You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 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 2:3-4)
In 2008 during the peak of the militancy crises in the Niger Delta, we had hundreds of soldiers living in our midst at my work base. That was the first time I got the weight of the scripture above. Every personnel who live in the camp has a minimum comfort of a three star Nigerian hotel 
.
These soldiers were all by the seashore in makeshift sand huts. It didn’t matter how hot it got during the day or how cold it got at night. Let’s not talk about the mosquitoes in these places
. These soldiers would sit there round the clock without complaining and always looking combat ready. Also, their faces didn’t give room for any unnecessary pleasantries. They never compared themselves to us even though we were all facing the same threats.
How is it that Apostle Paul didn’t make reference to any other profession but rather used the military to illustrate what the life of a Christian entails? He loved Timothy and also knew how important it is for him to know the truth. We are called to warfare! As soldiers of Christ, we cannot afford to meddle with civilian affairs.
If we must please the One who recruited us, then we must stay focused.
If we must please the One who recruited us, then we must stay focused.
Amongst the soldiers who were deployed to Bonny Island then, a few of them died from being careless. They crossed over to the civilian quarters and you know what, there are always distractions there. They let their guards down for a ve..ry..y short time but that was enough time for their enemies to strike.
No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life...NO ONE! It’s not true that the company you keep and what you do doesn’t matter. It’s not true! To endure hardship is to trust God in every situation...even when it's rough and unpleasant. To endure hardship is to discipline ourselves and tame our cravings.
Earthly soldiers 'obey before complain' but we are rewarded after obedience...no need to complain.
Action Point
Examine your life. Get rid of every civilian entanglement.
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