I am a soldier, I fight where I am & I win where I fight!
Will You Hold or Will You Fold in Battle?
No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 2 Tim 2:4
In a season of war, every soldier has to face one big question: Will you hold up or fold up in battle? A soldier’s victory depends on knowing the enemy’s strategy and having a plan to deal with it. However, if you don’t spend time with God listening to His voice and writing down heaven’s strategy, how will you know what to do and when to do it? Did you know that victory is not only born out of endurance and determination, it’s also birthed out of knowing where to focus your strengths, how to out-flank the enemy, and how to gain the spoils of war?
Take Your Stance
As a soldier, you must go into battle with the mind and spirit knowing that you will come out victorious even before you get out of bed in the morning. Put on the armor of God even before you make your first military move. Let’s look at Ephesians 6:10-18. Paul not only talks about putting on your “battle fatigues and taking up your weapons,” but also declaring and praying always in the Spirit. Why? It’s because the battles of life need to be strategized and fought in the spiritual realm first! Even when fighting means you just stand, the Scripture shows us that standing is still a battle stance and a fighting position (Eph. 6: 13-14).
Receiving Your Instructions
Isaiah 52:12 speaks of not leaving in a hurry or having to flee. So, the question is why? Well, firstly it’s about receiving our instructions and strategies from our “Commanding Officer” so we know what to do and when to do it. It also states that our God, or our Commanding Officer, is our rear guard.
God is Your Rear Guard & Commanding Officer
If you study this scripture more deeply, at that time in Israel, a rear guard not only defended and protected the back of the soldiers from attack, but the rear guard also prevented the soldiers from retreating! The rear guard assured that the soldiers would not flee, even if they were tempted to do so. As soldiers, we need to take this stance: If God is our “Rear Guard”, then He is with us pushing us forward into the battle and assuring that we cannot fail! We just need to hunker down, dig in, and fight from this position.
Fighting Back the Darkness
Instead of focusing on the battle you find yourself in, whether it’s with the culture, people, sickness, or finances, you must mentally and spiritually stand and walk forward by fighting back the darkness with the light inside of you. Psalms 144:1 says “Blessed be the Lord my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle”
Five points every soldier must act on in order to defeat the enemy:
1) Whatever dulls your sensitivity to the Spirit of God, changes your views on the truth He’s shown you or draws your thoughts away from Him, that obstacle must be ruled out, thrown down, and destroyed. You must stand on the truth that He is your Protector, Provider, Healer and the Lord of all.
2) Whatever comes against you to weaken or take over your body and mind, or whatever stands in the way of your mastery of these truths, these must be viewed as enemies and forced back to where they came from—the pit of hell and the devil himself. Refuse to keep anything sent by the devil!
3)Whatever adversely affects your heart or your clarity that you are a witness of Jesus Christ must be fought against and driven out. It was Jesus’ parting wish and mandate that you should demonstrate and prove the power and love of the Father. He has empowered us to be His witnesses on the earth.
4) You are entitled by Jesus to fight from a place of victory, not from a place of holding on for dear life by your fingernails! A soldier never fights alone. He belongs to a company of soldiers with the same mind and heart. Your fellow soldiers are “trained” to aide one another in moments of weakness and vulnerability. Surround yourself with those who can stand and battle with you from the same position. Never be too proud to ask for support from the ones who love and believe in you.
5) Never stop praying! Be persistent in prayer, especially in the Spirit and from a place of declaration. Pray to thrive, not just survive! Luke 11 says, ask, seek and knock. Jesus never said to stop! So as a soldier, be diligent. Become that prayer warrior and pray with endurance. Never pray from a place of religiosity or obligation, but from a stance of “Lord show me how to pray.” This is how the biggest battles are fought and won!
Strategies, Armor, Move Forward & Take the Victory
So today, request from your Commanding Officer a new set of instructions and a battle strategy; put on your armor; and move forward knowing, in your heart and mind, that the victory is yours for the taking! It requires that you actively engage the enemy to steal his territory. Remember, you will not flee, even when you feel weary because God is your Rear Guard!