We will now move on to examine the second of the five royal code of conduct that Jesus expects His visible army of believers to live by, for His Kingdom on earth’s sake.
What is adaptability?
Adaptability is the grace to adjust to different conditions. “Thou therefore endure hard[1]ness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ – 2 Tim. 2:3.
Adaptability implies that on this earth, you will not get perfect situations, provisions, superiors, partners or subordinates. This royal-soldiering code of conduct makes demand on your inner hardness and ingenuity to improvise, cope and still deliver on your expected level of performance.
In other words, adapting implies ceasing to complain about your imperfect nation, environment, economy, church, pastor, leaders, fellows and going ahead all the same to affirm the victories of Jesus in all spheres of life.
Complaining saps strength
Are there not too many believers who are murmuring, blaming and pointing accusing fingers at their nations and leaders?
Are there not too many people overwhelmed by the corruptions, evil, and difficulties of our times? Are there not too many people excusing themselves and their inability to do as they should?
Beloved, a royal soldier in the already-victorious-army of the Kingdom of God should have spiritual, mental and emotional hardness.
Yes, he should develop the ability to cope with all, under all, at all seasons.
Kingdom-soldiers should be ever-hard and unbreakable mentally. So, you need a resolute mindset that is focused on excelling at all times and under all conditions.
The example of Jesus
Such was the hardness and resolute mentality of our dearest Lord Jesus. He grew up as a tender plant out of a hard uninspiring ground or atmosphere – Is. 53:1- 2.
He was not weary mentally and spiritually in spite of the obstacles in His way, till His mission was accomplished – Is. 42:1-4; Heb. 12:1—4. Our Lord Jesus was metaphorically referred to as a Rock and a Stone, implying toughness – 1 Pet. 2:6-7. Yes, nothing changed Jesus’ resolve to do God’s bidding.
You need to be tough to ‘Kingdomize’ your world
Jesus later changed Apostle Peters name from Simon meaning a ‘reed’ which was a weak weed, to Peter which means a ‘rock’ – Jn. 1:42. This connoted that Apostle Peter was to have hardness and constancy, and not be tossed by winds or the elements.
God was telling Peter in Caesarea-Philippi that he should be rock-tough, in the midst of the revelation of Christ, in order for him to be able to ‘Kingdomize’ – Matt. 16:13-18. So, should you be.
Sold to the course of Christ
Beloved, God’s royal soldiers should be sold out to the course of the Kingdom i.e. to take spiritual and mental territories with God. You know, the root meaning of the word ‘soldier’ in Latin has commerce connotations. It means to ‘pay off’. Thus, you do not have a life if you are a soldier because you are sold out.
The course of the Kingdom or nation of God is not to be an interruption any more to your agenda, comfort and ambition. This is because you do not belong to yourself again. Payment has been made for you, and what ‘you have’.
Therefore, your program and plans are to be secondary to the kingdom-course for which you were called to be a soldier. You are called to ‘kingdomize’ the physical or the visible through the spiritual. That is why you collaborate with the Holy Spirit and all the angelic hosts to do this job the kingdom-way.
As a soldier, you have to be tough. What you go through are not necessarily your due, but what you should endure for the sake of other people who should experience the rule of God in their lives and societies too. So, stop measuring your approval before God by what you go through and or possess.
The Blood of Jesus gives you approval before God through your faith in it. This Blood is your sign of approval, not the situations of your life. May you live by the principle of hardness or adaptability in order to enhance the practical influence of God in people and places!
In the next chapter, we will look at the next principle or code of conduct for the royal soldiers of the Kingdom of God.
