Soldiers Who Endure.

2Ti 2:3  Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 

2Ti 2:4  No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. 

Enduring hardness- as a GOOD soldier of Jesus Christ.

A good soldier.  What comes to mind when we think of someone being a good soldier?  We imagine a good soldier being one who obeys their orders, being one who protects & serves others from harm. We imagine a good soldier as one who is a good overall human being. A good soldier of Jesus Christ would be a person who obeys the Lord, one who follows the orders of the Lord, one who serves and protects those of the Lord's.

2Co 10:3  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 

2Co 10:4  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 

2Co 10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ

Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 

Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 

Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 

Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 

Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 

Eph 6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints

1Ti 1:18  This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare

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We need to endure hardness as Christ followers.

Endure hardness.

So if you come to Christ expecting to be a follower of Him and having an easy life you're not going to get what you want. Enduring hardness as a good soldier.

Soldiers endure GREAT hardness. A soldier's life is incredibly difficult. No one becomes a soldier expecting it to be easy, no one and if they do they are sorely mistaken. So why do Christian soldiers expect things to be easy? The Bible doesn't tell us our spiritual warfare is easy. It's a war of such proportions we can scarcely comprehend it.

Through faith we must be good solders.

Soldiers who endure.

All through Jesus Christ our LORD, our SAVIOR, now and forever!

Forgiven Sinners.

Sinners love too.

When we follow Christ we are renouncing the active life of a sinner. Yes, we are sinners- all of us.

Rom_3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

Yet, we are to renounce our sins. We are to seek forgiveness for them, never seeking sin. Jesus told people to 'Go and sin no more.'  Jesus did not tell people to go and sin and seek forgiveness afterwards. Jesus did not give anyone a license to sin. Jesus abhorred sin and made that clear. So, while we are all sinners we are to be forgiven sinners, not sin seekers.

We are told that if we love those who love us- it's no big deal, not really, why? Because sinner- that is blatant sin seekers also love those who love them. It is easy to love those who love us. Before you say that it isn't, let me ask you a question. Is it easier for you to love someone who loves you, or to love someone who doesn't love you? Which is easier to do?  Loving someone who loves you is incredibly easy compared to loving someone who hates you, someone who despises you.

Luk 6:31  And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 

Luk 6:32  For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. 

Luk 6:33  And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. 

Luk 6:34  And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 

Luk 6:35  But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 

Luk 6:36  Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 

Loving our enemies, doing good and giving to our enemies NOT hoping to receive a single iota of compensation- this is the will of God.

Being kind to the UNTHANKFUL.

Being kind to the EVIL.

Being merciful as our FATHER is merciful  - this is the will of God.

Our heavenly Father loves US, us who have sinned so terribly. Our heavenly Father has forgiven US! Being forgiven, being loved when we do not deserve it and we KNOW we don't deserve it, how could we not comprehend the Father in heaven requiring of us to do the same?

All by His grace and His grace alone, is this possible for us. All through the power of the Holy Spirit are we able to love as He would have us love.

All in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, our Savior now and forever!

Where is Your Faith?

Luk 8:22  Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. 

Luk 8:23  But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. 

Luk 8:24  And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. 

Luk 8:25  And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him

Where is your faith?

Truly our faith either gives us peace or despair. We are told we can have peace, a peace that passes our understanding.

Php 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 

Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

Through faith we are CAREFUL for NOTHING.

Through faith we take EVERYTHING to prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.

Through faith we let God know our requests all the while thanking Him.

Then and only then will the peace of God which passes ALL understanding keep our hearts and minds through CHRIST JESUS.

Where is our faith?

Prayerfully our faith will be realized as we seek God in prayer, trusting that the reason we pray is because we know we have a God who hears us, who loves us, who will be with us through all we are called to endure no matter what that may be.  It is so easy to give in to despair, so easy. Faith demands we believe and in believing dismiss despair.

Once we pray- we can expect the PEACE of God and that peace will NOT be explainable, it will pass our ability to understand.

Please, Lord, we have faith, help whatever faith we lack.  We believe, help thou our unbelief!

An Additional Commandment.

Joh 14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments. 

Joh 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 

Joh 14:17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 

Joh 14:18  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 

If you love Jesus you will keep His commandments.

