Are You in Uniform Christian Soldier?

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Right. Wrong. 

Righteousness. Sin. 

On our own, we will never naturally choose right over wrong every time. If we had been made this way, God would not have given the law. 

Just think about the ten commandments. They are a list of things we should choose. We should choose God, we should choose honor, we should choose others first. We should choose to love, we should choose life. We should choose integrity. 

Yet somehow, we always miss the mark. Missing it by a millimeter or missing it by a kilometer: it does not matter because we still miss it. 

On our own we were lost and God provided a way for us to return home: to Him. That way is Jesus. Through Jesus we have free access to the Father. Where once we were so wrong, in Christ we are made right once more.  

Now that we are His, we are in Christ we should live in that right standing with God. We should strive to live and breathe and have our being be an example of God's redeeming power to the world. 

Get in Uniform

One way we do this is by wearing the armor of God: the uniform of a Christian.  

Everyone recognizes a uniform. It sets the normal everyday citizen apart from the ones who are willing to lay down their lives for others. 

Think about that. 

By wearing the armor of God you are identified as a Christian (in Christ), and that identity tells the world you should be ready to lay your life down for them. 

The Breastplate (aka Kevlar) of Righteousness 

The Breastplate of Righteousness is like the Kevlar vest that police and soldiers use in the natural. It protects the vital inner being. The heart, the kidneys, the stomach, the liver, and the lungs are protected by a Kevlar vest. The Breastplate of Righteousness is similar. It protects us from the cruel potshots the world can take against us and the "bullets" the devil fires our way. 

It also is a visible sign that we have the protection of the Lord working in our lives. It is a sign to the world that the redeemed of the Lord have benefits they do not. It is not self righteousness that saves, but the righteousness of God in Christ. 

If you are trying to look like a "good" Christian by doing and saying all the "right things" but you are not letting the righteousness of God shine, then you are not in full uniform. The world knows the difference. They should see God's righteousness before they ever see you. 

I know that I have not lived up to this all the time. I have been caught out of uniform many times. I have had to repent and clothe myself once again. 

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"  Ephesians 6: 10-18 

The War is Won 

God accomplished the ultimate victory on the cross. Christ said "It is finished." and it is. We are simply the post war occupying force. We are here to remind people that their freedom was provided for. We are here to stand in the gap for them when the enemy crosses the battle lines and attacks unprovoked. We are here to  point the way to freedom for those people who have run back to oppression because that was all they ever knew. They will not know who is who if we are not in uniform. 

Come on Christian Soldier, you are more than just a fighter, you are a beacon of freedom, you are a sign that God still loves, still cares, and still wants to win the hearts of man. We do not point the way by shouting, by picketing  or by bashing, but we point the way by standing, loving, and praying. 

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When you see a soldier in uniform, how does that make you feel? 

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O be Careful Big Mouths- 3 Steps to Bridling Your Tongue

"Oh be careful little eyes what you see. Oh be careful little ears what you hear. Oh be careful big mouths what you say."

Why We Need to be Careful 

Words have power, and as Christians, they are a direct witness to the people around you. There should be a careful guard on our mouths at all times. 

As a friend of mine says, "engage the brain to mouth filter"! 

The Bible has plenty to say about our words. 

Matthew 15:16-20 (MSG) Jesus replied, "You, too? Are you being willfully stupid? Don't you know that anything that is swallowed works its way through the intestines and is finally defecated? But what comes out of the mouth gets its start in the heart. It's from the heart that we vomit up evil arguments, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, lies, and cussing. That's what pollutes. Eating or not eating certain foods, washing or not washing your hands — that is neither here nor there." 

Psalms 34:13 says “Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.” 

James 1:26-27 (Easy-to-Read Version) says “You might think you are a very religious person. But if your tongue is out of control, you are fooling yourself. Your careless talk makes your offerings to God worthless. The worship that God wants is this: caring for orphans or widows who need help and keeping yourself free from the world’s evil influence. This is the kind of worship that God accepts as pure and good.” 

When we fail to control our words there are consequences. We offend and we become stumbling blocks to those around us. Matthew says those that offend little ones (Small in stature but also small in faith) it is better that a millstone be put around their neck. 

There are three things you can do to begin to change the way you speak. 

STEP 1 

Repent. (This just means acknowledge your sin and ask forgiveness) 

Job said “Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred.” 

STEP 2 

Renew Your Thinking – we do this by reading the word and by submission to God. 

