Power To Defeat Temptation

June 1, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here. 

The first temptation of mankind was to doubt the God was good and that He was trustworthy. That’s why satan tempted Adam and Eve by saying they could become “like God.” Every Christian faces temptation, and one of the biggest is still satan’s same strategy: to try to get us to handle things on our own. 

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is to help us realize that we cannot rely on ourselves, but we must rely totally on His power. 

David Wilkerson said, “This is an ongoing problem with many Christians. We look to the Holy Spirit as some kind of booster shot to empower or energize our human will. We expect Him to build up our supply of grit and determination, so we can stand up to temptation the next time it comes. We cry, ‘Make me strong, Lord! Give me an iron will, so I can withstand all sin.’ But God knows this would only make our flesh stronger, enabling it to boast.”  

Overcoming temptation is not about willpower but Spirit-power. Paul said this in 2 Corinthians 12:9.  

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)

Being tempted to sin is not a sign that God has abandoned me or that I am living apart from Him. Jesus was perfect and yet we are told He was tempted in every way (Hebrews 4:15). So we can easily determine that temptation is not a sin because Jesus was tempted (Luke 4:3-13). This story is told in all three synoptic Gospels (Matthew 4:1-10; Mark 1:13). 

Look at what preceded this temptation: Jesus was baptized in the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-12; Luke 3:21-22, 4:1-2). The Spirit was the One Who led Jesus into the wilderness specifically to face temptation. 

Temptation comes the the Latin word meaning “to stretch.” Oswald Chambers noted, “Every temptation of satan is perfectly wise. The wisest, shrewdest, subtlest things are said by satan, and they are accepted by everybody as the acme of human philosophy; but when the Spirit of God is at work in a man, instantly the hollow mockery at the heart of what satan is trying to do, is seen. When we understand the inwardness of the temptation we see how satan’s strategy is turned into confusion by the Spirit of God.” 

Temptation is not a sin, but a stretching. It is a call for us to give up our willpower and trust the Spirit’s power. 

When Jesus came to earth, He gave up His rightful prerogatives as God. The stretching test here was this: Would He continue to rely on the Spirit’s power or would He try to reclaim the power He surrendered? 

It’s the same question for us when we are tempted: Will we take matters into our own hands, or will we leave ourselves in the Spirit’s hands? In one paragraph, James tells us both the blessing of overcoming temptation and where temptations originate—

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him. When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone, but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:12-15) 

The Spirit shows us the way to have the mind of Christ in overcoming temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13). 

Just before Jesus was tempted, we see the help that is promised to all of us through the baptism in the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:15-16). 

There are some things we will learn about ourselves in a time of temptation that we cannot learn in any other way. Being baptized in the Holy Spirit is about empowerment, but it is really the power to submit—full and unconditional surrender to the only One who can bring me safely through (Hebrews 4:15; 5:7-9; 2:17-18). 

As we talked about last week, the Spirit of Truth gives us the mind of Christ (John 16:13, 15; 1 Corinthians 2:16). 

We, just like Jesus, can be victorious over these temptations by doing what Jesus did. (1) He was fully submitted to His Heavenly Father, (2) He was sensitive to go where the Holy Spirit led Him, and (3) He uncovered the shrewd and subtle arguments of satan by using the Word of God. 

Instead of saying, “I gave in to temptation,” we can say, “I gave in to the Holy Spirit, Who helped me defeat temptation!” 

Check out all of the other messages in our series We Are: Pentecostal by clicking here. 

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When Jesus Says, “Amen!”

May 21, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here. 

It’s amazing to think that the way I pray could result in Jesus saying, “Amen” at the end of my prayer! 

The Scripture I’m looking at is 2 Corinthians 1:18-22. 

You can find this full sermon here. And you may also want to check out some related blog posts: 

I wrote a book of prayers to help pastors pray for themselves and their ministries. Check out Amen Indeed and order a copy today. 

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Serving Words Vs. Smooth Talking

May 13, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here. 

There is a phrase the apostle Paul uses frequently: “in service to God.” Let me give you one example from Romans 15:17—“Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God.” The Amplified Bible renders this verse like this: “In Christ Jesus, then, I have legitimate reason to glory (exult) in my work for God—in what through Christ Jesus I have accomplished concerning the things of God.” 

