Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. — 2 Timothy 2:3

You have been called, you have been chosen, you have been enlisted to defend and invade in the Spirit.  You are a soldier of Jesus Christ.  Everyone who is born again has entered the army of God and now has a purpose and position in His army.  A good soldier will endure hardness.  A soldier is a person who is pursuing an enemy, who is advancing for the Kingdom’s sake.  When you do, you will run into hardness.  Hardness may be others who are not as serious about their enlistment as you are; it may be family members, it may be friends, it may even be other Christians who do not want to get involved.  People will avoid you, they may even talk about you, but it does not change the fact that you are a soldier of Jesus Christ.  When Paul was enlisted, his own people could not stand him, and the rest of the army was afraid of him, so he went to the Gentiles to take ground.  Look for and find a people who want what you have-–who desire to be free, to be on fire, to be enlisted, and who will endure hardness from those who do not understand their enlistment.  Do not complain, criticize, or back down, but endure.

No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

— 2 Timothy 2:4

When a person becomes a soldier and enlists in the military, he or she becomes the property of the Army, Navy, or whatever branch he or she’s joined.  Each is taught and trained to carry out a job in the military so that in time of battle, each can succeed.  You are currently in boot camp spiritually.  You are being trained and taught to advance, to invade, and to defend.  It is not time to get caught up in the little problems and affairs of this life.  All these little counter-attacks are to get you to stop advancing and stop invading.  They are to paralyze you into not running, climbing, or marching.  It is essential that you stay focused on your call and position.  We have enough soldiers doing nothing for the Kingdom.  You need to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” and all these little distractions will take care of themselves.  Do not get hung up on the affairs of the natural and neglect your spiritual call and training!  You should have one desire-–to please Him Who has chosen you to be a soldier!  How do I please Him?  Advance and invade and take ground in the Spirit!

For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s. — Philippians 2:21

Can you imagine a person who joins the military and then does his own thing?  He gets out of bed when he wants to, exercises when he wants to, and trains when he feels like it.  No, once enlisted, you are now told when to get up, when to go to bed, when to eat, when to exercise, when to sleep.  You hear and obey the commands of your superior.  In the Spirit realm your Superior is Jesus Christ or the Word of God.  He, through it, will tell you how to grow, prepare, and train to be used as a good soldier.  The Word will make you familiar with your weapons, your armor, and even your enemy.  It will give you the same heart and desire as your Leader, Jesus Christ:  you will look on prisoners with compassion, you will desire to free those who have been bound for years.  You will start to love righteousness and hate iniquity.  You will forget about “your own” and seek His will.  The Army will be responsible for your needs-–your living quarters, your clothes, and your chow.  Why do you worry about what you will eat and drink and wear?--it’s because you have stopped invading and have started “seeking your own”!  A soldier’s focus is on his country and his kingdom, not his own needs.  Do not worry about your needs.  The government of heaven will take care of everything–-if you will invade.

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy:  and nothing shall by any means hurt you. — Luke 10:19

There is a reason that God gives His people power and authority.  It is not just so we can tell others we have it, or for us to stand still and wait, but to tread!  The power given to you by God is to run, to climb, to march into enemy territory and take back health, take back wealth, take back prisoners of war who have been held in torture camps for years.  They have been tortured with fear, and anxiety, and insecurity.  They have been bound and shackled and beaten in their souls for years and it is time they were set free!  You have authority and power to tread–-and that authority and power is only activated when you are treading.  Without you invading, and climbing, and advancing, the power will lie dormant!  Oh, yes, you have it, but you have not pulled the trigger on it, not released it.  Just start treading!  When you do, the ability to invade will be released in your life and serpents and scorpions will become your footstool.  Divine protection will be yours when you are seeking Kingdom affairs.  Many get hurt because they invade, yet when hardness comes they turn and run–-but there is no protection in God’s armor for your backside.   Just keep going forward.   You have power-–if you tread.