Trick or Truth

Alright guys. The day is here. Halloween. Hollows end. Day of the Hallows. Whatever name it is given, it amounts to the same thing: free candy if you dress up. So, to give a little key info on this topic, here is a devotion from dare2share.org. Hopefully this devotion will help you put Christ in Halloween.

During the years that I served as a Pastor of Student Ministries, I had a definite love/hate relationship with October. On the one hand, students were back in the swing of things, and attendance usually was much more consistent. Yet football, other sports, homecomings, and a host of other activities made it very tough to keep the momentum going. The hardest thing for me to decide each fall was what to do with this mysterious 'holiday' called Halloween.

The Apostle Paul said:

"I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ." (I Corinthians 9:22)

My purpose in this devotion is not to make a statement about how you should or shouldn't feel about Halloween, rather to equip and resource you with information so that you can find 'common ground' with unbelievers and use October 31st as a way to help bring people to Christ, because this season typically brings a greater openness on the part of people to discuss spiritual issues- so why not take advantage of these two factors to get the Message to the lost?

One of the biggest problems we face is the enormous amount of misinformation put out by well meaning believers who have 'researched' this topic at an elementary school level or below. So first off, let's try and make some sense out of the loony tunes literature floating around regarding the history behind Halloween.

In North America, the yearly observance of Halloween amounts to a multi-billion-dollar industry, second only to Christmas...selling costumes, candy and food items, party supplies, greeting cards, tours of so-called haunted houses, and other forms of entertainment. But what is the history of this particular day? The story may surprise you.

• FACT: It's Old
  More than two thousand years ago, a people called the Celts lived in what are now Ireland, Great Britain, and France. Among the Celtic people was an elite intellectual class known as the Druids, who served as religious priests, judges, lawmakers, and scientists. They had an elaborate pagan religious festival, along with certain rituals. Chief among these was the Fire Festival called Samhain (pronounced sow-en), observed at harvest time to mark the Celtic New Year.
  The Celts believed that on this night the barrier between the natural world and the supernatural was removed, and the spirits of the dead were able to move freely among human beings. Samhain was the most solemn and important night in the Celtic year.
• FACT: Christians had a Part
  After the Roman Catholic Church brought Christianity to the Celtic peoples in the seventh century, some of their traditional folk customs were Christianized. In 835 A.D. Pope Gregory IV moved the church's "Feast of All Saints" from the spring to November 1st to replace the observance of Samhain. All Saint's Day, still observed today by many Christians, honored believers who had died. The night before, which featured a sacred vigil in church, became known as "All Hallow's Eve," or Halloween. But the old practices of the Druids died hard and were denounced by the church as witchcraft. This is how Halloween became known as a witch's holiday.

• FACT: Today's Customs are Different
  Dressing in costumes and going door-to-door comes from a much later tradition in the British Isles, a practice not restricted to Halloween. Masked players would go from house-to-house, putting on a simple drama or musical performance in return for food and drink. Often these performances had Christian themes.
  The "trick-or-treat" custom we know today is thoroughly American in origin. In the nineteenth century, when Irish and Scotch immigrants brought their Halloween traditions to North America, the night became an occasion for pranks and mischief. Vandals would go through the night, soaping windows, overturning outhouses, and pulling gates from their hinges. These pranks were playfully said to be the work of witches and ghosts, but by the 1920s the joke wasn't funny anymore. The damage to neighborhoods was mounting.
  To counteract Halloween vandalism, community clubs like the Boy Scouts began to organize alternatives that are safe and fun. Children were encouraged to go door-to-door and receive treats from homeowners and merchants, keeping the troublemakers away. By the 1930s, the practice was popular nationwide, and young voices crying, "Trick or treat!" were echoing through neighborhood streets.
  In this way, a combination of pagan, Christian, and civic elements formed the Halloween celebration we know today. In recent decades, however, a renewed interest in the old pagan beliefs has blossomed in North America. Popular entertainment, including television shows like "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer," and even "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch," make occult themes and witchcraft seem fun and acceptable. The result is that Halloween today has become strongly associated with the occult and a preoccupation with the dead—two influences that Scripture and the church have always warned against. (source:http://www.october31st.org/)