In this passage in Romans 15 Paul says he preached in service to God.

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.) 

A few verses later he says that he was on his way to minister to the financial needs of the saints “in the service of the Lord’s people” in Jerusalem (vv. 25-26). He uses similar words to the church at Corinth when he speaks of people devoting themselves “to the service of the Lord’s people” (1 Corinthians 16:15; 2 Corinthians 8:4). He tells them, “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God” (2 Corinthians 9:12-13). 

In other words, Paul says that we may be serving people, but this is really service to God through Jesus. Jesus Himself would say that all of our ministry to people is ultimately done “for Me” (see Matthew 25:40). 

Because this is service done for Jesus, it is only recognition from Jesus that we should desire. We want to hear Jesus say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” 

Sadly, in the very next chapter of Romans, Paul warns the saints about people who are serving “their own appetites” instead of serving Jesus—

I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. (Romans 16:17-18) 

Notice that those who speak with smooth talk and flattery are serving themselves by trying to earn accolades from other people. But this motivation only ends up causing divisions. 

In my book When Sheep Bite, I call flattery from others—and the desire to receive human praise—the “sneaky bite.” 

     Flattery needs to be quickly identified and quarantined because it has two ways it can set up a shepherd for a painful fall. 

     First, the flatterers are usually more concerned about themselves than they are about the shepherd. You may appreciate the compliments at first, but if you listen closely you can begin to pick up the note of insincerity that morphs these encouraging compliments into dangerous flattery. … 

     The second sneaky danger in flattery is what it does to your heart, especially if you have been recently bitten, attacked, or abandoned by other sheep. Mark Twain once quipped, “I can live for two months on a good compliment.” It’s true that we can get parched for a kind word if we haven’t heard one for a while. A thirsty man will drink just about anything, and a flatterer can offer you a tasty refreshment that, if you gulp it down, can end up turning quite bitter later on. 

     When no one praises your sermon, or appreciates your wisdom that made the difference, or notices your long hours given in service to them, how do you feel? 

     If you feel like you should have been recognized for your shepherding work, let me ask another question: For whom were you working? 

     Jesus told us that when you lead sheep to green pastures, or when you guide them to sparkling waters, when you care for the sick, carry the weak on your shoulders, and rescue the wandering lambs, you are really doing all of this for Him. They are His sheep which have been entrusted to your care for this period of time (see Matthew 25:31-46). (From chapter 6 ‘When the Sheep Flatter You’) 

Although When Sheep Bite was written for those in leadership, we can all learn this important lesson—

We want to speak serving words to encourage people to praise Jesus; we don’t want to speak smooth words to encourage people to praise us. 

There is a massive difference between serving words and smooth words. This will be made abundantly and eternally clear when Jesus returns and says, “Take your inheritance” to those who served Him by their words, or “Depart from Me” to those who merely served themselves by their words. 

Take a close listen to make sure your words are serving words, and that the posture of your heart is to only help others praise Jesus. 

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Two Questions About Death

April 27, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here. 

I’m going to spoil some of the surprise right up front. We’re going to look at two questions about death, and the answer to the question, “Is that in the Bible?” is “No” for both questions. 

So the question we are really going to have to wrestle with is: Is it unbiblical—that is the Bible says it is wrong—or is it non-bibilcal—the Bible doesn’t tell us explicitly one way or the other. 

Persisting to do unbiblical things is a sin because we are trying to point out why God is wrong and why our opinion is right. 

But there is also a danger in pursuing non-biblical things, when we try to give our non-biblical opinion or preference  biblical weight, and then look down on anyone who doesn’t believe or act like we do. The Bible does tell us to  be peacemakers (Romans 14:13-21). 

(See all the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.) 

Statement #17—Cremating a loved one exempts them from heaven. Is that in the Bible? No. 

The preferred method in the Old Testament appears to be burial. Sometimes in the ground, but more typically in a cave or man-made crypt. There were exceptions. For instance, the bodies of Saul and Jonathan were cremated (1 Samuel 31:11-13), and King Jehoram could have been cremated, but certainly he wasn’t interred the same way that his father and grandfather were (2 Chronicles 21:1, 4-6, 18-20).  

