Deploying On MIssion

Introduction

Anyone that has been in the military knows that every service member is constantly being trained and tested over and over again. It sometimes seems like a redundant grind especially when the training seems to have no real visible outcome.

Yet anyone that has been in the military can also tell you that they are being trained for battle preparedness. It is in the heat of the battle, under the strain and stress of quite possibly life or death situations that the results of those countless hours of training show up.

In those moments, what would have seemed impossible before all of that training is now almost effortless as muscle memory kicks in and a sense of pride in having put in the time to know what to do in a difficult situation begins to overwhelm you.

Likewise, the Christian soldier that has been put through the grinder of Holy Spirit propelled training is grateful for it the moment that it is required. The pain and intensity that many will never know becomes worth it when we stand against enemies far more powerful than any one of us by ourselves, but are also no match for the Lord Jesus Christ.

1. We Are Not Called To Live As Other Men

When we look at the life of Jesus we notice that Jesus did not live like other men.

From the day a man enters the military something changes about him. He knows he will never be the same again, he can never go back to who he was. In many ways the culture shock alone will break them down so that they can be refashioned into men of action, men of integrity, men who can be counted on to get things done.

All through out the story of Jesus life we see how He lived with his disciples.

In Matthew 10 we see Jesus not just living with His disciples, but training them in their daily walk.

Matthew 10:1 NKJV

And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.

Matthew 10:5–15 NKJV

These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food. “Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!

We have the advantage of living in retrospect to these Scriptures. It would be easy for us to take for granted how immense this must have been for these twelve men.

They had not been raised seeing a whole lot of miracles as they were seeing Jesus do even though they believed they were possible like many do today.

Now they were not only being asked to observe, but to participate and perform the miraculous.

They could only accomplish this with full reliance on He who sent them.

2. Stay Connected to Jesus

Over the years we have all seen some that have had vibrant, fruitful ministries that over time seemed to lose steam or even worse, end in scandal.

They somehow lost their way in the business of serving God. They were surrounded by Christianity yet still lost connection with Christ.

John 15:4–5 NKJV

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

We are creatures of habit. We like routine, control over our domain. It brings us a sense of comfort to know that we have things buttoned up.

But the enemy is pretty crafty at getting us off mission while allowing us to think we are still doing the Lord’s work.

I am talking about the issue of alignment with God.

It is vital that we constantly maintain and evaluate our connection with Jesus instead of going through the motions.

Any soldier knows the importance of comms in the heat of the battle. They can be the difference between victory or defeat, life or death.

Even with all of their training, the chaos of battle can become disorienting, which is to the advantage of the enemy when they can catch troops off guard in that situation.

It could be absolutely catastrophic to lose our heads in the heat of the battle. But we serve a God that is always reachable no matter how hard the fight we face.

There are going to be times in your walk with God that you’re going to have to stop just trying to push through and humble yourself enough to acknowledge that you’re in over your head and need help.

1 Peter 5:5–7 NKJV

Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

3. Courage To Deploy

For years as a minister of the Gospel, I struggled with a recurring theme I saw unfolding in the Church.

There were/are hardly any men in the Church to deploy on mission.

We are seeing a similar trend in the military today. Recruitment rates are at an all time low as a new generation of military age young men have opted out. They are not willing to die for a country they view as corrupt and immoral.

Likewise in the Church we have seen a steep drop-off in attendance as the Church has compromised the tenets of Scripture. Commands have become suggestions in the minds of many.

It is just all too easy sometimes to look around and say what’s the point? There’s hardly anyone else fighting for God’s truth anymore, why should I?

WE ARE CALLED TO BE FAITHFUL WHEN NOBODY ELSE WILL BE!

The Church at large has forgotten the promises of God. Continuing the portion of Scripture from 1 Peter;

1 Peter 5:8–11 NKJV

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Did you hear that? The biggest screwball amongst the Apostles is encouraging us to remain steadfast so that we can receive God’s work in our lives to keep us going until His appearing.

We are not the first to experience what this world is going through, its not even the first time for many of us. This is perhaps the worst that most of us have ever seen this world.

But of all the generations in God’s creation, He has chosen you and I to be here now.

I believe God has stationed us on the front lines here in the PNW for a reason. He knows what He has instilled in us . He knows His plans to use us for His glory in this region.

We need therefore to remember the God in whom we have believed and know that He cannot fail, and is not failing despite the reports of the world.

2 Chronicles 20:6 NKJV

and said: “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?

2 Timothy 1:12 NKJV

For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

Remember in every situation that He is with you, that He is for you, that He is invested in the outcome of your labor for Him.

Jesus told His disciples;

Matthew 28:18–20 NKJV

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.