A Soldier's Mentality

One of the things that has to be reinforced within the Body of Christ is that we are an Army. We sing a lot of songs about us being in the "army of the Lord", but I'm not sure that we've adopted a "soldier's mentality." Instead of acting like soldiers, a lot of us adopt the posture of Christian Civilians. We're not trying to get into the heat of the battle, we just want to stay in the House and enjoy the benefits of Heavenly Citizenship. Saints, for the Season that we are about to enter, God needs some saints with a "soldier's mentality."

In order to adopt this mentality, one of the first things we're going to have to embrace is Discipline. When you're a soldier in the army, your life is regulated and regimented. We must surrender and allow the Holy Spirit to regiment us to the Army of Christ. We must be disciplined physically: what we eat, sexual abstinence (if you're not married), proper exercise. We must be disciplined mentally and emotionally: monitoring what we look at and what we listen to, stretching our minds through reading, processing emotions and feelings that may need healing. We must be disciplined spiritually: reading the Word of God, developing a prayer life, fasting as the Spirit leads.

Finally saints, in order to have a "soldier's mentality," we must be willing to die. Any patriotic soldier is willing to die for their country. Are you willing to lay down your life for the Kingdom of God? Paul said that "I die daily" (I Corinthians 15). Jesus said that if a man tries to save his life, he will lose it (Matthew 16). There must now be a sense of reckless abandon and total death to self in order for the Kingdom of God to be a reality on earth as it is in Heaven. This my brothers and sisters, is a "soldier's mentality."

Prayer
Father in the name of Jesus, give me the grace to embrace a "soldier's mentality". Teach me Father how to deny myself, carry my cross and to follow thee. Let me live according to the motto, not my will but thy will be done. Create in me the commitment to die daily; that you may increase and I may decrease. In Jesus' name, Amen.