In the New Testament era there was an end-of-life process the Greeks adopted called ossilegium. The Greeks frequently anointed the body with oil and wine and burned it until just the bones were left. The Jews wrapped the dead body in burial shroud and anointed it with spices—as with Lazarus (John 11:38-44) and Jesus (John 19:38-41). About a year after death, the bones would be collected and placed in an ossuary. Most often, multiple family members’ bones would share the same ossuary. 

Statement #18—Suicide is an unforgivable sin. Is that in the Bible? No. 

We don’t see suicide a lot in Scripture: 

  • Saul died by his own sword—1 Samuel 31:4 
  • Zimri died by self-immolation—1 Kings 16:18 
  • Ahithophel and Judas both hanged themselves—2 Samuel 17:23; Matthew 27:5 

But no where does Scripture speak to this form of death as being a reason to exclude that person from Heaven. These deaths do seem like last-ditch, hopeless acts. Because they are the very last act, it seems like these people have utterly rejected God. It has been a misconception for a long time that the way you die determines your eternal home. Consider a scene in Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Hamlet will not kill Claudius while he’s praying and send him to heaven—

And now I’ll do ’t.
⌜He draws his sword.⌝
And so he goes to heaven,
And so am I revenged. That would be scanned:
A villain kills my father, and for that,
I, his sole son, do this same villain send
To heaven.
Why, this is ⟨hire⟩ and ⟨salary,⟩ not revenge.
He took my father grossly, full of bread,
With all his crimes broad blown, as flush as May;
And how his audit stands who knows save heaven. …
To take him in the purging of his soul,
When he is fit and seasoned for his passage?
No. … 
⌜He sheathes his sword.⌝
When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage,
Or in th’ incestuous pleasure of his bed,
At game, a-swearing, or about some act
That has no relish of salvation in ’t—
Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven,
And that his soul may be as damned and black
As hell, whereto it goes.

Here are the truths we see in Scripture: 

  1. We are created in God’s image and given a body—Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7. 
  2. Yet our body is called a temporary tent—2 Corinthians 5:1-3. 
  3. We will be raised either to eternal life or a second and eternal death—Luke 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 15:42-54, 20-21; Revelation 20:11-15. 

How we die and how our body is disposed of makes no difference to where we will spend eternity. The only thing that matters is if our name is written in the Book of Life. Our name is written there only if we are covered by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:10, 17-22). 

Check out more of the questions we have covered in our Is That In The Bible? series by clicking here. 

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Proof Positive

April 4, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

A lot of people have offered a lot of opinions on Jesus of Nazareth—He was a good Man, a moral teacher, a great Example. All of those are true, and yet all of them have hidden in them an unspoken belief: Jesus was a good Man but He was not God. 

In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis said this, “Let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. … A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great man or a moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the devil of hell.” 

Let’s look at the words Jesus Himself spoke; specifically, what He said about the culmination of His purpose on earth. Quite simply stated, Jesus said He came to die. 

Just to keep it simple, let’s confine our evidence to the dialogue of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. 

In Matthew 17, Matthew records a scene where three of Jesus’ disciples are eyewitnesses to a conversation Jesus has with Moses and Elijah. They see Jesus shining as brightly as the Sun, and they hear a Voice from Heaven affirming the deity of Jesus that causes these men to collapse to the ground in fear. Immediately following this, Jesus tells them that He is going to be killed (Matthew 17:22-23). 

(All of the Scriptures in this post can be found here.) 

Does Jesus have a martyr’s complex? Psychologists say this is when someone is so self-sacrificial that they hurt themselves to benefit others, but their motive is to seek out the praise or recognition from those they are helping. It’s true that Jesus helped others, but He deflected praise away from Himself. Jesus had a different motivation (Matthew 26:2, 52-56). He was crucified for our benefit (Matthew 27:46, 50; Isaiah 53:6; 2 Corinthians 5:21). 

Remember that Jesus said He knew that the prophecies were going to be fulfilled. Like the prophecy describing crucifixion before crucifixion was even invented (Isaiah 53:5). He predicted His resurrection too in Matthew 20:17-19! 

Not only did Jesus say He would be resurrected, but He said He would return with rewards and punishment (Matthew 25:34, 41). 

Lots of people have been madmen. But Jesus doesn’t fit this description. 

