Spiritual Warrior

​January 7, 1973. I remember that date well.
I enlisted in the military.
Upon hearing of my enlistment, my non-Christian friends thought I had a screw loose! The Viet Nam war was still being fought. My draft number had not been called. So I would not have to go to war.
As a brand-new Christian, the Holy Spirit directed me to enlist in the United States Navy and become a Hospital Corpsman, with hopes of going to medical school through the service to become a doctor. I served four years in the Navy, two of them with the 3rd Division Fleet Marine Force. I would not pursue becoming a physician as God called me to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ.  
At the Spokane, Washington Federal Building, I voluntarily took the solemn oath to uphold, defend and protect the Constitution of the United States of America from enemies both domestic and foreign. I also swore (not profanity!) to obey the orders of my Commander in Chief, the President of the United States.  I, like millions of patriotic Americans, became one of Uncle Sam’s soldiers, a GI (which means government issue).  
In my lifetime I have enlisted in two fighting forces.
When I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior on October 6, 1972, I enlisted in God’s holy army. Paul writes in II Timothy 2:3-4 “Suffer hardship with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.”
Guess what, fellow believer in Christ? You and I are in the army now! Now what?
Paul states that a Christian is “a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” Soldiers leave civilian life to dedicate themselves full-time to being a warrior who battles Satan and his demonic forces in the name of the Lord.  Soldiers suffer hardship, make sacrifices. Being a soldier fighting in a war is not like being home sitting in a comfortable recliner, watching a ballgame, eating Nachos!  
 Soldiers defend freedom and the ones they love. Christians leave the unbelieving world behind to serve in God’s Kingdom. As God’s good soldiers, they proclaim the love of Jesus Christ and the righteousness of God.    
Soldiers follow orders. As good soldiers of Christ, who is our Commander in Chief who enlisted us, we serve to please Him. Christians get their marching orders from the Lord. Our mission, orders, duties and lifestyle are clearly laid out in the Bible. You and I who confess Christ please Him when we obey Him.  
 God’s good soldiers fight the good fight of faith.
 I Timothy 6:12 reads “Fight the good fight of faith, take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” The faith fight is about eternal life. God’s good soldiers fight to contend for their faith in Christ that they confessed before many other people.  
God’s good, faith fighting soldiers put on the whole armor of God. We will detail the pieces of spiritual armor from Ephesians 6:10-20 next week.  
God’s faith fighters war a good warfare.
Ii Corinthians 10:3-5 states “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” Through prayer, the Word of God, the armor of God, the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ’s good soldiers take down, demolish, and destroy everything that Satan attacks our faith with.
At times, life feels like a war, doesn’t it? Spiritual warfare is real, and so are Christ’s good soldiers.  As the blood-bought sons and daughters of God, we choose to fight the good fight of faith, war a good warfare and win the spiritual battles confronting us.
My friend, ff you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you are a soldier in God’s holy army.
God’s counting on every soldier in His spiritual army to be on active duty, fighting off Satan, living a Christlike life and witnessing to lost souls so that they would be saved through faith in Jesus Christ.
One of my all-time favorite hymns of the church is Onward Christian Soldiers. I can hear congregations belting it out with Christian enthusiasm!
“Onward Christian soldiers! Marching as to war, with the Cross of Jesus going on before. Christ the Royal Master leads against the foe. Forward into battle, see His banners go.”     
Onward Christian soldier, marching as to war. With the Cross of Jesus, going on before.”
Are you faithfully fulfilling your enlistment in God’s army as a good faith soldier, with the Cross of Jesus going before you?
A Word For Your Week: War a good warfare as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.