The life of a soldier is a difficult one. He must go away from his home, and his life focuses purely on the war effort. He spends countless hours training himself for the life or death struggle before him. Every day he must look for a way to improve himself. He may have some time for recreation here and there, but for the most part, his life revolves around the task at hand.

We as Christians can learn a lot from a soldier. We too need to constantly be training ourselves, preparing ourselves for battle. This is why we should consider trials as joyful things, because we know they help condition us for further battles. We must constantly be looking in the Word of the Lord, constantly praying to God, knowing that these are the weapons we will use in our fight. Are we familiar with them? Do we even know how to use them? A good soldier will be ready for battle, knowing the most effective use of his weapon. We also must follow the example of the soldier in his dedication. The war becomes his life. His daily decisions, how he spends his time, are all linked back to this main goal. We too must filter all our decisions through the lens of the spiritual warfare around us.

Finally it is important to realize the folly of the unprepared soldier. He is a danger, but not to his enemy. His lack of focus may put his own follow soldiers in harm’s way, even leading to their death. He is likely to fall himself, being unprepared to fight. And of course he is of no use to the Master. Such a soldier is better off being discarded, for if he will not shape up then he will undoubtedly bring harm to the cause. We Christians do not want to be such soldiers. We want to bring glory to His cause and victory to His side. This does not come naturally. We must prepare ourselves, with the dedication of the soldier. But if we will, then we will undoubtedly please Him who enlisted us.