Ephesians says “change the former way of life that was part of the person you once were, corrupted by deceitful desires. Instead, renew the thinking in your mind by the Spirit and clothe yourself with the new person created according to God’s image in justice and true holiness.” 

STEP 3 

When you mess up and you will miss the mark repeat step 1 and 2. 

Do you have a hard time controlling what you say?  Leave your comments about your struggles and victories below. 

Who Are You?

She Needed His Mercy

I am Mary Magdalene, adulteress, and prostitute. I met Him after He saved my life. He was the reason I am free from my old life. He is the one that loved me, though I was so unlovable. 

He did not want what other men did. 

He wanted my heart, not my body. 

He wanted me whole, not broken and used. 

He was my Savior and they have killed him.




He Washed His Hands

I am Pilot, governor over the territory of Jerusalem. This back water town is full of trouble, but every place is. I have to keep order and maintain the Roman way, but walk the line and keep the Jews happy too. 

Now they send me Him. Jesus. He is blameless. I find no fault. My wife is weeping in the other room. She has begged me to stay out of this. How can I? It is my job. I have to judge Him. 

He is innocent. 

The people want him dead. 

How can they want Him dead? What has he done? 

I will give them what they want. I cannot deal with an uprising if they become unsettled. 

I know they are wrong but I wash my hands of it all.



He denied Him

I am Peter. 

He just asked me to watch and to pray. I couldn’t stay awake! I should have seen them coming. I could have gotten him away from there! 

After the soldiers took him, I followed to see where they would take him. The courtyard was packed. They wanted Him dead. 

He knew. 

He told us last night. 

He has been telling us. 

Someone called me out! “Aren’t you one of his?” they asked me.

No!

“Yes, you are!” NO!

NO!

When that rooster crowed, I knew He had told me the truth.

What have I done?

When He asked me to follow Him, I did. When He asked me to walk out to meet Him on the water, I did. I watched him feed 5,000. I saw Him heal the blind. 

He even raised our friend from the dead. He washed my feet. 

He loved me like no one has ever loved me. He saw me: me, with my bad temper and big mouth, and He loved me anyway. I just deserted him. I left Him to them. Now He is dead.



He got a second chance

I am Barabbas. I was on death row. I was all set to die. I had been killing men and boys for years and I had finally been caught. The truth is, I was a little mad. 

When the soldiers brought me before Pilot, I thought, “This is it. I am going to die today.” I was prepared. 

Then I saw Him.

He just stood there, with his body bloody from a beating, looking at me. 

I felt like He saw everything I had ever done.

 I had heard about Him. He was all I would never be. 

Perfect. Holy. 

Pilot asked “Who do you want to be released?” and I cannot believe what I heard. “Barabbas! Barabbas! Give us Barabbas!”

He took my place. I deserved to die. I still deserve to die, but instead, He is dead. 

Him: not me. 

Jesus.




He did his job

I am just a soldier. A Centurion, proud to serve Caesar! I show up every day for duty and do what I am told. 

Today, well, today I wish I had any other job in the world but this one! 

I usually have guard duty, but today I got put on crucifixion detail. 

Why today of all days did I get ordered to do this? 

He was so beaten, so bruised. His body looked like a bloody animal carcass.

Through it all: the mocking, the spitting, He hung there, drowning as His lungs filled with blood, praying for us. 

He asked God to forgive us! 

Who is this man? 

Surely, He is who He says. He is the Son of God. What have I done? I just killed the Son of God!

I am Mary, adulteress

I am Pilot, judge

I am Peter, deserter

I am Barabbas, murderer

I am a Centurion, executioner



He was a carpenter, a builder, and architect

He was a brother, a Rabbi, a friend

He was a lamb and a Shepard

He was the bread and the wine

He was giving and He was given

He was offered and He offered

He was man and He was God

Today is Good Friday. 

Today we remember what Jesus did for us. He died for us, as a stand-in for us, so we could have relationship with God. 

It was always the plan. God's way to redeem us back to Him. 

Are you Mary? Are you Peter? Maybe you are Pilot, indifferent to God? 

Are you Barabbas, filled with hate and anger and not sure why? 

Maybe you feel like you are a pretty good person, just keeping your head down in life, doing your "job" and not doing anything too bad- that would make you the Centurion. 

Jesus died for every one of us, no matter who you are, or what you have done. If you have not acknowledged Him as the only way to God, won't you do so now? 

Ask for forgiveness. He gives it freely. 

He loves you, if He didn't none of this would have been necessary. 

Thoughts: Who are you?