So now that you know the skinny on this scary day, how can we use this odd celebration to introduce people to the Savior? Here are three suggestions:

1. Meet your neighbors. One of the ideas behind Halloween was to give communities a chance to meet each other. It's kinda tough to 'love your neighbor' when you don't even know his/her name- don't you think? I know you're probably too old to trick or treat, so why not go door to door and pass out 'community service' coupons (like raking leaves, washing cars etc.). This will probably blow folks away, but what an awesome way to show that believers actually care about showing the love of God!
2. Try to turn conversations to spiritual themes. Hello...this is Halloween! Can you think of a better time to bring up things like life after death, heaven and hell, good vs. evil, etc.? You could even use some of the above mentioned history to show what a smart cookie you are, then make a smooth transition to the gospel.
3. Pass out a tasteful tract with your candy. Be careful with this one, because there is Christian literature out there that quite possibly drives people further from God. However, there are many great tracts out there that convey the incredible message of God's grace in a way that children can understand. Before you give a tract out, you should read it thoroughly from the perspective of an unbeliever. In other words, if you weren't saved, what would you think of what you were reading?

Above all, use this day as a reminder that your eternal destiny is secure- and evil cannot touch you. The Apostle Paul informs us that:

"God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of Christ." (Colossians 2:14)

To me, all the wacky symbols and gory costumes are visible evidences that one day Jesus is coming back to make things right. In heaven we will be treated to a universe free from all pain and suffering- and that's no trick.

Questions:

1. How can you use Halloween to help bring people closer to God?
2. How big of a threat do you think you are to Satan's Kingdom?
3. What is one change you want to make this year?

Consume

Hey guys! It's finally Friday again! I don't know about you guys, but it's been a pretty long week for me. But now it's the end of that long week. The time to wind down, reflect, and to have a good weekend. So, to start you off, here is a devotion about worldly possessions, something we all struggle with. This one is once again from dare2share.org. So read, meditate, and go do good in the world!

"One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple." (Psalm 27:4 esv)

Each and every single one of us has a choice laid out before us. Whom or what we will choose to follow. It could be anything; a car, job, material possessions, a boyfriend or a girlfriend, maybe even a title or an honor. We could have the best job, the coolest car, and the hottest boyfriend/girlfriend, but there will still be a void. Many times we consume our lives and our thoughts with getting ahead, making more money, buying bigger and better possessions, but strangely enough, the void grows larger. The emptiness we fill inside can only find satisfaction when we seek the One who can offer a truly fulfilled life. ("But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in Him..." Philippians 7-9 NIV) Jesus Christ must be our top priority, our number one. He must be the One and only in our lives, our all in all. Jesus is constantly drawing us closer to Himself. He desperately desires an intimate, love relationship with us. However, it takes effort on our part to maintain that relationship. We must put forth all our time, energy and love into seeking Him, therefore nothing or no one else can rival Him. Isaiah 46:9 says,

"...I am GOD, the only God you've had or ever will have--incomparable, irreplaceable. (MSG)

Here I will venture to ask you a deeply personal question: What is your passion and desire? What consumes your thoughts and actions? Is it Christ or something else? Consider this poem I found in Beth Moore's book, Further Still. It can be a sincere prayer each and every one of us can pray to make Him our everything, our uncontested love and joy in life.

Consume Me, O Lord

Consume me, O Lord, flood my soul with Your Son. Leave nothing uncovered, leave nothing undone.
Set me on fire, consume all my dross. Make beauty form my ashes and gain from my loss.
Consume me, O Lord, be the life in my bones. Put your head in my marrow till Jesus alone.
Can set me aflame with Your holy fire, unquenchable passion, exquisite desire.
Thrill all my senses with sacred romance; consume me, O Lord, come bid me to dance.
Down streets paved in gold a pure virgin bride, nothing to run from, nothing to hide
Consume me, O Lord.

Now that most of you are on summer break, this is the perfect opportunity to be swept away in His love and become enraptured in a sacred romance, with the love of your life. I pray that you can find time to spend with Him, reading His Word, and talking with Him. I also pray you can find time to walk around in His creation and admire all the wonderful things He has done for you.

