The Warrior Lifestyle

Life has many ups and down; "mountain tops" and "valleys" as they are commonly called. Our christian walk does not prevent us from experiencing the highs and the lows, the good days of exhilaration, and the grey days of duty, and the dark, black days of pain and sorrow. The sun and the rain come to all, the just and the unjust alike.

What our life in Christ does do is give us a focus that is outside of the experiences surrounding us; an anchor that extends into the peaceful deep which keeps us from drifting off course and being driven by circumstances first one way, then another as the winds change their quarter. It is only by having the spiritual dimension added to our life that we can have the basis for facing our physical circumstances without fear and anxiety, worry and stress.

Matthew 20:32 Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want Me to do for you?" He asked.

Two blind men, sitting by the roadside, heard from the crowd that Jesus was passing by. They cried out to Him, even over the attempts of the crowd to drown them out. As He did on each occasion, He asked what they wanted from Him. Jesus had much to give, both spiritual and physical, but then as now, He responds to us on the level we are living. Jesus had spiritual sight and natural sight to meet all their needs, but they were only aware of their need for physical sight.

Some, as with the ten lepers, once the physical healing was done, became aware of a deeper need, and when two returned to thank Him, He made them whole rather than simply healed. They realized the debt of gratitude they owed, and in returning to give thanks, acknowledged Him for who He truly is, and the true depth their need, thereby giving Jesus the freedom to lift them up and make them truly well, spiritually and physically.

It does not come naturally or easy. God works with us, training us, walking with us through events and situations that try our faith and provide resistance to our beliefs, in order for us to become stronger and more certain of our confidence in God's ability and reliability. Real and practical faith enables us to say, "Thy will be done," no matter how defeated we feel emotionally or in our daily lives; practiced and experienced trust allows us to accept pain and defeat in the physical realm as part of God's plan for our lives, just as Jesus endured it, understanding that He allows no true and permanent harm to come to us spiritually.

God's call to us to be warriors does not carry with it a sense of looking for a fight, or itching for a dust-up. A warrior in the faith lives in peace, expressing God's love and compassion for the weak and defenseless, the bruised and abused, the weary and the broken, for that is what we were before God healed and lifted us. A warrior in Christ bears the suffering of others in prayer, endures the pain of others in empathy, weeps with those who sorrow, rejoicing with those who receive gifts from God.

Defense of those who cannot defend themselves, protection against attacks to steal, kill and destroy, ready willingness to change from a sickle in the harvest field to a sword on the battle field and then back again to the harvest field is part of our training, learning to discern between those who are part of the harvest and those powers of wickedness that seek to steal or destroy the harvest. Just as Nehemiah encouraged the people of Jerusalem to work at rebuilding the torn-down walls and repair the city of God while keeping a sword at everyone's side and a trumpet at hand along the wall in case of attack, so we, as servant-warriors, must be able to discern and obey the directions of our commander-in-chief, knowing friend from foe, working with a will.

Be encouraged as you weather the ups and downs in your life. Remember that even as you pray for your brothers and sisters in God's family, others pray for you and help lift your burden. Make time to close yourself in with God for refreshing and healing and strengthening, and be open to the full blessing He has available for you, at times so much more than the immediate need you feel pressing on your heart. Keep your heart and mind thankful to the Lord, even when the physical circumstance turn against you, for God can bring victory out of the appearance of defeat and use what was meant for evil to bring so much more good than would have been possible otherwise.

Psalm 25
v.16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
v.17 The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish.
v.18 Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.
v.19 See how my enemies have increased and how fiercely they hate me!
v.20 Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in You.
v.21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in You.
v.22 Redeem Israel, O God, from all their troubles!

Mighty God and avenging Father, Your call to us to do Your work is not one of dusting marble halls and raking estate lawns. Your enemy, like a roaring lion, is seeking whom he may devour; like a serpent, he is seeking to lure his prey into his grasp. You have broken his teeth and given us potent weapons to use, Father, but we must go in Your strength and authority for we are only flesh. Thank You that Your Spirit makes our feet firm when the battle rages and strengthens our arms to wield sword and shield for as long as required to protect the harvest from the enemy's attack, to protect the young of the flock from the predator's forays. We seek Your full blessing, Lord, that we may be fully equipped and protected during the furious battle, and then come in and be vulnerable and open and trusting before Your throne, rejoicing in Your victory.

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