Lots of people have had a martyr’s complex. But Jesus wasn’t seeking glory for Himself, but glory for His Father and eternal life for us. 

Lots of people have made outlandish predictions, and some of them have come true. Lots of people have had a messiah complex. But no one has ever claimed He was sent from God to die, lived a perfect life, died precisely as predicted in centuries-old prophecies, and was raised back to life again! The crucifixion of Jesus on an old rugged Cross is proof positive that He is the Messiah He says He is. 

Let’s return to C.S. Lewis: “You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool…or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.” 

We have a choice: Accept Him as Lord and then follow His words and example, or try to make our own way through life, which is the same thing as calling Jesus “a madman or something worse.” 

We have been learning what Jesus said about His saints and His Church in our series “I will build My Church.” Check out all of the sermons in this series. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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What Does That Mean?

March 30, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

In one of my favorite movies—The Princess Bride—one character believe himself to be very smart. In fact, Vizzini considers Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates to be morons compared to his massive intelligence. But in one section of the movie he keeps using a singular word over and over again, until Inigo says to him, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means!” Sometimes I wonder if this is what people want to say to Christians! 

Every family has its own unique lexicon—words and phrases mean something to them that they don’t mean to others. Every industry has shorthand for its products and services. Every friend group has their own inside jokes. And we Christians are just as guilty. 

  • Sometimes instead of saying, “Yes” we say, “Amen.” 
  • Instead of calling someone, “Mr. or Mrs.” we call them, “Brother or Sister.” 
  • We soften some of our stronger language by saying, “I’m grieved in my spirit,” instead of saying more honestly, “I’m really ticked off!” 
  • And sometimes, to sound super-spiritual when we pray, we begin to speak in Old English. 

Is it any wonder that people outside of our church circles sometimes look at us like we’re a bit off? 

So what do we mean by calling ourselves “Christian”? This was not the preferred name for followers of Jesus in the early Church: 

  • Saints—60x (only 4x in Acts)
  • Believers—43x (26x in Acts) 
  • Disciples—24x (all in Acts) 
  • Christian—3x 

The word originates in Acts 11:19-26 (v. 19 references the persecution of 8:1). The Greek language follows the Roman pattern of adding “ian” to the name of a great leader whom others were following. King Agrippa used this word in Acts 26:28, showing us how it has gained traction. 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)

Christ is not a proper name, nor is it the surname of Jesus. Christ means the anointed One. So it’s more correct for us to say, “Jesus the Christ” (as in John 1:41). 

So to be a Christian is to follow the Anointed One. To believe that He died to pay the penalty for our sins, and that He rose to life again to give us His eternal life. 

To be a Christian is to live like Jesus, or to live as His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:11-21). 

To be a Christian is to continue to live like Jesus even in the face of opposition (1 Peter 4:12-16; 2:21-23; 3:13-17). 

Christians are being the Church when they are intentionally living in a way that makes Jesus known as the Christ—the One and Only Anointed One. 

Some excellent questions for Christians to ponder: 

  • What do you mean when you say, “I am a Christian”? 
  • Do others see and hear Jesus in what you do and say? 
  • Does your verbal confession and lifestyle confession compel others to come to Jesus? 

Let’s make sure our lives are the best definition of what the Bible says a Christian truly is! 

Check out all of the other messages in this series by clicking here. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Our Cornerstone

March 23, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Last week we saw that the essential confession is not just, “I believe You are the Christ the Son of the living God,” but also, “I will take up my cross and follow You!” (Matthew 16:16-18, 24). Notice that these are “red letter words”—words spoken by Jesus. They are not “they say” words (like v. 14; Matthew 7:21-23). 

(Check out all of the Scriptures I use in this post by clicking here.)

Look at the very next red letter words in Matthew 7:24-27. Notice the two parts: hears and puts them into practice. That’s our verbal and our lifestyle confession. What are we hearing and putting into practice? “These words of Mine.” 

Jesus is our Cornerstone. The dictionary defines this as, “something that is essential, indispensable; the chief foundation on which something is constructed or developed.” 