If you keep Jesus' commandments He will pray to the Father.

The prayer Jesus is praying is for us to have another Comforter that will abide with us forever.

The Comforter Jesus wants His Father to give to us is the SPIRIT OF TRUTH.

SPIRIT OF TRUTH.

The Spirit of reality, because truth is reality, truth is real.

The world CANNOT receive the Spirit of Truth. Why can't the world receive the Spirit of Truth? Because the world can't see the Spirit of Truth, the world can't know the Spirit of Truth. 

We can KNOW the Spirit of Truth.

The Spirit of Truth will live in us!

We will NOT be comfortless.

Jesus will come to us.

Truth, the reality of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

So, the question is- what are the commandments of Jesus?  Some say He did away with Moses' commandments as if they really were Moses' and not God's.  They were God's commandments given to Moses to give to the people. Why would Jesus do away with the moral ten commandments God wrote in stone? Why? Was there something wrong with God's commandments? Jesus kept them from His youth on up and there was NO big revolt over keeping them noted anywhere. Why would there be a revolt over God's commandments? Where are they flawed? Could God even give flawed commandments? God did reveal a set of laws - ceremonial laws that were a figure of the true- and once the true fulfilled the same purpose of the ceremonial law there was no need for that, but never did He do away with any flawed commandments.

If you take the time to read the initial giving of the ten commandments and follow through to when Jesus lived upon the earth before His death, you'll notice things like this-

Mat 15:3  But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? 

Mat 15:4  For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. 

Mat 15:5  But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; 

Mat 15:6  And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. 

They were rebuked for NOT following one of the commandments of those bundle of ten.  The commandment of GOD.

Mat 22:36  Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 

Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 

Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment. 

Mat 22:39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

Mat 22:40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. 

The GREAT commandment in the law of ten is- LOVE the LORD THY GOD with all thy heart and with all thy soul and all thy mind.
The SECOND GREATEST commandment in the law of ten is- Thou shalt LOVE they NEIGHBOR as thyself.

On THOSE TWO COMMANDMENTS…. get this.. I mean really comprehend this… on those two hang ALL.

And if you did read the ten commandments you'd know that the first four commandments of the ten are focused on God, the last six are focused on our neighbors (all people).

Now let me ask you something, when you get an additional piece of information that you add to other information it's new information, isn't it? When I get a new rule it doesn’t necessarily do away with the old rules does it? Can you imagine having a set of household rules.. Pick up after yourselves, put your clothes in the hamper, take the garbage out every other day, etc; and you tack those rules up for others in the household to pay attention to. Now after several years you realize there is a new rule you have to introduce because circumstances changed in your household.  You take those old rules and put the new one at the bottom, right? You don't want the old rules to be done away with- why would you?! They were good rules, and still are good rules. So you write down-  no taking the car without getting permission first from both parents.  You see, you had to add that now because the children are getting older and it is now relevant.

Remember this when you read the following verse-

Joh_13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

People could NOT love each other as Jesus loved them until Jesus was there to love them! Circumstances changed. Jesus added a new commandment to the old commandments.  Because He had been with mankind living among them, teaching them on a very personal level He could now command them to love as He loved. That commandment wouldn't have been feasible if given before He'd come to them and showed them His love -having become flesh to dwell among them.

Jesus' new commandment didn't wipe out the other commandments, not at all. Those moral commandments are for always. There will never be a time we shouldn't have God first in our lives, and there will never be a time we shouldn't love each other, and in those two commandments you find all ten written by the finger of God Himself and given to man.

So is it any wonder our Savior tells us that if we keep His commandments it is a revelation of loving Him? And if we keep His commandments we will have the Spirit of TRUTH.  There is spirt in each commandment, there is truth, there is reality in all of them.   We need the Spirit of Truth in us and by the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior we will have the Spirit of Truth in us, now and forever!

All in the love of our amazing Savior, our Lord, Jesus Christ!!!!!!!

Truth-in Reality.

Joh_3:21  But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Joh_8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Joh_14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Doing truth.  How do you do truth? Our lives can be made up of lies, seriously they can be. We love to deceive ourselves. Some people spend their entire lives deceiving people along with themselves. They do not seek truth at all, not really. Truth is living the reality of our Savior. Our Savior sets us free. Our Savior is truth.

