Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!
The Call of Christianity
The Christian Life
Soldiers of Christ
Christ the Conqueror
When sin entered the world, creation fell into corruption, darkness, and separation from God. Yet in His love, the Father sent His perfect Son, Jesus, into this broken world to rescue us. He came to confront Satan, his demons, and every power that opposed God. On the cross, He broke the chains of sin, death, and darkness—winning a victory for all who would believe (Colossians 2:15).
From the beginning of His ministry to Calvary itself, Jesus endured spiritual warfare on our behalf. At the cross, He conquered death, seized the keys of hell, and paid the price for every sin (Revelation 1:18). In doing so, He opened the way for us to enter the Kingdom of God.
Jesus is the ultimate warrior—the greatest soldier—who willingly laid down His life so we might live, and rose in victory to secure our freedom forever.
Pick Up Your Cross
The moment we are saved, we are enlisted into God’s army—an honor to embrace with joy. Jesus not only showed us the way, He commanded us to follow Him: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). If He lived as a soldier of righteousness, we too must take up the same calling—serving as light and salt in a dark world (Matthew 5:13–16).
Christian, you are a soldier of Christ, whether you recognize it or not. Unlike earthly wars where men are drafted, your commissioning began the moment you received salvation. From that instant, you became part of God’s army—fighting not with weapons of the flesh, but with the Spirit, truth, and love of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3–4).
How do God’s soldiers fight? By displaying His love. Just as Jesus did, we forsake the world, deny ourselves, submit to the Father, and bear the fruit of His Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23).
We do not live as the world lives; instead, we strive to live kingdom lives as Jesus taught in Matthew 5, so that others may see God’s love and turn to Him. We forgive because we have been forgiven. We pursue peace because Christ has made peace for us with God (Romans 5:1). Our lives are about the kingdom, about God’s glory, and about reaching others with the gospel.
The Soldier’s Mission
No matter who our family, friends, or careers may be, our ultimate mission is to shine the light of Christ wherever we are. Jobs, possessions, and resources are not the goal—they are tools for a higher purpose: bringing others to salvation. Every relationship is an opportunity to minister, to serve, and to point souls to Jesus (1 Peter 2:9). This is the instruction given to every soldier of God while we remain on this earth.
The Tragedy of Idle Soldiers
Many who call themselves Christians ignore this call. Some believe it applies only to pastors, missionaries, or the Apostle Pauls of the world. Instead of living as soldiers, they slip into the reserves—serving God only when convenient, while devoting the rest of their lives to worldly pursuits.
This is a grave mistake. Fear often drives this compromise—fear of suffering, fear of sacrifice, fear of losing comfort. Yet by refusing to live as full-time soldiers of Christ, we risk losing something far greater than anything the world could take from us (2 Timothy 2:3–4).
What We Lose
Growth
When God sends us into the world to be salt and light, the task is never easy. On our own strength, we fail. But God allows this to draw us back to Him. A faithful soldier who stumbles but presses on learns to run to God for help—and in that dependence, true growth begins.
Every moment of the Christian life is a test of genuineness: will we reflect faith or faithlessness? In faith, we show closeness to God. In faithlessness, we discover our weakness and our need for Him to search our hearts and remove what hinders His fruit. Like David, we must pray: “Search me, O God, and know my heart” (Psalm 139:23).
Blessed
The greatest blessing a person can know is the fruit of Christ—an inner richness no one can take away. Imagine a life where no storm, no trial, no evil could steal your peace or rob you of your love. That is the blessing of Christ’s life within us: love, joy, peace, truth, identity, and purpose—an eternal richness that no storm can steal.
On this side of heaven, perfection is not possible, for we still wrestle with our flesh. But as God prunes the old nature and strengthens the Spirit, we begin to taste these heavenly riches. He gives us His love and peace for our joy, but also for His glory—so that His light through us may awaken the spiritually dead to life.
Blessings
Picture a soldier who refuses to step onto the battlefield, choosing the comfort of the tent instead. Over time, his focus turns inward. He forgets why he enlisted, who he is fighting for, and soon begins to complain about his surroundings.
Many Christians fall into this same trap. Refusing the call to be soldiers, they slip into idle faith. And idle faith is the devil’s workshop. In this state, our problems, comforts, and circumstances overshadow God’s kingdom and the souls He seeks to save through us.
But when we allow God to grow and strengthen us, we gain victory over our struggles. Mature Christians live above the pull of the world. No longer chasing selfish desires, we are filled by God Himself. And when we are filled, His love overflows into our families, our friendships, and everyone around us.
We are blessed and become a blessing to others (Genesis 12:2).
Jesus
The greatest loss of all comes when we refuse the call of a soldier: our relationship with Jesus remains shallow. Like children unable to follow Him into the dark world, we wander, fearful and weak. This is why so many Christians today have faith that is dry, weak, and powerless—they have never joined Christ on the battlefield (Ephesians 6:10–11).
A soldier who avoids the fight cannot know the strength of his commander. And a Christian who avoids the fight cannot know the fullness of Jesus.
False Christians
I remember many who returned from the Vietnam War came back as victims. Some admitted, “I never wanted to fight in the first place.” Whether the war was right or wrong, their words revealed something deeper—they never carried the heart of a true soldier.
In the same way, the battle of faith—the call to be a soldier of Christ—reveals who truly belongs to Him. Without stepping into this fight, we risk deceiving ourselves, mistaking words or appearances for salvation. On the final day, many will tragically find themselves in the same position—victims of a war they never truly fought, standing outside the Kingdom as casualties of a faith they only claimed, but never lived (Matthew 7:21–23).
In Conclusion
Many will read this and feel they are not living much of a life. Others will excuse themselves, saying, “I have responsibilities—my family, my bills, my work. I can’t be this soldier for God.” They believe serving Him means abandoning everything. But that is exactly the point of the Christian life—it no longer belongs to us; it belongs to God (Galatians 2:20).
Just as a soldier leaves his old life behind when called to war, we too must be ready to lay aside everything for Christ. This does not mean we cannot work, raise families, or enjoy the blessings of life. It means that in all these things, we live with a soldier’s mindset: we are always at war.
Wherever we go, whatever we do, our deepest desire is to honor Christ and advance His kingdom. Every choice, every action, flows from a heart that asks, “How does this add to God’s kingdom?” That is the mark of a true soldier of Christ.
