It’s time to report, for active duty!
Ill. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918,
the world celebrated!
WHY?
Because World War I was over.
President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation to celebrate Armistice Day on November 11.
In 1938, the day was declared a national holiday.
In 1954, the name was changed to Veterans’ Day
in honor of all U.S. soldiers of any war.
Webster’s Dictionary says that a veteran is:
1. a person who has had long service or experience in an occupation, office, or the like:
2. a person who has served in a military force, esp. during a war.
Now while we think of war as a world conflict, with many Countries involved,
today I want to take, your understanding of the word veteran, in a different direction and I want you to think of yourself,
That is, if you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, i want you to think of yourself as a veteran, because if you take your relationship with Him seriously,
You know that you are a soldier, without a doubt, in the largest army in the world, a soldier in the army of the Lord.
One of the greatest soldiers ever in the Lords army was King David,
Long before he ever thought about being a hero on that fateful day,
he slew Goliath, against enormous odds, with just one stone and a leather sling,
God had looked ahead and saw David’s future and saw that it was going to be good, not only good but great!
God had chosen him to be a soldier in His army, long before he was ever summoned for his assignment.
Psalm 91:1-11
1. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6. Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
10. There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
When we put out faith and trust in the Lord, we can expect to have God take care of us, we can expect His maximum protection.
no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
Will there be times our courage will be tested?,
Where there times when David’s courage was tested?
Yes and yes, there were many times, probably more times than recorded in scripture, David’s courage was tested.
We all know our faith and courage is tested, even sometimes on a daily basis, David’s faith and courage was no different.
Its in those times faith is stretched and has a chance to grow an develop and become strong,
It’s the same with us, as with any veteran
( a person who has served in a military force, esp. during a war.)
You see, I believe a veteran is any one who has served in a battle, or a war, with a designated foe and lived to fight another day!
Only our war is a different kind of war.
Really? Come on, a war?,
yes a war, a Spiritual War, with a real and ever present enemy.
The accuser, the devil, the one and the same
and the Lord tells us, this is a serious conflict and struggle that were up against, on a daily basis, sometimes even on a moment by moment basis!
And if we’re ever going to be successful, we’re going to have to enlist His help and put on....The Whole Armor of God....He has supplied for us.
Ephesians 6:10-20 NKJ
10. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
11. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15. and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16. above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
17. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
18. praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
19. and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20. for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
And after we read this scripture and we have put on, the whole armor of God, we should be able to and should want to, insert our name in vs. 19!
and for me, (insert your name) that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel
Because when you are willing to insert your name, when you are willing to lay it on the line, to take this battle to your neighborhood, to the place where you live
You are going to need the whole armor of God and the protection that goes with it.
Because the accuser will pull out all the stops, if he feels you are a threat to what he is trying to do!
But no matter what he conjures up and believe me, he can come up with a lot of stuff,
but no matter what he dreams up, he is no match to the armor and protection that God offers to us who can believe and take Him at His Word!
1st John 4:4-6 NKJ
4. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
5. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.
6. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
Sometimes it seems, as of late, that those who are against us in the world, are greater than those who are with us,
So much wrong in the world, so few who are willing to take a stand on the side of right.
Elijah experienced the same thing, the same feeling in his day
1 Kings 19:1-4 NKJ
1. And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword.
2. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”
3. And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
4. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”
Elijah was veteran, in scripture we read that he was a decorated veteran, he had did many amazing things for the Lord,
*he prayed for no rain for 3 ½ years and it didn’t rain!
*he prayed that the sacrifice he made unto the Lord was consumed by fire, and it was!
*in all, he with Gods help, performed 7 amazing miracles!
And now he was fearful for his life, he was running scared,
he had battle fatigue, he needed to recharge his batteries, he needed a word from the Lord!
Vs. 5. Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.”
6. Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again.
7. And the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.”
8. So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.
One word from God, the strength it gives, can take you from where you are, to where you need to be,
The favor in and on that word, can take you, so much farther than where you can get on your own,
Gods Word, its part of the whole armor that you are entitled to. Praise God!
There is a super abundance of power in the Words of God!
Vs. 9. And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10. So he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
He was reminding God, that he had been a faithful veteran, and yet he felt like he was the only one left and out numbered.
Sometimes with all that goes on in the world, we tend to feel the same way
We think what other things could the world possibly do to us, to;
*our morality, and thereto lack of it, in America
*our religious freedoms and the limiting of them
*our God given rights, that countless millions of people shed their blood for us to have!
Vs. 11. Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake;
12. and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
It was in a still small voice,
You see everyone is waiting for something, stupendous to happen, something earth shattering, something cataclysmic,
Something that’s going to set the all the Christian clocks, right with the world again.
One single thing isn’t going to do it, oh don’t get me wrong,
God could do it, in one fare swoop, but He’s not going to, that’s what free will is all about!
Its still up to us veterans, to all who profess to be a Christian,
the boots that are on the ground, to carry out His marching orders,
Matt. 28:18 NKJ
18. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20. teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
You see, nothing has changed since Jesus went to be with the Father.
At times though, some of us have forgotten our marching orders and the ranks have thinned so it seems, because of it!
But I feel like this morning God would have me remind you, so like He did Elijah, you are not alone!
Vs. 18. Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
You see the media, would have you believe that, times are a changing,
Beliefs are a changing,
The principles, that this country was founded on are out of date and need to be altered to the political correctness of the day,
that needs to be observed around the Country and the World, all in the name of peace.
Political correctness is never going to bring peace, only Jesus will ever be able to bring peace to this world!
And its to the point, where they almost have you believing like Elijah,
that the numbers are so small, that sometimes, its like were the only ones left.
But I would tell you, were not the only ones left, as veterans we need to stand up and be heard,
And I would tell you that there are still millions upon millions that are with us today.
But just like the word said, there were 7,000 silent saints, the same can be said today,
We can be silent no more, all of us are veterans in Gods Army, no matter what our age, rank or position,
We need to stand up and be counted as a soldier, ready willing and able to do what is required of us! Praise God!
There have been far to many of us, who have been MIA. "Missing in action" or should i say AWOL, absent without official leave for to long, that need to report and actually show up, for active duty!
Its so easy to stand idlely by, to get busy and think that someone else will speak up and say something,
Someone else, will tell the world about Jesus,
Someone else, will invite them to Church,
Someone else, will tell them where to find Hope,
Someone else, will tell them where to find Healing and strength when everything else has failed them!
Someone else, once told you all those things, and at that moment, you became that someone else!
Don’t ever forget the words of wisdom Jesus Spoke in;
Luke 10:27 MSG
27. He said, “That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself.”
Jesus said, that this was the greatest of all commandments, He knew that when we followed this one, all of the others would be followed as well.
One day, long after this life is over, we will have realized, what we did with our lives for the Lord, was the only thing that mattered.
At that time, let the Lord say of His soldier,
well done, thou good and faithful servant!
Amen? Lets pray!