Some sandy things to build your life upon: 

  • what your family practiced 
  • what your pastor preached 
  • what your friends believe 

You know how you will know how sure your foundation is? When the storms come! I recently heard a well-known scholar and Christian apologist in an interview. He was asked by a skeptic of Christianity if he had doubts, and he responded, “Sure, I have doubts. But I choose to believe what the Bible says.” And I thought, “How sad to live this way.” We have a reliable, unshakable foundation in Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:18-22; 1 Corinthians 15:58). 

Religions and philosophies have come and gone. 

Spiritual giants have stumbled, and fierce tyrants have growled and then died. 

Traditions and societies have changed through the millennia. 

But the red letter words of Jesus stand firm through every season and storm (2 Timothy 2:19). 

Our Cornerstone remains unmovable and we can stand on Him unshaken. This foundation…

  • …was prophesied—Isaiah 28:16; Psalm 118:22 
  • …was fulfilled—Matthew 21:42; Acts 4:11-12 
  • …is still standing today—Ephesians 2:19-20; 1 Peter 2:4-6 
  • …will still be standing for all eternity—Revelation 21:5; John 14:1-4 

So there is no need to be afraid. There is no need to get frustrated. There is no need to engage in meaningless debates with the “they say” crowd. Stand firm on the red letter words—our Cornerstone. 

“On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand!” 

Check out all of the other messages in this “I Will Build My Church” series here. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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The Vital Leadership Need For Mercy

March 18, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Paul salutes his friend Titus, “Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 1:4). 

I’m not sure why several English translations of the Bible leave the word mercy out of this verse, because the Greek clearly says charis, eleos, eirene. Especially when we consider that this was an intentional word Paul was inspired to pen to a specific person. 

In every letter Paul writes to a church (plus in his personal letter to his friend Philemon), he greets the saints with “grace and peace” (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:2; Philemon 3). This is also the greeting of Peter and John to the churches (1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 1:2; Revelation 1:4). 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post here.)

But in Paul’s three pastoral letters, he says, “Grace, mercy, and peace” (1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4). Only John in the New Testament uses this salutation in a personal correspondence to another church leader (2 John 3). 

From this, I think we would be wise to note that Paul feels his pastoral proteges need to keep mercy in the forefront of their minds. Not that pastors—and the “dear lady” in John’s second letter—don’t know that God has been merciful to them, but as a reminder of just how important mercy truly is to both pastors and to the saints under their care. 

Charles Spurgeon wrote that pastors need to be reminded of mercy “as if the higher the office, the greater the liability to sin.” I think one of the biggest temptations for leaders is to believe their elevated title means they are to be served by others, rather than to continually take the role of a servant serving others. 

Pastoral leaders will also do well to recall that “all we like sheep have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6; 1 Peter 2:25), and that “all” includes both pastors and saints. Pastors need to quickly recognize anytime they may be straying from their servant’s role, repent, and receive God’s mercy. 

Shepherd leaders also need to guard against the frustration that can creep into their heart when they see the sheep in their flock going astray. Paul and John are reminding these pastors to keep in mind how merciful the Chief Shepherd has been to them, and how this should stir up their mercy toward the flock around them. 

Shepherd leaders have a vital need to keep mercy always in mind. 

I think a good prayer for pastors might be—

     Holy Spirit, in my moments of frustration, remind me of the “grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ [my] Savior” which has been extended to me innumerable times. May that recollection awaken in me increased depths of mercy toward the flock around me, despite how frequently they may stray. In Jesus’ name. Amen! 

P.S. If you are interested in going deeper on the topic of pastors as leaders, please check out my book Shepherd Leadership. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Delight In Your Duty

February 23, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

If anyone is known for attentively doing their duty, it is the members of our military. Duty is drilled into them over and over and over. Civilians could learn a lesson from this. We tend to be reward-motivated, that is to say, if we feel some sort of reward for our effort, we may stick to our commitment. But duty-bound soldiers stick to their commitment regardless of how they feel or what the circumstances are. 

We need to be especially on guard against Christian duties that seem to be thankless, or else we may forget about doing them or do them only reluctantly. 

Some of you might be saying, “‘Christian’ and ‘duty’ doesn’t sound right in the same sentence. Isn’t everything we do for Jesus supposed to be delightful?” Paul said to Timothy, “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3). 

(Check out all of the Scriptures I use in this post by clicking here.)

