February 23, 2026
THE STAND
SOLDIERS OF THE CROSS
What a wonderful time to be a Christian, a real Christian, a stand-up Christian.
Each era has its own dynamics, challenges, problems, and difficulties for all human beings. But today, persecution abounds for Christians the world over. So that, more than ever, Christians must fight the fight of faith. That fight is verbal; not physical or violent, even though it is violence which now comes in many ways actually or potentially for the Christian.
To fight this fight, the Christian must put on the whole armor of the Lord, THE WHOLE ARMOR!
That is, armor which covers and protects the head (the mind), the chest (the heart), and the soul, and, in fact, the whole body. The Christian must have that armor head-to-toe in order to protect every part of his/her TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Scripture then tells the Soldier of the Cross to take up the sword of the Lord. Perhaps that sword is passion, commitment, the energy of the faith, and the sharp edge and point of the testimony of the soldier. That verbal sword with the power of the Holy Spirit is mighty in battle, mighty indeed.
The Christian soldier in battle carries the shield of the Lord. Perhaps that shield is the protective power of the Savior or the strong defense of the Holy Spirit. For with the Spirit of the Lord, protective body armor, and the shield of faith, the Christian is ready for any battle, any time with any one.
Then comes the study, the continual and never-ending study of the battle plan. The mind must be trained, the heart must be constantly energized, the will to obtain the goal always strengthened, and the motivation always heightened to press on for the cause of the high calling, to WIN THE BATTLE!
The command of our Captain is to:
STUDY THE BATTLE PLAN TO SHOW OURSELVES APPROVED & READY.
That takes time, commitment, and focus. Our Teacher, our Captain, is our Lord Himself. We study to gain His approval. We study His Word, every part of the Gospel, to make certain we understand His plan, HIS BATTLE PLAN. He asks us, men and women, to be workmen and workwomen, to commit our ALL to Him in the fight, nothing less.
We are, therefore, required to study Scripture, the battle plan, so we can know IN WHOM WE HAVE BELIEVED. We are never ashamed to identify ourselves as Soldiers of the Cross, fully and lovingly committed to win, never ashamed, never afraid, knowing no matter what happens, the ultimate victory is His and ours. The more we study, the more we learn about our Captain and the battle plan, the better we understand our role and what we are called to do.
Our Scriptures, Old and New Testament, are:
THE WORDS OF TRUTH.
They should be deeply embedded in our minds and hearts, constantly refreshed by the Holy Spirit. So that, my fellow Christians:
IF GOD (CHRIST) BE FOR US, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?
Even though we walk through the valley of death, where the verbal enemy lies in wait, we will fear no evil, no compromise, no watering down of our faith and belief. We march into verbal battle with the Holy Spirit at our side. We, like Paul, can not lose the fight of faith, for there is only ultimate victory. We can not lose the race, for we will win that prize. What an absolutely joyful, fulfilling, happy, and positive opportunity the real Christian has, no matter the trials and tribulations.
The life of a person of faith, a real Christian, is not easy. It has been in America to this point, but that is changing. The promise of Christ is the cross. If we are real Christians, we will take up that cross, follow Him wherever He leads, no matter how difficult.
He asks us to leave anything and anyone behind who would interfere in the fight of faith and our individual calling. He asks us to leave all we have and are on His altar of sacrifice. He asks us to stand for the Gospel, for Him, and He asks us, rather demands, that we:
RESIST THE WILES OF THE DEVIL.
He asks us to do what may be the hardest assignment as His soldier, and that is to be a witness at all times in our very own household, with our very own family and friends. He asks us to fight back against rejection and refusal, and never, ever compromise, never, ever quit, but FIGHT THE FIGHT OF FAITH WITH ALL OUR MIGHT.
He asks us to continue to study the battle plan, the Scripture. He asks us to grow in our understanding of that plan, and every revelation of the Gospel and Him. When we do not understand, He asks us to seek the help, the interpretation, the guidance of the Holy Spirit. When we ask, seek, knock, Divine Wisdom is fully available. No matter the battlefield, He asks us at all times to be like:
LITTLE CHILDREN.
That is, to have the faith of a child, to be open, spontaneous, transparent, lacking in guile, accepting with the whole heart without reservation.
And then, Soldier of the Cross, man or woman, He reminds us that GOD IS LOVE. Our Captain reminds us the greatest power on earth is:
LOVE.
Even to the point of loving our verbal enemies, even in battle with those enemies, for love is the greatest, and here or hereafter, love at work will always triumph. ALWAYS!
So, my fellow Christian, joyfully, lovingly, and energetically, fight the VERBAL fight of faith with all your might with the ultimate power of the love of God and the love of the Christ who showed us there is no greater love than for one to lay down his/her life for another, for a friend. If you are called to do that, the ultimate sacrifice, know that your Lord did it before you, and He has given you the opportunity to lay down your life for Him, as He did.
What a joy, what a privilege, what a pleasure, what an opportunity to be a Christian today, and to be a Soldier in:
