John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."
The other day I heard a story from the granddaughter of a WWII veteran that when her grandfather had returned from war, a pastor told him he would not make it to heaven because he had participated in the killing of enemy soldiers. I was disheartened by this story due to the lack of revelation the pastor had regarding the full redemptive power and salvation of the Blood of Jesus Christ. Within Romans 10 it states, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Salvation comes from the acceptance of Jesus as your Lord and Savior and the belief in your heart and confession of your mouth, not what you have or have not done. Just to put closure to the story, the soldier turned grandfather continued to love the Lord and served in a church for many years.
As the Lord impressed this message upon my heart, Ecclesiastes 3: 1-10 comes to mind.
“1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
9 What do workers gain from their toil?
10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.”
What a burden God has laid upon the hearts of humanity. If we carry the burden on our own, it can be constant turmoil knowing how to walk out God’s will for our lives. How is a person to know what is expected of them? This is answered within John 16:13, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.” God sent Holy Spirit to guide, lead and direct our steps. What is our role in being led by Holy Spirit? Obedience. Obedience first starts with a willingness, a willingness to be led by our Creator and His will for our lives. Isaiah 1:19 states, “If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land;”. Blessings come from obedience, and we show God our love for Him through our obedience (1 John 5:3).
Blessings are not always for the person willing to serve in obedience but may be for the greater good. This is the case with the men and women willing to serve in the armed forces in protection of the freedoms awarded by God to the United States of America and its citizens. Many men and women have lost their lives through the centuries fighting that we, as Americans may live free and with the liberty and justice provided within this great nation. Our ability to live free within this country has come at a price for many soldiers injured and even killed for the many people they did not even know.
We often think only of a veteran’s sacrifice, however God prioritizes their obedience above their sacrifice. 1 Samuel 15: 22, “…To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” Our freedom, our liberty, and our ability to openly accept and serve Jesus Christ and our Creator is based upon the obedience of men and women to serve and in some cases give their ultimate sacrifice for others (John 15:13). This willingness to give all for others is a true testament to the love these men and women have in their hearts for those that in most cases do not even know the level of sacrifice that has been put forth for their freedom.
This is why the statement from the pastor to the military veteran is so inaccurate, there are times either physically or spiritually, wars must be fought, and lives taken or given that evil is kept at bay. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “pray continually” as we know through life, the evil one prowls about looking for those to devour (1 Peter 5:8) and as soldiers with Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 2:3), we have a responsibility to be obedient and serve as called. Whether this is physically serving around the world to keep the peace or spiritually serving in prayer against the rulers and authorities of darkness (Ephesian 6:12), there is a calling upon each of us to serve willingly and obediently in defense of liberty against the darkness and evil of this world.
I encourage each of you to reach out to our veterans and their families this Memorial Day and let them know, we appreciate their service, dedication and willingness to stand in the gap. I would not say these are the worst of times, but through spiritual discernment, you can certainly see the evil one at work, deceiving and leading souls awry. I also ask that you pray for Israel and the physical and spiritual battle at hand. Do not be deceived, evil has no desire to stop with Israel. Evil is like cancer, unless it is stopped and destroyed, it spreads, grows, and devours until it ultimately kills the host. As Christians, we are called to stand in unity with Israel and pray for God’s continued protections and the continued support from the United States and others. The atrocities that were carried out on October 7th were the representation of pure evil and its existence on this earth and we should be mindful and not grow weary as we continue to stand and defeat the darkness and the evil one.
In honor of all the Military Veterans that have or are currently serving, thank you and may God continue to shine His face down upon you, may His angels of protection be about you and may His blessings never cease to pour out upon you and your family giving you full restoration, wholeness and His Peace! Shalom!!
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