There has always been a battle between light and darkness.

Satan hates God and fights against his work.

It is vital that God's people recognize their place in this conflict

and are equipped for spiritual warfare in our day. Let's join Scott Pauli now as we open God's

Word and prepare for the front lines. We all have a lot to learn and we all should be learning at every stage in life.

We're talking about being a good soldier of Jesus Christ, and one of the things that the Holy Spirit is dealing with me about

is the realization that all through life, the Lord is making us more and more into the soldiers of Jesus Christ

he wants us to be.

And one of the chief ways that he does that is through the training we receive from other

seasoned soldiers.

In our own army, that's the way our young recruits are trained.

They're put under the tutelage, the watchful eye, the instruction, the the diligent training of a seasoned

officer. Somebody who has been there, somebody who has done that as to say, now this is what

you can expect and this is how we're going to get you ready. What is true militarily is true

spiritually. We've been looking at 2 Timothy chapter 2 where the Bible says

thou therefore my son endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. We come now to 2 Timothy

chapter 3 where really the thought just continues. Paul is writing to his son in the ministry,

his son of the faith, Timothy, he's training him.

Paul is the seasoned soldier. Oh, he is battle-scarred. He even says that he bears in his body,

the marks of the Lord Jesus. The scars are there. And he has something to say. In chapter three,

he begins using his own life to teach young Timothy to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ. It starts this way. This know also that in the last days perilous time shall come.

For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous boasters, proud, blasphemers,

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