As believers in Messiah, each of us is a warrior of God. There are characteristics of being a warrior for God. There are actions we need to take to grow in that role.
What It Means To Be A Warrior For God
Being a warrior for God we need to realize how important and life changing it is to walk in that role. Matthew 5:9 tells us,
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons (daughters) of God.”
Once we understand what a warrior for God does, we realize that this scripture does not nullify that position. A warrior for God is not a person who seeks conflict, nor do they fight every battle they see. They listen to the Holy Spirit so that they know when they are to fight and when they are not. Spiritual positioning is their center of operations.
Remember when Jesus was tempted in the desert? He resisted the devil, and fought him with the Word of God -the truth and the devil had no way of winning against Him. But it’s important to remember that the devil attempted ti battle Jesus with the Word. Yet, because Jesus is the Word and because He battled as a warrior of God -with Godly wisdom nothing the devil tried to do to twist God’s Word worked. A true warrior has the Holy Spirit inside them, guiding them in His Word, so that they can battle with God’s Word as Jesus did.
“Haven’t I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go“ –Joshua 1:9
When I was a new believer, I was helping a woman get out of a marriage full of domestic violence. The woman’s husband had a friend that he sent to harass and terrorize her. She couldn’t go anywhere with this lady causing her fear. Her relentless harassment was unbelievable. I probably used my new faith in the wrong way, but every time i seen her when I was with the woman she tried to insight fear. She would say something threatening I would come back a her with a Bible verse. Eventually she stopped harassing the woman all together. And the husband
Godly characteristics and behaviors stand deep in the hearts of God’s warriors. A few of the habits and characteristics that warriors of God ought to have include:
- A Prayer life
- Understanding and use of intercession (praying for others)
- Love of Justice, truth, and righteousness
- Strengthening your faith through God’s Word
- Peace found through God
- Worship and praise
- Heavenly direction regarding which battles to engage in or ignore
- Unity and fellowship with other believers
- A relationship with God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
- The full armor of God
- Kingdom-based goals
These things are vital, however, the list, while long, should not intimidate you. Each of us is a work in progress. God does not choose us because we are perfect. He chooses ys because He sees something in us,
Jesus is a carpenter selecting wood. He understands not only the process and hours it will take to transform the raw material into something spectacular, but He envisions what is hidden inside the finished work. He sees not only who we are now, but who we will become when He all allowed to take His tools and shape us.
At this time maybe we are great at maintaining a spirit of praise within us. Or perhaps we realize deep within our spirit God is a God of justice and so we love justice, yet other areas may be lacking. We may have a spirit of praise within us, but we do not understand that we are daughters and sons of God. We make love justice but we don’t fellowship with other believers.
We may not be “finished products” yet but God stands ready and willing to shape us.
Following God is a big step. Building a relationship with Him the next. Because as relationship and understanding of He is develops, our character changes. We begin to behave more like Him, because we spend more time with Him.
Galatians 2:20 says, we have been crucified with Christ:
“I have been crucified with Messiah, and it is no longer I that live but Messiah lives in me. That life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.”
Being a work in progress doesn’t mean we are not to press onward and upward toward our call to God. It does not mean that we will not have battles or victories because we have not arrived. By the time Jesus was tested in the desert, He was hardly in his prime physical condition. He had been 40 days without food, He was hungry, and He was not at home where He could have a fire at night or shelter in the day…it was in that place where the devil attacked Him, it was there He was tested.
Doubt as David did, going to face the giants in our life when we are led to do so, even if in the natural the weapons we carry and our own size seem inadequate – this us the obedience and faith that leads to victory. It is where God moves with power and receives all the glory.
How To Know Your Battles
Listening to the Holy Spirit is key to achieving victory. It is He who tells us what battles we are to engage in, how we are to fight, and what we need to do.
Battles, even those that happen in the natural, are spiritually driven. We never fight against flesh and blood, and the weapons we typically use need to be chosen accordingly.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” – Ephesians 6;12
The battles we fight can often be accomplished by praying and intercession. But some may require additional weapons, such as praise and worship. Or even taking territory on the mountain of influence that God has put us in.
Yet, in all of these things, we need to remember that the battle belongs to the Lord. We need to seek Him and His will first and foremost. He needs to be the one who chooses what battles we are to face and which weapons we are to use. The Lord is our General, (Our commander in chief), and choosing to follow His commands is the surest way to achieve victory. Remember God sees the whole picture, He has the maps information, and vision to see us safely through any challenge,
When God tells us to face our against, we are going to be like David, stepping out in obedience and faith, trusting God to do the rest. To do the big thing.
It is time for us to stand as warriors of God, to pray, to listen, and to battle as God directs us.
It is time for us to realize that victory comes not through usm but through God. Let’s boast in the Lord because it is He who gives us victory.
“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust the name of the Lord our God.” -Psalm 20:7
From Pity to Praise 