The Army of the Lord

"³ You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. ⁴ No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier" (2 Timothy 3-4; NKJV).

"¹⁹ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: ²⁰ Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen" (Matthew 28:19-20). I have never witnessed wars directly fought but I have watched and read about many wars fought in time past. A lot have been written about many men who played major roles in the past about wars on our planet. We can talk about people like Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte and the Bavarian Army General Adolf Hitler. All these men played tremendous parts in their respective battles with their armies thirsting to conquer.

Today, wars continue to be waged on our planet especially in the Middle East and West Africa. The numerous wars on our Earth called for the establishment of the United Nations. But unlike these earthly physical wars, there is an unseen war that is going on in this world. This war is being waged for the souls of men.

This war began in heaven when Lucifer, a perfectly created angel tried to usurp the authority of his Maker (Ezekiel 28:12-17; Isaiah 14:12-14). This disorder at the Centre of the Universe marked the beginning of all other wars (Revelation 12:7-9). Even as physical battles require the enlistment of soldiers, so does this spiritual battle require the enlistment of soldiers.

In this great controversy battle between good and evil, Satan has his hosts at work trying every possible means to deceive and destroy. The Army of the LORD is also called upon to battle with Christ as the unconquerable General. This army seeks to save souls into the everlasting kingdom of Jesus. This battle spiritual battle between Christ and Satan is as real as any earthly field battle you can think of. However, the stakes are far higher in this spiritual battle than any other physical battle ever fought on earth.

In these final hours of earth's history, it is a great privilege to enlist in the Army of the LORD at the eleventh hour and receive the same wages (Matthew 20:1-16). Engaging in this battle does not help to only save souls out there; it also helps the soul winners to perfect their character for the second coming of Christ. As we enlist in this battle, the Lord helps us to overcome our own weaknesses and perfect our characters for the heavenly kingdom.

Beloved, it is a privilege to enlist in the army of the Lord today. There are different ranks in this Army and the LORD is still recruiting soldiers to enlist in His Army. This is a call to fight against the kingdom of darkness and rescue souls chained in the prison house of sin. The vacancies are still opened to enlist as frontline evangelists, missionaries, pastors, singers, technicians, etc etc. Martin Luther once wrote; "A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing." It is time to join the Army of the LORD! Who will enroll today?

Jude Adjei Asamoah