The Warrior’s Strength
By randy | July 2, 2009
If you are like me you find yourself trying to figure out how to be a Godly warrior on most days. I mean really, although I may be in full time ministry with men often I find myself wondering how I will get through one of life’s little tight moments. You know, those times when the second car will not work and it throws the whole family shuttle schedule into chaos. Or maybe it is that project at work that just seems to not get the kinks worked out. Sometimes it is just looking at where our marriage is and thinking of some times when there was still a night of romance that happened once in a while before the kid’s schedules took over and wondering how we can keep this part of our marriage intact.
Whatever the concern in your life you probably spend much time in thought about it. Today we are expected to be warriors in all areas of our lives. How I see the world pressuring us to be warriors is that we must overcome any and all of these types of pressures by knocking them out and overcoming them with our personal strength. It is this fallacy that we should have a plan for it all and in our male strength have it all taken care of. Wow what kind of pressure is that??
Let me create a word picture for you. This warrior of his own personal strength is moving at light speed through life. He is going in so many directions always trying to be the best at what he is doing, father, husband, worker, serving others through ministry at church but never developing the one true area that makes a warrior strong. So if Christ would be called a warrior why does it seem like he is always “Cool under fire”? Since we as Christian men are to become molded by the Holy Spirit to be more like Christ, what attribute should be making a priority in our warrior life? I will give you a hint: it is the one that we seem to place dead last in our priority list - - - PRAYER…..
I would like to offer an insight to where this warrior has found great strength. Oh I do not have this under control but I think at least I understand and have realized that when practiced it has provided me some great strength while I am in the battle as a warrior. I will say that I learned this first from my dad who I often found up in the morning early on his knees praying on his prayer bench.
First, Christ knew His Father God voice and looked for it often. He first references it with his Fathers strong support of his upcoming ministry in Mathew 3:17 “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”. This is what we all men warriors want to hear from our own fathers here on earth how much more we should long for it to be heard from our Father God in Heaven. For me I long for the day that I will stand before God and have him say these words. For then I will know that the obedience to be molded into more of Him and less of me will have brought me to the prize of the high calling. Seeking His voice in my life through the quiet nudging the Holy Spirit providing me wisdom to know how to juggle all that demands my time and energy will somehow bring joy beyond my earthly understanding.
Second, it seems very interesting to me that at least in scripture immediately Christ went to a 40 day fast in the wilderness and then he was tempted as he became hungry. Much has been written and preached about the temptations of the devil but the lesson is here is really that he fasted for forty days and nights right after His father just gave him a blessing. When have you fasted for increasing your connection to Father God – the maker of the universe and who is ALL knowledge and wisdom? For me I must confess, the practice of fasting has only happened once in a while so it is an area I can reflect on with recognition that I can improve and find a new solace there.
Thirdly, early in Christ’s ministry he begins to teach a large following in the sermon on the mount. As He begins to teach about prayer in Mathew chapter 6 he warns the people about praying like the hypocrites in the open of society but in verse 6 He states “But when you pray, go into your inner room, close the door and pray to your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” We are to recluse away to enjoy communion with the Christ. I think He was telling us that real prayer is earnest prayer, it is done to Him and for Him and not about us. It is being humbled in our spirit because of being alone with God’s Son, part of the Trinity that we offer ourselves up to Him. As a male warrior we are completely dependent on knowing what the Father’s will is in our life. That is so humbling to me I would not want to offer these utterances to God in front of others so I want to be behind closed doors.
Fourthly, there are many scriptures that talk about the majesty of God, the splendor of God and His covenant with His people. For me I like to call this time in my prayer life a time of reflection. Each year I try to have at least 2 times of set apart time of reflection. For me I try to have this time in the spring when spring is really beginning to bud and before the pollens take over my nose. The other time for me is in the fall or autumn just before it is to cold to be outside with a light fleece. These are inspirational times for me as I usually take my bible and a notebook and just read His word for some time and then reflect and wait for God to speak to my soul. I am amazed at how moving this time can be for me as I allow His inspired word to speak wisdom into my life or to reveal some part of who He is that I may not have given serious consideration yet and have so much to learn more about as He asks me to explore it with Him this next year.
So if you thought you were going to hear something about the male vibrato and fierceness of a warrior I am sorry for disappointing you. I do know that as my dad chose John the Baptists claim for his life in John 3:30 “He must increase and I must decrease” I also am trying to live as a warrior for God who uses the full extent of Ephesians 6: 10-17 but it is only through verse 18 explaining the power of prayer and petitioning of prayer at all times a warrior finds his REAL strength.
Serving with you
Randy
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