April 17

Join me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. — 2 Tim 2:3 BSB

We often find ourselves in spiritual states and frames where we need more than consolation. Just as a child cannot grow if it is always fed sweets, but needs exercise and exposure to the elements to grow strong, so the child of God is not always pampered and comforted. He must learn lessons that prepare him to be a soldier in God's army. The soldier must endure hardships, sleep on the cold ground, march long distances, and face the terrors of battle. He must hear the roar of cannons and the whistle of bullets, face the flash of the sword and the threat of the bayonet, and sometimes suffer painful wounds.

In the same way, the spiritual soldier must face hunger, thirst, cold, and hardships. He must endure the fiery darts of Satan and the arrows of slander. He must march through enemy territory and face spiritual wounds. Only through such trials and exercises can he learn the art of war and know how to fight effectively under the banner of the Lord. It is through these spiritual exercises that the child of God is trained and prepared for the battle against the enemies of his salvation.