And listen to these words from Jesus—

     Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, “Come along now and sit down to eat”? Won’t he rather say, “Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink”? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.” (Luke 17:7-10) 

Why does the military drill the idea of duty into every soldier? Because doing your duty is indispensable to success in battle! 

In the New Testament, we meet three Roman soldiers who did their duty. Only one that we know of became a follower of Jesus, yet all three were pivotal for two key leaders in the early Church. These Roman soldiers were important because doing their duty helped Peter and Paul get where God had called them. 

Peter—Jesus called on Peter to be one of the foundational leaders of the Church (Matthew 16:18). But Peter never stepped fully into this role until a Roman centurion named Cornelius did his duty. 

In Acts 10:1-7 we meet Cornelius who followed the command of an angel without question, just as a dutiful soldier would. This dutiful act helped Peter understand what God was calling him to do (10:15-16, 22-28), and then helped him explain what the rest of the Church was supposed to do (11:18; 15:7-11). 

Paul—Lysias was the commander of the Roman garrison in Jerusalem. He saved Paul from literally being torn limb-from-limb by an angry mob, and then he safely transported Paul to Caesarea to avoid the assassins who were laying in wait to ambush Paul (Acts 21-22). 

Then when Paul was being sent to stand trail before Emperor Nero, a centurion named Julius also went to extraordinary lengths to see that Paul made it safely to Rome (Acts 27). 

All three of these Roman soldiers were merely doing their duty—obey orders from their commanding officers—but their dutiful service allowed Peter and Paul to get to the places where God needed them to be. 

Earlier I asked if the Christian life was supposed to be delightful. It may not be delightful here, but doing our duty may be tough at times. Paul said he rejoiced in the difficulties (2 Corinthians 12:10). 

Truly, doing our duty here is noticed by our Commander and King. Allow me to paraphrase Matthew 25:21 for the reward that Jesus gives those saintly soldiers who do their duty—

Our Commander will reply, “Well done, good and dutiful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” 

Do your duty—for your sake, for the benefit of others, and for the glory of our King. 

If you’ve missed any of the other messages in this series called The Lord’s Army, you can find them all here. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Practice For Precision

February 2, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

An old Sunday School song had me joyfully singing, “I’m in the Lord’s army!” I loved playing “Army” with my friends and I also loved this song and the idea behind it, but it seems like many seasoned saints today get a little uncomfortable with the idea of a militant Church. But military-like precision was drilled into everything the Church was taught from the days of Moses all through the end of the New Testament. 

Let’s just consider the precision of the movement of the tribes of Israel. For 40 years in the wilderness they were an army on the move, and they moved with precision that was drilled into them. 

  • Numbers 2 lays out the precise encampment arrangements. 
  • Numbers 10:14-36 tells us precisely how they marched out with the vanguard, supporting troops, and rearguard. 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)

Charles T. Crabtree wrote, “As spiritual people we are to understand spiritual warfare. We are to be alert to the devil’s devices. We are not to be obsessed with demonic strategy; we are simply, through God, to understand it and be superior to it.” 

We are in a spiritual battle that requires spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:11-13), and we must practice for precision in which armor and which weapons to use (2 Corinthians 10:4; 2 Timothy 2:3-4). 

My friend Dan Chastain spent more than 20 years serving in the US Army, and he notices several parallels between what the Bible says about military leaders and what he learned in his long military service. He shared four key characteristics of warriors: 

  1. Dedication to honorable service 
  2. Obedience and loyalty to whom and what they serve 
  3. Integrity at all costs
  4. Selfless service 

Dan also shared the US Army’s model of Be, Know, and Do. Which is also vital for Christian warriors today. 

When Joshua—the general of the Israelite army—took over, he was given this directive by God: Meditate on God’s Word so that you can live by it (Joshua 1:6-8), and the New Testament would agree (2 Timothy 3:16-17). So we, too, will learn from the military leaders that Scripture has given us how to practice our precision in the Lord’s Army. 

Let’s make sure we can finish well. As Paul said to Timothy, “Fight the good fight of the faith. … I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7). 

You can start today by applying Be, Know, and Do with the Training Manual for the Lord’s Army every single day: 

  • Be in the training Manual every day 
  • Know the Manual 
  • Do what the Manual says 

Follow along with all of the messages in our series on The Lord’s Army. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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