Jesus offers you. Be in His army for His honor and glory!

May you know that you can be a soldier of the Lord as you put the Word of God into practice everyday!  Amen!

"Soldier Of Lord Doing Important Exercises Rigorously! (S.O.L.D.I.E.R)/”What kind of S.O.L.D.I.E.R will you be?”

PRAYER:
Dear Jesus, I love you so much.  Thank you Jesus for dying for our sins so that we can have Eternal Life when we turn to you. Your blood was shed for us for our freedom. Thank you for coming back to life to save us. Thank you Jesus for being our Commander in Chief and for the orders you have given for our own good. Help us please Jesus to put into practice your Word Oh God so that we can be faithful in all our drill training. This way Lord when the real war comes from the enemy, we can stand up to the Spiritual Warfare for we have your training to back us up and win the battle. Oh Lord, it is not easy going against the enemy and many times we have taken casualties because we have not been focused on you. We are sorry Lord.  We want to be a faithful soldier in your Army and need your help. Thank you for helping us as we depend on you and in your grace you offer. And Lord, we thank you as we become a spiritual  veteran through the years and die later, you will have a special memorial for us with your medals ready. Thank you for having our names engraved in your Book of Life for our service here on earth. We know Heaven is our home and our citizenship but sometimes that’s easy to forget on this battlefield called Earth. We need your help always. Thank you for your help and your Word. We thank you for all those that have served you through the years. Thank you for being an awesome Commander in Chief that people have loved to serve you Jesus! We want to serve you too!  We thank you that your peace can be with us no matter what we face. Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name We Pray Jesus! Amen!

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