I know it is difficult to find time for Him, with all the great things summer has to offer. The sun, the beach, the mountains, hikes, the pool, vacations, and so on, but I want to challenge you. I would ask that right here and right now you would make a commitment to know Him better. I challenge you to set a reasonable goal in which you will spend time with Him each day, and set a pattern of discipline that you can follow throughout the summer, into next year and the years to come. You will create a habit that will benefit you and your relationship with God forever!

What is more, you will find yourself worrying less about the things this world has to offer, and seeking out the things of God more and more. Jobs, cars, and possessions will loose their luster in comparison to Jesus Christ, who encompasses all that is good. Our perspectives on life will change as we strive to help those who have less than ourselves and reach out to a hurting world with the hope of the gospel message. However, we will never make an impact on this earth until we make Christ our unsurpassing joy, laughter, hope, desire, breath, and life. When He consumes our deepest depths, then and only then, will people see God more valuably than all the power and success the world has to offer. They too will want to choose Him above all else, because they see you living it out daily!

Let this be the cry of our hearts; In the path of your judgments, O LORD, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul." (Isaiah 26:8 ESV)

Questions:

1. What is your top priority in life?
2. Will you make a goal and follow through with it, to spend a good amount of time with Jesus every day?
3. Will you work hard to discipline yourself, so you can create a habit that will last the rest of your life?

Wile E. Coyote

Good afternoon everyone! I hear you all had an amazing night at Fusion last night. Wish I could have joined you. Now, here is a devotion for those of you that remember the days when cartoons were more about slapstick and defying the laws of physics than about some kid running around with a watch that turns him into an alien or a new twist to the Star Wars movies in 30 minutes. I think it goes pretty well with Daniel's message, hope you agree. This one comes from creativeyouthideas.com, and I have to say it is really good. Now read! GO! NOW!

To this day, one of my favorite cartoons is the Warner Bros "Road Runner" series. Some days I feel like the Road Runner and some days I feel like the Coyote.

Wile E. Coyote (Carnivorous Vulgaris) is based upon a description of a coyote in Mark Twain's book "Roughing It" which refers to a coyote as being starved and hungry enough to chase a roadrunner.

Road Runner (Accelleratii Incredibus), based upon a bird from the American Southwest, is too fast to catch and too skinny to make a decent meal. He seems completely oblivious to his danger and always escapes the clever Coyote's carefully orchestrated plans.

According to Chuck Jones, the cartoon's creator, in "Chuck Amuck: The Life and Times of An Animated Cartoonist," they adhered to some simple but strict rules with the cartoon:

1. The Road Runner cannot harm the Coyote except by going "Beep-Beep!"
2. No outside force can harm the Coyote - only his own ineptitude or the failure of Acme products.
3. The Coyote could stop anytime - if he were not a fanatic.
4. No dialogue ever, except "Beep-Beep!"
5. The Road Runner must stay on the road.
6. All action must be confined to the southwest American desert.
7. All materials, tools, weapons, or mechanical conveniences must be obtained from the Acme Corporation.
8. Whenever possible, make gravity the Coyote's greatest enemy.
9. The Coyote is always more humiliated than harmed by his failures.
10. The audience's sympathy must remain with the Coyote.

The coyote, with knife and fork in hand, becomes so single-minded, so fixated on his pursuit of Road Runner that his whole existence is defined by it. To make matters worse, he has an exaggerated belief in his own ingenuity and in the scientific methods and instruments of the ACME Corporation. He's forever coming up with increasingly elaborate and seemingly foolproof schemes in his ceaseless pursuit of the Road Runner.

Amusingly, Murphy's Law, "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, and at the worst possible moment" seems to intervene on every occasion as each attempt to capture the Road Runner fails, by some inherent flaw that Wile E. Coyote never anticipates. All his attempts end in disaster. Yet, nothing happens to Wile E. that he does not bring upon himself. The Road Runner merely responds to coyote's doomed schemes with his characteristic “Beep-Beep”.

Sadly, if Wile E Coyote ever did catch the Road Runner, it is doubtful that the puny little bird would satisfy his hunger.

