Hold On Good Soldier

2 Timothy 2:3-4 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 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.

First, let me inform you of something you may already know. There’s a war going on, and you’ve been enlisted to serve on the front lines. This wasn’t a draft. You didn’t have to register for the Selective Service. No, this "Army" isn’t a volunteer militia. You didn’t have to - nor could you - choose to be here, but you were chosen before the foundations of the earth.
God, The Commander-in-Chief, ordered your enlistment. It wasn’t based on your prior service in the church. It wasn’t based on your abilities - or your inabilities. God didn’t assess your qualifications and/or your education and make a calculation that would influence His determination, but rather, your enlistment was Divine predestination. Paul said it best in Romans 8:30; he said, "Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified." So, you need to understand that you were predestined to be called into this "Army" of the Lord.
I don’t intend to mislead you and give you some false sense of security that would suggest your freedom of trials and tribulations; in fact, your current situation and/or circumstance may be direct result of your enlistment. So, the Lord sent me to encourage you to Hold On Good Soldier. While you’re on the battlefield, "count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing" (James 1:2-4). Consider this your Basic Training.
Speaking of Basic Training... Once you’re in Basic Training, certain expectations are required of you. The Commander-in-Chief expects you to "put off the old man with his deeds" (Colossians 3:9). You can’t act like a civilian; in fact, the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible reads, "No one serving in the army gets entangled in everyday affairs; the soldier’s aim is to please the enlisting Officer" (2 Timothy 2:4). You will have to endure hardness just because you’re in the "Army," but Hold On Good Soldier.
Here’s the latest Operations Order. Hold on and understand that "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12). But, Hold On Good Soldier! The enemy may have an arsenal of weapons; he may have tried to keep you suppressed, depressed, compressed, or distressed, but be encouraged in the midst of the fight. Be encouraged and know that "no weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper" (Isaiah 54:17). Praise the Lord! There will be no changes to this Order. Sound off...Sound off and shout, "Amen!"
If the enemy has had you pinned in your position...your position of troubles...your position of financial bondage...your position of agony and seemingly defeat, remember "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds" (2 Corinthians 10:4). The Anointing, the Comforter, the Commander-in-Chief out-ranks any foe you