Soldiers have two primary roles – they are either tasked with defense or offense. Sometimes they go on the offense – they push the line forward and attack the enemy. Other times, they hold the line and protect civilians from an attack. And to make things even more complicated – sometimes the best defensive move is an offensive attack and sometimes the best offense is a good defensive strategy. A great real-life example of all this is World War I strategies. Sometimes soldiers defended their trenches, other times they ran across no man’s lands and attacked the enemy’s trench, and sometimes it was both. It all depended on the timing, geography, the context within the battle, and the situation with the enemy.
Peter tells us we too must always be ready to defend the Lord and our faith. People should notice that we live differently. They should hear us talk about our hope and faith in the Lord. They should see us refuse to adopt contemporary cultural values. When they realize we do not live, talk, and think like everyone else, some will ask us why. It is in those moments we must to ready to defend our faith.
There are three other big takeaways from Peter’s discussion of our defense:
🪖 We are to defend the Lord and our faith with gentleness and respect – not with a bully pulpit. Remember, we are trying to save others from
Satan. We will never do that if we are not kind, respectful, and authentic with others.
🪖 We must ALWAYS be ready. We need to be willing and able to make our defense of the Lord at any moment. It is how we use these opportunities to defend the Lord that He will use to assess us as soldiers. 
🪖In defending the Lord with gentleness and respect and it is willing to do so whenever the situation arises, we honor God.
A good soldier will uphold the line, defend the innocent, and bring honor to his/her commanding officer.
Always be ready and willing to defend the Lord. #soldiersforChrist #TheLordIsMyBanner
Adonai's Appeal 