Am I a soldier of the cross, A follower of the Lamb? And shall I fear to own His cause, Or blush to speak His name?

Must I be carried to the skies On flowery beds of ease, While others fought to win the prize, And sailed through bloody seas?

Sure I must fight, in Jesus' name, Increase my courage, Lord; I'll bear the toil, endure the pain, Supported by Thy word.

     We need to ask ourselves this question: "Am I a soldier of the cross, a follower of the Lamb?"  If the answer to this question is yes, then we must take up the whole armor of God and fear not to own His cause or to speak His name.  In Eph. 6:10-17, we have this admonition concern-ing the armor that the soldier of the Lord is to take up:  "Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; withal taking up the shield of faith, wherein ye shall be able  to quench the fiery darts of the evil one.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:"

     In this armor, we have every defensive and offensive thing that we need to really and truly fight the battle in Jesus' name.  The girdle that holds the armor together and to the body is the truth.  Jno. 8:32 says, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  He says again in 17:17, "Sanctify them in thy truth: thy word is truth."  So the word of God is the truth with which we are to bind our armor to our bod-ies.  The breastplate that protects the vital organs of the breast and the heart, is righteousness.  Solomon says in Prov. 14:34, "Righteousness exalteth a nation; But  sin is a reproach to any people."  Therefore righteousness is very important to the soldier of the cross.  The sandals of the Roman soldier were well-bound to his feet by leather thongs that wrapped around his legs up to the knees and they had hob-nails in the soles so he would not slip and lose his balance when in hand-to-hand combat.  Our feet are to be shod with the preparation of peace, the gospel of peace.  The gospel will bring an inward peace that passeth all understanding to those that will live by it.

     The shield of faith is very important in that it can protect the whole body in case of the fiery attack of the enemy.  The Roman soldier could crouch behind his large shield and protect himself from the darts hurled by the enemy.  Our faith is the things that will protect us from turning and retreating from the fray and foe.  The helmet is very vital in the battle, it helps a soldier to be able to hold up his head and face the foe face to face, looking to the victory to be won and the reward to be gained.  So the helmet or hope of salvation is that which keeps the Christian soldier pressing the battle.  He is ever looking unto the end, the reward, eternal life with God in heaven.  Notice that there is not pro-tection mentioned for the back, this should tell us that we are to never turn from the battle and retreat.  The offensive weapon that is mentioned is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  Every Christian soldier is to arm himself with this two-edged sword and step into the fray with boldness and confidence in his weapon and his armor. This sword will never break nor bend neither will it tarnish nor rust, but the user, as in every case of warfare, must be familiar with his weapon and be able to use it effectively.  So let's study the Bible and use it against satan on every hand.

     We will not be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease, While others fight to win the prize and sail through bloody seas.  God is no respector of persons, but in every nation he that feareth Him and keeps His commandments is acceptable with Him.  Therefore, what I must do to win the prize, you must also do to win the prize.  Sure I must fight in Jesus' name or by His authority and you must fight the same way.  So let us pray that our courage might be increased.  Then supported by the word of God we can bear all toil and pain that will come with being a soldier of the cross, a follower of the Lamb.  But so many of us try to delegate our soldiership to the preacher or elders or some other mem-ber of the church.  Remember, we will, personally and individually, have to fight, as a soldier in the army of the Lord, if we expect to win the prize.