Enlisted: A Battle Plan for Living the Abundant Life

By Craig McAndrews

A good soldier understands responsibility to the commanding officer and other soldiers in the ranks. Using that analogy, Craig McAndrews explains what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ, fulfilling our responsibility to our commanding officer, Jesus, and to others within the church. Enlisted: A Battle Plan for Living the Abundant Life is about serving Jesus and how that unlocks the possibility for abundant living.

Enlisted: A Battle Plan for Living the Abundant Life is a practical guide every Christian should read. Craig offers fresh insights into familiar scripture passages and applies them to everyday living. From start to finish, Enlisted will guide you through the entire process from the basic training of a soldier to strategies for experiencing the abundant life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Brothers Publishing
• Release date: Dec 27, 2017

Craig McAndrews

Craig McAndrews is a former business executive with 27 years of experience in sales leadership, corporate education, and business operations. He came to know Jesus in 2001, and actively pursues ministry in the marketplace. Most recently, Craig served as the Chief Strategy Officer at Mattress Firm, where he was responsible for developing strategic growth plans. Currently, he shares his experience at the University of Houston, as an adjunct professor and serves in the discipleship efforts at his local church, The Harbor. Craig lives in Friendswood, Texas with his wife April, and their two boys, Ben and Nate.

Book preview

Enlisted

A Battle Plan For

Living The Abundant Life

By Craig McAndrews

Contents

A Vision

The Mission

Our Holy Commander

The Enemy

The Battlefield

Battle of Pride

Battle of Sexual Temptation

Battle of Selfish Ambition

The Affairs of Everyday Life

Training Program

Mission To Multiply

Active Service

The Abundant Life

Enlisted: A Battle Plan for Living the Abundant Life

© 2017 by Craig McAndrews

Published by Austin Brothers Publishing

Smashwords Edition

Cover Design: Jamie Kenston, Sovic Designs

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

To my wife April, who encourages me every day, and is easily my greatest cheerleader in life. I am so grateful that God put us together to pursue the active service He has planned for us. This life is awesome with you!

To my boys, Ben and Nate, who inspire me to seek more of God so that I might teach His ways, and that I would talk of His ways when we sit down in our house, when we walk along the road, and when we lie down, and when we rise up. Apart from Jesus, and the love I have for your Mom, no two people on earth mean more to me than the two of you.

Acknowledgements

I used to imagine what it would be like to write thank-you’s to people who helped me put together my first book. I was never sure it would be a reality. Yet, here I am, trying to come up with words to thank the people who helped. I learned that writing is absolutely a labor of love, and there is no way to labor without the love of the people around you.

I must give a special thank you to my good friend, Colonel Tim Pertuis of the United States Air Force. This book would have never happened if it wasn’t for his willingness to help me prepare for a sermon series titled, Enlisted. During his deployment overseas, we exchanged emails which provided insight on what it’s like to be a soldier in the middle of a war. He opened my eyes to the mindset of a soldier, and I can’t thank him enough!

I also owe a thank you to my friends Dana, Trevor, Tim (same one mentioned above), Craig, and my Dad, John, who painstakingly read through my early drafts and helped shape the end product. I am also grateful to Rick, Greg, and Trevor (different from one mentioned above) who provided feedback on my second iteration. I could never have finished a draft without the help of all these eople.

Finally, I want to thank David Miller who introduced me to my publisher, Terry Austin. Prior to a conversation with David, the idea of getting my book published was only a dream. Once I met Terry, it was obvious this could happen. I appreciate Terry’s editing work, recommendations, and leadership on this project. He turned my original manuscript into a well written story that I hope encourages and inspires readers to engage in the active service God has planned for them!

Craig McAndrews

Suffer hardship with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.

2 Timothy 2:3-4 (NASB)

A Vision

The inspiration behind this book came from a message I shared at a Christian Men’s Retreat many years ago. In preparing for the event, I knew the 2 Timothy 2:4 text would be the focus of the session. Coincidentally, a friend of mine was deployed overseas at the time, so I sent an email to ask for his perspective as it relates to the idea of being a soldier in active service. The insight that came back from our exchange was powerful and profound.

The more we went back and forth on the subject, the more precise the connections were between the preparation and battle tactics of the military and the requirements for fighting a spiritual war that the Bible teaches. For those engaged in spiritual warfare, the stakes are more significant than any battle happening on the planet today. Christians are fighting for souls, and the work God has prepared for each of us is part of His magnificent plan!

The Apostle Paul wrote the second letter to Timothy around 65 A.D. That is more than 30 years after Jesus completed His ministry and ascended into Heaven. As the early church began to form, it experienced tremendous pressure. When you read the book of Acts, you see some of the challenges early followers encountered. The religious leaders of the day continued to feel threatened by the new way that Jesus’ followers were promoting. Persecution was a major issue. So, it’s no surprise the Apostle Paul used terms such as soldier, enlisted, suffer, and hardship to describe the mindset Timothy would need to persevere with the work God planned for him. Things were difficult, and it was going to take a strong commitment to stay the course and a mindset centered on fighting the fight.

When you consider our world today, we face some of the same challenges of the early church. Persecution of Christians is alive and active around the globe. It is estimated that nearly 90,000 Christians were martyred in 2016, and countless others were put in prison, ridiculed, and tortured for their faith in Jesus Christ. The mindset of a soldier is as relevant today as it was when Paul wrote to Timothy. It will take perseverance, strong faith, and a focus on the eternal promises of our Heavenly Father to finish strong. My prayer is that each person who reads these words will DECIDE to be part of the fight, and eagerly pursue the work God planned for you.

I personally enlisted with the Lord Jesus shortly after my 33rd birthday, and my life has never been the same.

I grew up going to church, and the idea of God and Jesus were familiar topics to me. I knew the rituals, I could recite the prayers. I knew when to kneel when to stand, and when to bow my head. However, it wasn’t until I heard a pastor at a church I was attending make a profound statement; You may be familiar with religion, but are you familiar with the idea of having a relationship with God? That question about relationship caught my attention; I didn’t know the God who created me wanted to have a relationship with me. As the pastor shared Bible verse after Bible verse that spoke to this truth of relationship, I was completely locked in.

He shared John 3:16 which says, For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. He went on to point out Romans 3:23 where Paul writes, All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. He followed that up with John 14:16 where Jesus said, I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

The idea that my sin separated me from God was understandable; He was perfect, and I, for sure, was not. Hearing that Jesus came for me to take the penalty for my sin AND bridge the gap between a holy God and a sinful man was a new truth for me. I knew at that moment that I wanted a relationship with God. Toward the end of his talk, he led us through a simple prayer to repent, invite Jesus to lead our lives, and receive God’s gift of grace. It was in that moment of surrender that I found a new life. Little did I know how much God had planned for my future.

Enlisted was written to inspire you to engage in the spiritual war being fought today. God designed a plan specifically for you (more on that later) in order to bring the message of repentance and eternal life through Jesus to the world. Jesus Himself said, Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12)

Jesus knew He was leaving earth and He had been preparing His followers for what was coming—an amazing opportunity to be part of God’s epic plan. I hope that when you read this book, you will have a renewed sense of mission, and you will see why the mindset of an enlisted soldier is so necessary to adopt. The church today (a group of