Trade in Your Old Gear, Part V

Diligence versus Indolence

We are to be diligent soldiers. We must be ready, willing and able: "Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ." (Col. 3:23-24 NLT)

Make a loving effort to please God. Make Him smile with your attitude as well as your work. Remember, He loves you now and forever. You are righteous in His eyes because of His Son.

Being diligent comes from a sense of urgency. You say: I must get this done! And away you go.

Being spiritually diligent comes from a sense of urgency. You say: Lord, there’s a war going on out there! Send me! And in the power of His Spirit, away you go.

Work hard in the Lord and for the Lord. Human beings are a fickle lot, so you lose so much more than you ever gain by pleasing others. The crowds turned on Jesus in less than a week. One moment He is riding triumphantly on a donkey into the city; the next moment, the crowd is shouting, “Crucify Him!”

We will be no different with those around us: "Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." (Gal. 1:10 NIV)

What is our motivation to keep on keepin’ on? To show the world the love of Christ: "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." (John 13:34-35 NLT)

Why Our Gear Won’t Work

The Kingdom of God is built on an utterly different Foundation from the world’s, which was corrupted by Adam and Eve’s disobedience. God did not refurbish the old foundation, but gave us an entirely new one: " For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. 3:11 NIV)

Why? Because a kingdom built on unrepentant hearts looks like this: "For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." (Matt. 15:19 NIV)

Funny, that sounds like Satan’s kingdom. Our love of Christ and our love for Christ is the oil that makes the gears of our diligence to serve Him run smoothly.

Indolence or laziness in the Kingdom of God allows Satan to nibble at our heart of flesh, allowing our heart of stone to reassert itself and all of its fleshly wants. Why? Flesh begets flesh, and flesh begets disaster.

A lazy soldier makes Satan’s efforts easier. Excuses such as, Hey Lord, let someone else do it; I’m too tired; I am not able because of my past; and a billion other excuses need to be confessed and left at the Cross. When the Lord calls you, (be assured, soldier, in these times He will) He alone will equip you to do the work. With His armor, your prayerful attitude and your diligence, the Kingdom of God will march forward.

Our next installment on being prepared for spiritual warfare is to look at Jesus' ministry and how He dealt with demons and the dark forces that taunted Him, His disciples and those He came to minister to and save.

The purpose of all my posts is not to regale my readers with stories of encounters with demons. I could sell a million books on such a topic. My purpose is to prepare you, not make me the center of the topic.

Forgive the plug, but this blog is coming from my book, S.T.A.N.D.: Spiritually Trained and Not defeated: Our Position in Christ, Our Mission in Christ, a Handbook on Spiritual Warfare. There is also a workbook that goes with it. It's available for $10.00 on Amazon.

We are not to fear Satan but be prepared by knowing how he operates. We model ourselves not after some famous speaker in the Christian community, but after Jesus Himself.