Like the Coyote?
Our lives become defined by our pursuits. But many of those pursuits are more difficult to grasp than the Road Runner. We come up with elaborate schemes to satisfy the hungers in life only to be left empty and frustrated by our failures. Too often we like to blame these failures and other misadventures in life on the devil. But like those of Wile E Coyote, most of them are self-initiated. While Coyote’s failures usually do little more than humiliate him, the disastrous consequences of a fall in real life do more than damage our ego. In fact they can cause great harm not only to ourselves, but also to others around us. And even when we do manage to take hold of that which we have been pursuing, the end result is often less than satisfying.

Are there things in life that you fanatically pursue with the reckless abandon of a half-crazed coyote to your detriment? (family, careers, money, power, popularity, etc)

Instead of chasing after the Road Runners in life, let them run off into the sunset and chase after God instead. As the apostle Paul said “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14) “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33) When we pursue God, he will satisfy the hungers we have in life like no Road Runner ever will. Better yet, he wants to be caught!

The Man Behind the Lion

Here you guys go! A devotion from Dare2share.org. Now, the first part of this may be a bit off, because this is an older post. Just the dates though, rest of it is good. So read, enjoy, and go move in your place. GO!

Forty years ago this week the world lost two men who changed the world around them. One man you have heard of, the other one you might have not. Interestingly enough, the more famous one left an amazing legacy, but I predict that his well known status will diminish within a few decades. The not so famous one left a small legacy that in forty years has grown to an unbelievable level, and it certainly shows no sign of slowing. Have you guessed who I'm talking about yet?

Forty years ago this week our nation lost President John F. Kennedy, and the world lost author/speaker C.S. Lewis. You probably didn't know that, because the media wouldn't see the anniversary of Lewis' death as the stuff of headlines...yet I would beg to differ.

His books sell more than 3 million copies a year and the most famous ones: Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, and The Chronicles of Narnia, have been reprinted dozens and dozens of times. Even as you are reading this; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is being made into a major motion picture.

You know the funny thing about it is that C.S. Lewis never wanted to be famous. Even though he was a well-known writer and speaker, he continued an incredibly simple lifestyle. Michael Nelson has written in the International Herald Tribune: "Two-thirds of his book royalties were earmarked for charities. He never traveled abroad, even when fame brought invitations to lecture from around the world."

C.S. Lewis was converted as an adult, at which point he decided to use his gifts and talents in the service of Christ. Because of that decision and his life of obedience, God has used this humble Irishman to touch the lives of millions upon millions of people- including the person writing to you at this moment.

Not too many days go by when I am not thinking of Lewis' description of Christ using Aslan the Lion. My view of spiritual warfare was radically changed by The Screwtape Letters, and I still believe that the "Lord, Liar, Lunatic" argument for the deity of Christ is one of the strongest aones around.

Of course at one point in his life, C.S. Lewis was in the same place you are today, asking the same question: should I use my gifts and talents to serve God, or myself? I know for a fact that Lewis could have made a boat load of cash and worldwide fame, and lived life like a king. Instead he gave away his money, didn't worry about fame, and lived life for the King.

Maybe you're thinking you don't have any gifts or talents? God has a different view:

God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well... (Romans 12:6)

Notice He doesn't say that God has given 'some' of us of- rather 'each of us'...which means that you have something to offer this world in the service of God. In fact, we are commanded to do so. In Romans 12, Paul is basically explaining that it is the very purpose of life to pour out our lives to God:

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. As God's messenger, I give each of you this warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others. God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. (Romans 12:1-8)

Does this mean that God won't love me if I don't? Absolutely not. Yet you will miss out on the best plan possible for your trips around the sun. That's what happened with C.S. Lewis...but don't take my word for it- let's hear it from the person who has been there and done that:

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."

- C.S. Lewis

Questions:

1. What gifts and talents has God given you?
2. Are you using your gifts and talents in the service of the King? Why or why not?
3. Are you willing to start praying this week about getting more involved in sharing your faith and serving your church? Why or why not?

Lukewarm Christianity

Alright guys, time to start your weeks. Hope you all had a better Monday than I did. Well, here's a devotion from examplesyouth.org about living a lukewarm life. It goes great with Daniel's message for you guys, and I hope it brings reality to some of you, because a few of you really need to hear this. So read it, feel it, and make the change.

Teaching Teens to Decide Wholeheartedly to Live for God

What does it mean to be “lukewarm”? Let’s read Revelations 3:14 –16

OBJECT LESSON
Have a cup or small bowl of ice, a mug of hot water, and a room temperature mug of water. Have a volunteer come up to help you demonstrate the below.

