“You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 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. 2:3-4) As Christians, we are in a spiritual warfare. The devil, the world, and the flesh are our real enemies. The enemy will seek to take us out or make us a prisoner of war. HOW DO WE AVOID THIS?
- FIRST, WE MUST BE DEDICATED:
We are called to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ, dedicated to His cause. Those around us should have no questions about our loyalty as His soldiers.
- SECOND, WE MUST BE DURABLE:
Paul told Timothy to “endure hardness”. Enduring hardness means we should not allow ourselves to become easily discouraged, we should not back down from the threats of the enemy.
- THIRD, WE MUST BE DELIBERATE:
Paul said, “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life” A good soldier is not distracted by all the things going on in this life. His focus is to represent the Lord Jesus well in the conflict and to make sure He wins. Distractions could result in being hit by a fiery dart of the wicked one.
In Brazil there grows a common plant called the matador or “murderer.” Its slender stem creeps along the ground, to a vigorous tree, sending out an entangling tentacle, which climbs up the tree, sending out arm-like tendrils entangling the tree. These ligatures grow larger and their clasp becomes tighter. The rogue vine climbs up until to the top of the tree. Then, a huge, flowery head goes out above the strangled summit, and scatters its seed to begin its ENTANGLING WORK again.
“Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you…
PONDER THE PATH OF YOUR FEET, AND LET ALL YOUR WAYS BE ESTABLISHED…(Pro. 4:25-26)
-Bill Stockham