There are only a few ministries that are teaching the warfare of the Kingdom and some that even do, teach it based on the dictates of the culture. Our problem in warfare is that we have not been able to put the victory on the cross to affect their lives.
[biblegateway passage=”Joel 2:1-2″ display=”Joel 2:1-2″]
God purposes to raise all believers into an army and not just some individual brilliant soldiers scattered across timeline and places. One of the significant things about Kings is that they know how to wage war. Believers are expected to be skilled in all areas of warfare, individual combat and collective ones.
[biblegateway passage=”2 Timothy 2:1″ display=”2 Timothy 2:1″]
As soldiers, we must learn how to harness grace in Christ to be strong. For every situation of need, there is a corresponding grace for it. Outside grace, there is no provision under the economy of the Kingdom. If we use any means outside God’s grace to strengthen ourselves, we will disqualify ourselves.
We are warring against the wiles, strategies and deceptions of Satan and endurance is one of the important tools in the warfare of the Kingdom. To endure means to suffer and remain under pressure. Some battles are only won through endurance; when we outlast the enemy. Many believers are very fickle and this reflects how much they pray. Hardness is required in the things of the Kingdom.
In the days ahead, the quality of our endurance through God will get us to finish the course of God for us. Paul used the metaphor of a Roman soldier to pass some eternal truths to Timothy. He did not focus on the armour of a soldier here because that is not what defines a soldier, rather he focused on the mindset of a soldier.
Paul described soldiers as people who have their minds occupied with warfare. We are not supposed to wait until we come to prayer meetings before we assume our state as soldiers. Also, he described that a soldier does not entangle himself with the affairs of civilian life, meaning he does not have any business pleasing himself. Their aim is to satisfy the one who enlisted him.
The life of a soldier is filled with constant war exercises and a rigorous lifestyle that turns a normal man into a good man, a good man into a great man and a great man into a perfect man. For instance, after David used a sling and stone to kill Goliath, there was no record that he used it again. He proceeded to learn how to wield the sword and he got very skilled at it.
Characteristics of a good soldier
- They can fight in any weather condition. This is reflective of Paul’s instruction for us to pray in and out of season.
- They are willing to do any kind of work necessary for warfare. For instance, soldiers have to build rigorous trenches and they do it, even on hard soil.
- They know how to take their mind off the cares of this world because it is the responsibility of their commanding officer to make sure that their family is taken care of. As such, we must learn how to harness the provisions of God to take care of our needs.
- They have contentment. A soldier that is not contented would not even last in warfare.