When you think of being lukewarm, you think of something that is somewhere in the middle. Put your hand in this cup (the cup of ice). What does this feel like? OK, now put your hand in this one (the hot one). What does that feel like? OK, now feel this one (the room temperature one). Would you say this one is hot or cold?

When you are a lukewarm Christian, you are not “hot” enough to be living entirely for God, but not “cold” enough to say you are not a Christian.

When you try to mix the two, you only cause confusion in your life and in the lives of those around you! How do you know if you are lukewarm?

When you are lukewarm, you tend to only do the Word when it is easy, convenient, or comfortable for you. For example:

1. When you are around other Christians
2. When you really need something from God
3. When you feel bad about something
4. When you need some money!
5. When you are in danger or in trouble

Some questions to ask yourself to find out if you are lukewarm:

o When you are around certain people, do you forget about doing the Word and being pleasing to God?

o When you don’t feel like doing the right thing according to the Bible, do you just blow it off?

o When you hear the Word, does it feel like it really means something to you right then, but later or in a day or two you go back to doing the opposite of what you heard? (James 1:22 – 27 talks about being a forgetful hearer of the Word).

So, if all of this is coming too close to describing you, what are steps to take to turn this around in your life? How do our hearts become good ground for God’s Word to flourish and grow?

o First, make a decision to do the Word. Believing “in” God is not enough. The devil believes in God! You have to make a decision that you are going to do your best to live like the Word instructs you to live. (James 2:19 – 20 says that our faith without works is dead).

o Make sure you are attending church and getting fed the Word of God. You should find a church that teaches you the Word and how to live it.

o Spend personal time in the Word – every day! Get a daily devotion book, go online to find teen Bible Study Lessons (log on to www.examplesyouth.org!), buy a Teen Study Bible that makes the Word easier to read and understand. Whatever it takes, you have to begin studying and reading the Word on your own. Going to church once or twice a week is not enough to sustain your life in God. The world is coming at us 24/7. We’ve got to combat it with putting God’s Word inside of us.

o Pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17, Psalm 5:1 – 3). Praying throughout the day as well as setting aside time to pray.

o Hang out with other kids that believe the Word and desire to live it.

Once you are doing those steps, here is what happens when we decide to seek God with your whole heart and not settle at being lukewarm (Revelations 3:17 – 22):

o You are now empowered to be successful in everything you do.

o You are now able to see and understand things you normally would not have been able to. Things you did not know how to fix, problems you were having with your family, at school, with a friend, etc. – your understanding will become clearer because you are now aligning your heart with hearing from God and His Word on how to live your life.

o You are no longer living subject to the world and its ways. When you are not living subject to the world, you are not subject to the results of living a worldly life as well. Broken relationships, sickness, lack and poverty, failure. God wants to direct us in our lives so that we are not subject to the curse of the world, but to the blessings of life and life more abundantly (John 10:10)

Carpe Diem!

            So, I’m sure some of you have heard the phrase Carpe Diem before. A few of you may even know what it means. But do any of you actually understand the meaning of the phrase? Most people realize that the actual words are from Latin, maybe even realize that they are from a poem. But hardly anyone could name that poet. Well, here’s the stuff you should know.

Carpe Diem means Seize the Day, a phrase that has come to mean something like “live like you were dying.” Below is the actual poem that made the phrase famous.

 Don't ask (it's forbidden to know) what end

            the gods have granted to me or you, Leuconoe. Don't play with Babylonian

            fortune-telling either. How much better it is to endure whatever will be!

Whether Jupiter has allotted to you many more winters or this final one

            which even now wears out the Tyrrhenian sea on the rocks placed opposite

            — be wise, strain the wine, and scale back your long hopes

to a short period. While we speak, envious time will have {already} fled

            Seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future.

Alright, now onto the good stuff. So, now you know all the background and stuff for the phrase, now to put it into motion. Don’t let the rambling confuse you, I do have a point to this. And here we go.

