The Military Trains Us, God Recreates UsChikamu

New Behaviors

By Kelli Baker

Now we understand we are sinful in nature and nothing within our flesh is good, we have to rely on our Heavenly Father to give us the power to live more like him. Just like new recruits learning to adapt to their senior leaders in the military, we have to learn how to operate in the fruit of the Spirit. When we rely on our identity in Christ rather than a vocation, Christ will produce the fruit of the Spirit within us. They don’t come naturally, but we can be assured the Holy Spirit will mold and make us into his image.

James 4 tells us that we must submit ourselves to the Lord and resist the enemy. It’s easy to get pulled into gossip at the wives’ club meetings, at the playground, or the commissary. The enemy uses those opportunities to divide us rather than unite us. Refraining from engaging in conversation that brings down our fellow service members and military wives will set us apart. The enemy is constantly seeking to devour us, so we must always be on guard. Rather than responding to the gossip, change the subject.

Paul continues in James, urging us to draw near to God. Spending time in his Word daily will prepare us to recognize those situations and give us ammo to fight against the enemy’s schemes.

As we draw near to God, he draws near to us. In our disobedience, we feel far from the Lord. However, when we seek and submit to him, we will begin to feel his nearness in our lives. Submission requires us to humble ourselves, honestly acknowledge the sin in our hearts, and turn away from it. Paul says, “Be wretched and mourn and weep.” (James 4:9a). Our iniquity should bring us to tears and our hearts should break because of our disobedience.

In the military, we are taught to be confident, even if we’re not sure of our decision. Which is quite the opposite of humility. When I attended the board for the rank of Sergeant, I confidently answered a question wrong. As soon as the words came out of my mouth I knew I was wrong, but I stood firm behind my answer, even as they questioned me. While in that scenario I appeared to be a confident leader, that’s not how God wants us to approach him. He desires us to humble ourselves and be honest with him, confidently drawing near to his throne of grace.

Have you humbled yourself or do you struggle with pride in your heart? Ask the Lord to search your heart and show you where you need to submit to him. He is faithful to help you adopt new behaviors that align with your life in him.