The christian’s life is like that of a soldier; that can be found in Ephesians 6:10-20 and 2 Timothy 2:3-4. The Christian life is a spiritual battle, requiring vigilance, discipline, and obedience.
Deut. 8 outlines the principles of our walk with God. We read that once we decide to walk with God, we must obey Him, and then we will live; his word gives us life. And then we will multiply to be able to occupy wherever we have to occupy.
A walk with God humbles us for a period. He takes us through the wilderness; testing us to see whether we are not just after something from him but we will obey and love Him. Exodus 16:4 ‘Then the lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions.’
So if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord, and you are going through a lot, just know that it is part of our walk with God, though it may not be sweet. Nobody likes it, yet, when it happens you cannot do anything about it. He wants your attention so you need to be taken through the wilderness to be humbled.
Through lack and insufficiency, you can be humbled. You can be humbled through unwanted situations.
Soldiers are tasked with completing specific missions to achieve strategic objectives. Christians are called to fulfill the Great Commission according to Matthew 28:18-20, spreading the Gospel and making disciples. Christians are called to discipline themselves through prayer, Bible study, and obedience to God’s commands.
The Soldier is made to undergo training to prepare for any future battles so he can fight to defend, to support and to protect his country. He fights in the air ( Airforce), he fights on water (Navy), he fights on land (Armed force) depending on his area of operation; just so that when he is confronted with any situation in battle, he will survive and be strong. He is taught how to endure pain and still go strong. Just as a soldier enlists in the army, a Christian commits to following Jesus Christ. Soldiers wear uniforms and protective gears to identify themselves and defend against enemies. Christians are encouraged to put on the ‘armor of God’ (Ephesians 6:10-18) to resist spiritual attacks. The armor of God is the christian’s uniform.
We are sometimes compelled to live insufficient life to make us fully dependent on God. God fed the Israelites with manna, gave them water when they were thirsty, all these happened in the wilderness; to teach us that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Food is important but the word of God is more important to be fed with to prepare us spiritually for the future to come.
In this period, getting enough dresses does not matter, having more shoes does not matter but you and God. The difficulty will not kill us just as their dresses did not get torn nor their shoes worn out for the forty years they wondered in the wilderness. The people you expect to help you will not help because according to John 3:27, ‘A man can receive nothing except it is given to him from above.’ I understood this when I was in my humbling period. Those who want to help you cannot help you; and those who can help you will not see the need to help. It has not been given to you from above, so do not blame anyone when you find yourself there.
In all these, we should ensure to remain in the way as it is for our own good.
Psalm 23:Verse 7: thou prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies:
This verse prepares us to receive the good things that are ahead. After we have gone through all these, we are set to enjoy the good things that deserving children of God are entitled to enjoy.
Soldiers who complete their missions successfully are often rewarded and honored and they take pride in that. Then come promotion after promotion.
Some are then set over battalions to command just as the Christian is tasked to lead groups in the church or even establish a church. Your experience will take you there. Now you can train somebody. Your promotion will come when you have successfully taken good care of the battalion entrusted to you. If you really believe that God has called you to establish a church then he is the one who will put you in charge of greater battalion or a brigade if you are able to work well.
You don’t find other means to promote yourself but follow the rules. It is believed that soldiers are very disciplined. They obey before they complain. So the Christian rule for increase or promotion in leadership is to preach the word along with other activities. Your diligence determines your advancement.
Christians who remain faithful and obedient to God’s commands can expect eternal rewards and celebration in heaven, even here on earth. That is when the goodness and the mercies follow us. It follows us from generation to generation. The blessings affect all who come after us. The earlier we understood this, the better for us.