As Christians, we are engaged in spiritual warfare.  As such, we are described in the New Testament as soldiers.

2 Timothy 2:1-3 (ESV)
¹  You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, ²  and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. ³  Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

Timothy was not alone as a soldier of Christ… we, as Christians, are also identified as such.  The question is, what kind of soldier are you?  Paul exhorted Timothy to be a good soldier and that is what we should all strive to be.  What does it take to be a good soldier of Christ?

A good soldier has faith and confidence in his captain.  Good soldiers do not question the captain’s orders—they just comply.  They do not hesitate when the captain gives a command simply because they do not like it—they just obey.  Good soldiers do not demand that the captain’s order first be proven right—they just follow.  Now, this takes a great deal of faith and trust; and, make no mistake about it, there have been many captains over the years who have led faithful men to their demise.  The good news for us is this—we have the greatest Captain of all time.  Our Commanding officer can see the end of the battle from the beginning.  He already knows who is going to win the war.  He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords and He has more power and ability than any foe that we will ever have to face.  We simply must trust in Him.  Paul said, “for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.”  That is the confidence that a good soldier will have.

An obvious characteristic of a good soldier is that he is in great shape.  Would you want to be in a foxhole fighting for your life next to someone who is having a hard time catching his breath because he is out of shape?  I know the answer is no.  A good soldier can be relied on because he has the physical ability to help in battle.

In spiritual warfare, we must be spiritually fit.  Paul told Timothy to be strong.  This is an admonition often given to us in scripture.

Ephesians 6:10 (ESV)
¹⁰  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

Much like in the physical realm, to be strong spiritually, we must exercise and maintain a healthy diet.  A healthy spiritual diet consists of a good portion of the Word of God rightly divided, and exercise takes place when we apply that Word to our lives consistently.  A soldier in Christ who is studying the Bible and living by the Word of God will be in good shape.  When it comes to doing the work of the Lord, he will be reliable.

Finally, a good soldier is focused on the battle.  He is not preoccupied with the affairs back home.  Paul said he does not get “entangled in civilian pursuits.”  This is true of good soldiers in Christ as well.  A good soldier in the Lord’s army is totally devoted to His cause.  We cannot allow ourselves to be distracted by the things of this world.  There are too many Christians who do not reach their full potential for Christ because they allow themselves to, not only get involved with, but to be entangled by civilian pursuits, or as the KJV says, “the affairs of this life.”  We might have an interest in politics, but we must not get entangled with them.  We might love our earthly occupation, but we must not allow it to dominate our lives.  Are you into sports?  There is nothing wrong with that, just do not become too obsessed with them.  Our main focus must remain on spiritual things (Colossians 3:1-2).

As Christians, we are all soldiers of Christ, but what kind of soldiers are we?  What kind of soldier are you?

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.