How are we to be free in any other way than knowing our Savior? 

The reality of Christ is something we don't think about enough.

Do we want to come to the light? Do we want our deeds manifested that they are known to be from our Savior? 

More on the tomorrow prayerfully,  I am exhausted from preparing for Hurricane Irma.

All through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, now and forever- all in TRUTH.

Lord, Full of Truth.

Joh_1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Jesus was full of TRUTH.

Jesus was TRUTH.

Do we want truth? Or do we prefer lies to truth?

Why would we prefer lies to truth? Because we like sin. We like living in the darkness. We like this because simply put we are SELFISH.

As long as we look to ourselves we will not be looking to Christ.

Not a single sin occurs that isn't self-focused in some way.

We sin when we are led away of our own lusts and let that lust create sin in us.  We will have lusts, but lusts can be denied (through our Savior, through the Holy Spirit). 

Jesus is TRUTH, Jesus is filled with TRUTH, we are not filled with truth if we are not filled with our Savior!

The truth isn't easy in a world that is plagued by sin. Where sin is called good and acceptable, where sin is even called holy and righteous- and we stand against what the majority believe is good, acceptable, holy and righteous, it is then we have to realize just how hard it is to live in truth.  So many do not find it hard because they are deceived -their truth is really lies and they can never see it because they refuse, they like their blindness.

With all the horrors in our world we choose to ignore a lot of sin because it is not the worst of sin. We teach ourselves to accept the lesser sins, the lesser lies because they really aren't all that bad, they aren't hurting anyone. We base our lives on what we determine is good or bad, and when we do that we are playing God. It's what GOD determines is good and bad, not us! It is the One who knows the end from the beginning who determines what is good and bad. It is our CREATOR who has the right, our REDEEMER who has the right, not us! We need to decide to FOLLOW their TRUTH not the truth we find acceptable.

Please, LORD full of TRUTH, please help us to follow all YOUR truth and not be deceived, not be corrupted by the evil, not be led away by evil, please! Save us from OURSELVES! Please!

All through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ now and forever and ever!

Truth.

Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 

Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 

Worshipping in spirit and truth.

So many concentrate upon the worshipping in spirit but not the worshipping in truth.

We have to seek the truth.

The following are verses on TRUTH- tomorrow by the grace and will of God we will study this more in-depth! Please, Lord, please we would know and follow truth, YOUR truth!

Joh_1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Joh_3:21  But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Joh_8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Joh_14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Joh 14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments. 

Joh 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 

Joh 14:17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 

Joh 14:18  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 

Joh 15:26  But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: 

Joh 15:27  And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. 

Joh_16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Joh_17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Joh 17:18  As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 

Joh 17:19  And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. 

Joh_18:37  Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

Rom_1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness

Rom_1:25  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

1Co_13:6  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth

2Co_4:2  But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

2Co_6:7  By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left

Eph_1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Eph_4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ

Eph_4:21  If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus

Eph_5:9  (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

Eph_6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness

Col_1:5  For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel

Col_1:6  Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth

1Th_2:13  For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

2Th_2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

2Th_2:12  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

2Th_2:13  But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth

1Ti_2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

1Ti_2:7  Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.

1Ti_3:15  But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

1Ti_6:5  Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

2Ti_2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2Ti_2:18  Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

2Ti_2:25  In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth

2Ti_3:8  Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

2Ti_4:4  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Tit_1:1  Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness

Tit_1:14  Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.

Jas_3:14  But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

Jas_5:19  Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him

Jas 5:20  Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. 

1Pe_1:22  Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently

2Pe_1:12  Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.

2Pe_2:2  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

1Jn_1:6  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth

1Jn_1:8  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1Jn_2:4  He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

1Jn_2:21  I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

1Jn_2:27  But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

1Jn_3:18  My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

1Jn_3:19  And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

1Jn_4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

1Jn_5:6  This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

2Jn_1:1  The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;

2Jn_1:2  For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.

2Jn_1:3  Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

2Jn_1:4  I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.

3Jn_1:3  For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.

3Jn_1:4  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

3Jn_1:8  We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.