Warriors

Battle. That's the only word for it. We are fighting in a spiritual battle. Ephesians 6:12 tells us, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Even better, here's the Message bible translation (I love this!) This is Ephesians 6:10-12 "...God is strong, and He wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels."

I heard someone say yesterday that a warrior is someone that is constantly engaged in battle. That statement was not intended to be a spiritual one, but as a Child of God, I grabbed ahold of it and made it my own. After looking at the raging battles all around me, I realized that we are all called to be Kingdom Warriors. I must use those well-made weapons given to me by my Father to fight the enemy. In Joshua 14:11, he says "I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then." That my friends is what it means to be a warrior. We must not ever lose heart. We must not ever stop. We must be alert and be ready to go toe-to-toe with the enemy...and win. We know we win the war...but today, are we winning the battle?

I look around me and see so many wounded that aren't winning the battle. They have no vigor left within them. They are weak. My heart breaks for them. I can be a lifeline for them. I can stand beside them and fight like there's no tomorrow. But at the end of the day, the fact still remains that they've got to fight as well. How do you tell a spiritually dead man to stand up and fight? "With what", they ask. Hopelessness sets in and they do not believe that victory can be obtained. They've been fighting so long and they're so tired; they no longer care that they're losing and they give up. Such sadness settles over me when this happens. I also get a bad case of holy anger. I'm so tired of the enemy winning battle after battle.

We must be warriors. Warriors like Joshua that many years from now can honestly say, "You know what, I'm still strong. I'm still vigorous. I'm using those powerful weapons my Master gave me when I surrendered my life to Him." And oh how wonderful those weapons are. We can't fight naked, as my friend Steve says. We've got a mighty armor that has been given to us. We have tremendous power and authority. We have provision. We have honor. We have the Word of God that cuts like a two-edged sword. "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soual and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) We have an arsenal fit for a King...because it's ordained and anointed by our King. Each "piece" was designed by Him. These weapons are flawless and powerful. But they do us no good if we leave them sitting on the table and run out to battle like a bunch of fools.

The battle cannot be avoided. It comes to us, whether we want it or not. Just ask the marriage that's falling apart. I bet neither of them really wanted to fight that battle. Just ask the parents that have just been told their baby has cancer. They didn't go looking for that battle. Ask the 36-year-old mother of two that has followed God her entire life if she was looking for that breast cancer diagnosis she received. The answer will be "no". The enemy roams around looking for someone to devour. (I Peter 5:8) If was do not have the warrior mentality. If we are not alert, watching for him. If we become spiritually weak, because we're not spend time with our Lord and sharpening our weapons...we become a prime target. The enemy is crouching at our doors, waiting for us to unlock the door and crack it open. He's ready to fight. A warrior never puts his weapon down. He never stops watching and listening for the enemy. He constantly fights and guards.

Lord God, give us warrior mentalities...