You have identity.  One of the many wonderful gifts of knowing Christ personally is the inestimable knowledge of identity as a child of God (1 John 3:1–2).  What does this mean?  You were known before your birth and introduction to the world (Psalm 139: 15–16).  You are not defined by the clothes you wear, your major, career choices or promotions, or your role or lack of role in ROTC.  Followers of Jesus Christ do not need to be caught in the endless cycle of seeking identity in entertainment, sports, parties, or trendy fads; rather we can experience total freedom from these empty pursuits.

You have a purpose. Consider the debate about human origins, or even bigger – the origins of life itself.  A primordial goo, sport for gods, reincarnation, gradual development, or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang…(oh wait, was that a movie…)? What purpose does life have if it is not intentionally created?  Why do you exist?  Having our identity firmly rooted in Jesus Christ means we are free to embrace our purpose – to glorify God and enjoy him forever (1 Peter 2:9, Ephesians 2:1–10).  Such a purpose should lead to a sense of meaning as well.

You can establish healthy rules for living.  If you have a clear identity, purpose, and sense of meaning you can embrace a life free from the tyrannical whims of an overindulgent world.  As temptations arise how will you face them?  Establishing boundaries early can help you build a healthy lifestyle that affirms and encourages your ability to live freely in Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:13–16).  True freedom is found in the power to move confidently in the way you’re designed.

You have relationship with the living God through Jesus Christ.  In John 14 Jesus tells his disciples (v.6) that no one can go to the Father except through him, (v. 16) that he would ask the Father to send another Helper to be with them forever, and (v. 18) that he would not leave them as orphans, but come to them.  In John 15:15 Jesus calls his disciple friends.  These are not the words of an ethereal and vaguely tangible deity, but of a living and active person who is fully God.

You know your destination.  Confessing sin, repenting, and accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior leads to eternal life with God.  We’re given knowledge of our destination not to ignore the present and wait, but to give us hope and motivation.  It gives us a glimpse of the wonders to come when Jesus Christ makes his return, it makes current circumstances bearable and pale in comparison.  How many people around you do not know with confidence what will happen to them when they die?

Consider what you’ll face when you return to campus and ask yourself what you want your influence for Jesus Christ to look like, and why.  This doesn’t necessarily mean bold evangelism with tracts, a soapbox and a megaphone in the main thoroughfares of your campus, but it can mean intentionally looking at people around you and recognizing that many of them do not know Jesus Christ.  I encourage your to take time to pray about the coming semester and what the Lord would have you do for him.  The freedom we have should give us confidence as we interact with those who do not know Jesus Christ.  If we have something as good as the knowledge of what brings eternal life, why not share it?

As you watch, ask yourself if you recognize yourself in his words and actions.  Summer break from classes is a great time to reevaluate your influence for Christ within your ROTC program, Valor movement, or general life on campus.  The objectives of military training are set with an expectation that you will move from receiving all direction and instruction, to giving direction and instruction for creative problem solving, leadership, and mission accomplishment.

Our lives as Christians are no different.  Spiritual formation is guided by the scriptures to result in a maturity that will enable us to teach and guide others to grow.  The Apostle Paul writes to Timothy explaining that his mentoring was not so Timothy would hold it all to himself, but that he would “entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Tim 2:2).

I would encourage you to take a few minutes and look at what the Lord has done during the past academic year, and what you’d like to see happen in the next one.  Give thanks for what he has done, and pray specifically for your new goals.   You could even write them down to be reminded of both what God has already done, and what you are believing him to do through you.

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As we embrace God’s calling toward a life-time of  ministry, the inward affect of God’s love and work in our lives should overflow to an outward love and compassion that enables us to share God redeeming message and work with others.  I remember as a new believer I was so eager and passionate to share the Holy Spirit’s redeeming work with others.  I was dramatically changed.  I could hardly keep inside the good news.

But then life began to creep back in.  And sin weighed me down, and shame and guilt overshadowed the redeeming work of Christ in my life.

I’m not sure when I first rheard Hebrews 12, but it  applied so readily to me back then and  undoubtedly now as I still wrestle with giants in my own life to give God more access and control over my heart and mind.  How do I “lay aside what holds me back?” another version tells me to “Strip off every encumbrance that weighs me down”

I want to lay out three steps to help free us from the slavery of sin (both as a believer and unbeliever) and help us lay aside what weighs us down and run with endurance the race that God has set before us:

1.  Acknowledge our need for God–We all fall short of what it takes.  Where do we need Jesus to change our heart TODAY? (Romans 3:23)

2.  Confession–Confess your sins to one another so that you will be healed (James 5:16)

3.  Repentance–Turning from our sin by depending on God for our strength and not ourselves.  (Acts 3:19)

Philippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

We all face trials and tests.  I face them daily whether I am aware of it in the moment or not.  God loves to develop our character and our obedience to His word.  As I grow and mature, God brings to fruition a refinement that changes me to the core.  How deep does the refinement go?

In trials and testing, the inward refinement of my attitude compels me to continue in His Word.

Deep inside at my core lives the very thing that Jesus died to free me from.  Here sin survives, it tempts, drags away, entices and gives birth to death.  But I have the choice to continue in His Word, to be His disciple and live by daily enduring and counting the cost for His name sake.

In a world filled with shades of gray, many of us would prefer to get back to the black and white way of dealing with things.  I would prefer to focus on right and wrong in order to deal with what needs to be addressed.  Don’t give me shades of gray because then I’ll give you shades of gray and we’ll never get the the heart of the issue.  Yet God is reminding me of the time before I submitted to Him where I was aware of the black and white — the truth of His sacrifice — and yet I stayed in the shades of gray.

So what’s my point?  Before coming to an understanding of what God did in sending Jesus I had heard the gospel many times over.  I didn’t argue with it but didn’t see the value of it.  In those who called themselves Christians I saw as much variety of lifestyle as I did varieties of vegetables in the grocery store.  They (both the veggies and the Christians) were good and bad in my opinion.  Yet I didn’t see the value in eating right or living right because in my view I couldn’t connect the physical and spiritual health to what I needed.  Try to tell a teenager that they need to eat vegetables because of how it will impact them later and you’re likely to get the same look that you’d get if you told them they need to start thinking about picking out a geriatric doctor.

People who don’t know the “value of the gospel” don’t want truth;  they want proof. 

When I submitted my life to Christ I did so because I saw the gospel lived out.  I saw people who came alongside me while in need and helped me see that I’m not alone physically and spiritually.  I experienced God through the lives of many who didn’t even realize they were sharing the gospel. And most of all, I see dozens of others around me who desire the bread of the body but also the bread of life.  Making disciples as I see it is giving people physical bread and also this bread of life.  To leave one out is the same as leaving out the truth or proof of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Let’s not let let the devil steal either.

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose (Jesus) is to give them a rich and satisfying life.  John 10:10 (NLT)