            The phrase Carpe Diem is more than just a nice thing to say to try and encourage someone or yourself. It’s a powerhouse of meaning and sentimentality. To me, it’s something that needs to be applied to our Christian walks. Everyday needs to lived like it’s the day before the end. Don’t fall into the mentality of fixing it later. There may not be a later. Sometimes you fall into the delusion of “well, I’ll have fun for now and fix my life when I’m older and wiser.” That’s the wrong idea! God doesn’t say that saying the “I accept Jesus” prayer near the end and you’re golden. He desires a relationship. One that takes a lifetime to develop and all of your will and power to maintain. So you need to seize the day and use all the time that you have to fully develop your relationship with God. There will be hard times, but hunker down, carpe diem, and fight your way through. When the devil is trying to tear you down, don’t let him, just call on God’s power to pull you out of the devil’s grasp. When you feel yourself falling into the grip of old sins, fight back. Grab hold of God’s might and let God’s Will and Majesty take you out of the temptations. He is where all of your strength must lie, and all of your focus needs to be. The best is yet to come, but so is the worst. But for now, just carpe diem in Christi nomen! (Seize the day in the name of Christ.)

Are You in God's Army?

Hey guys. Hope all of you are having a fantastic Wednesday. Here's a little challenge from the guys over at dare2share.org. Hope it hits you like it did me.

I may never march in the infantry,
Ride in the cavalry,
Shoot the artillery.
I may never zoom o'er the enemy,
But I'm in the Lord's army. Yes, sir! I'm in the Lord's army. Yes, sir!
I'm in the Lord's army. Yes, sir!

I may never march in the infantry,
Ride in the cavalry,
Shoot the artillery.
I may never zoom o'er the enemy,
But I'm in the Lord's army. Yes, sir!

Remember that one? It was always one of my favorites. In fact, I wish the 'grown-up' church service would have it as a worship song occasionally - just to remind us of something very important:

We are in the Lord's Army

Sure, it's a kids' song- but it has an adult message that is too easily neglected and too often forgotten. When you're a child, it's fun to think about being in the service of the Captain of our salvation...oh but then at some point we get 'mature', which often translates into 'chicken'.

So the issue at hand is: are you involved in the fight? Or perhaps at some point you were taken prisoner by the enemy. If you are a captive, you might not even know it- so let me give you a few characteristics of spiritual P.O.W.'s.

• They think that many Christians are just too 'radical' for Jesus. After all, they should settle down and try not to 'offend' people too much or too often.
• They have been led to believe that the early fire they had for Christ was just a temporary spiritual high, but that kind of feeling will probably never come back.
• They are trapped in the rut of going through the motions of church, Bible reading, and prayer...almost as if they are doing it out of duty instead of desire.
• They try to witness to others through actions only, thinking that people will understand the gospel without ever being told.

If any of these describe you, the great news is that you hold a 'get out of jail free' card right in your hands! Satan only has as much authority as you give him, so take it back, recommit your life, and go to battle!

Perhaps the old song mentioned above isn't quite enough to get you motivated anymore. If so, allow me to share a somewhat updated version that describes your position more specifically:

I am a Soldier
Author Unknown

I am a soldier, a prayer warrior, of the army of my God.
The Lord Jesus Christ is my Commanding Officer.
The Holy Bible is my code of conduct.
Faith, Prayer and the Word are my weapons of warfare.

I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience,
tried by adversity, and tested by fire.

I am a volunteer in this army, and I am enlisted for eternity.
I will either retire in this army at the Rapture or die in this Army;
but I will not get out, sell out, be talked out.
I am faithful, capable, and dependable.

If my God needs me, I am there.

I am a soldier, a prayer warrior. I am not a baby.
I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up, pumped up, picked up, or pepped up.

I am a soldier, a prayer warrior.
No one has to call me, remind me, write me, visit me, entice me, or lure me.

I am a solider, a prayer warrior. I am not a wimp.
I am in place, saluting my King, obeying His orders, praising His name
and building His Kingdom!

I am a soldier, a prayer warrior.
No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy, or give me handouts.
I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for, or catered to.

I am committed.
I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around.
I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside.
I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit.

Questions:

1. Are you more passionate about the Lord and His cause than anything else? Why or why not?
2. Would Satan describe you as a soldier or a prisoner?
3. What is the first thing you need to do to get back in the battle?

Memory Verse:

Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer. (II Timothy 2:3-4)