1st of the SERE Posts …S is for Survival

Survival. We have all heard the word. Every single one of us immediately conjures up a mental image of what the word conveys to us. For some, it is the person who “survived” cancer. To another, it is a story of an amazing narrow brush with death; as in, a horrible car wreck. To the airmen and women who have to go through the S.E.R.E training, it is the first protocol they must embrace.

Permit me to paint a picture. You are a pilot in the military and your plane goes down for whatever reason. You have ejected and floated safely to earth, BUT you are captured. Right then and there, your mind goes to your training. When, where and how to survive.

The dictionary definition of “survive” or “survival” is really key! It says to “continue to live or exist especially in spite of hardship or danger”.

WOW!! I pray you really read that definition, because that is exactly where I want to camp for this post. In the New Testament Gospel of John, Jesus tells His listeners that “The thief comes with the sole intention of stealing and killing and destroying, but I came to bring them life, and far more life than before.” (John 10:10 Phillips translation)

Henry David Thoreau said that most men live lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.  Is this the epitaph you want? Jesus says that He has come to give us life!!!!….and we can have it in abundance. We’ve all seen the t-shirts or posters that say “I survived______” We’ve heard people say that they are a cancer survivor or some other medical ailment.

PEOPLE!!! We were not created, nor do we go through life merely to survive! When I taught the S.E.R.E course, I tried to stress the integral importance of this very first lesson: In order to survive, you have to WANT to survive.  Sadly, I have met far too many believers who just want to “go along to get along” or coast through their life down here. because a better place awaits.

Now, if the God of creation and Author of life and the Bible, TELLS us to choose life, don’t you think we should embrace it? Should we not grasp every minute He graces us with to DO something for Him with that life? In order to teach the course, I not only had to spend hours learning how to teach it; I had to go through the course –  and they were especially tough of us potential instructors. There I was, attempting to bury my chute and leave as little trace of where I had landed. I had a LOT riding on this. I wanted to SUCCEED. Do you? Jesus tells us that if we drink of the water of life that He gives us, we will never thirst again (John 4:14). The verse goes on to say that it will create a LIVING spring that gushes forth and leads to eternal life.

The FIRST priority of Survival is to CHOOSE it! If you declare yourself a believer; a follower of Jesus Christ, then choose to live, choose to thrive….in spite of all the hardships and dangers ahead!

NO IFS, ANDS, OR BUTS!!!

In light of Billy Grahams’ joyous homegoing, I want to re-post this blog post. This lady is but one of countless thousands – maybe millions who heard him preach and responded to God’s call of love and forgiveness. We all have that eternal question to answer to: Will I willingly bow before King Jesus or reluctantly at the last day, upon His return?

Her father woke her long before it was light. She quickly dressed and made her way downstairs. All the family was there -aunts,uncles and grandparents. Her mother and 3 siblings were already dressed in lots of warm clothing. Her father handed her leggings and a warm parka. She watched as her father took all their identification papers and burned them in the stove. Tears were rolling down her aunts’ faces. Not a word was spoken. She joined her mother and siblings in following her father outside. It was very dark and very cold. They set off walking westward. Every night they walked and every day they hid – in barns, in the woods and inside road culverts. Sometimes, a kindly family would put them up for the day – many times, hiding them in the haylofts. She was told not to talk all night long as they walked. Her father was constantly on watch for soldiers or police. Her one sister took ill and could not make it. She watched as her mother cradled her in her arms as the pneumonia took her life. Silent tears made icy tracks down her mothers’ face. After many weeks of walking, hiding and begging for food, her family crossed the border and entered Norway. With help from the government and a local church group, they were given new papers and made it onto a ship bound for America. She entered school there and did very well. She graduated college and went on to medical school. She became a very renowned neurosurgeon. Her skills and her gift were in demand all over the world. When Tatyana Bryznikova* (name changed to protect her) was interviewed her tale was one of powerful direction. “IF my father did not charge us with leaving Russia, we would all be dead. IF I had not obeyed and followed all his instructions, I would be dead. IF we had not made it into Norway and then on to a ship, I would not be what I am today. IF I had not dedicated myself to my studies, I would not have succeeded. BUT, I did listen and we did make it and I did dedicate myself. BUT all of this amounts to nothing” she said. “Whatever do you mean?” asked the famous interviewer. “You are a world renowned brain doctor, you are successful, you have 2 beautiful daughters of your own and have the world at your doorstep”. “Much of what you say is true ” replied Tatyana. “BUT, you don’t know the rest of the story, may I continue?” The interviewer readily agreed. Tatyana started into her story again. “IF I had not come to America, I would be physically dead. BUT I did come here and as you can see I am assuredly alive. IF I had not come to America AND listened to a friend who invited me to listen to another doctor, I would be spiritually dead and bound for hell”

 ” I don’t understand” said the interviewer. ” It is simple, sir” explained Tatyana. “You see, a friend at the hospital that I was interning at, invited me to accompany her to a meeting that Dr. Billy Graham was holding. He wasn’t a doctor then. Everybody just called him Billy Graham, the evangelist. He spoke of the amazing act of love that Jesus Christ did for me at Calvary. IF I had not come to that Crusade and heard about Jesus and accepted Him as my Lord and Savior, I would be dead in my sins and would go to hell.”

What about you, reader? Are you one of those who says “Well, IF I could see a real life miracle like Jesus did back then, I would become a Christian!”. Would you really? Others may be thinking to themselves “BUT I’m a Christian….I believe in God and go to church and try to be good”. Really? You think believing in God is enough? Even the demons believe and they TREMBLE at the name of Jesus! IF you are an actual follower of Jesus you have heard all the excuses and all the “ifs, ands, or buts”. The old adage “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” is never more true than in this day and age. 

Any hope of an end times revival among the lost starts with that conclusion pictured above! WE must make tough choices to follow Him. IF we make those….IF we are ready to count the cost AND die daily to self; then we can pray that the Father sends us out among the lost to live out His love and offer of salvation. 

The redeemed of the King of Kings are called to reach out to a dying world that needs Jesus!! IF you don’t go, who will? Let us be like Isaiah who HEARD the cry of Almighty God and WILLINGLY called out Here am I!

 

LEADERSHIP….IN ALL THINGS

Now wait a minute!!..are you thinking “I thought this was about leadership! Yes it is – whether on the dance floor, the battlefield or in our relationships. It all comes down to leadership. Some of you may immediately take offense to my view..well, that’s fine. The Bible, the Military Code of Conduct and even ballroom dancing all follow the same foundational principle. One leads and one mirrors. For the Christian, Christ leads and we mirror. In the military, there is one leader in a squad and the rest mirror. When I teach ballroom dancing ( yes, this cowboy/soldier can dance! lol) I show, model and teach that the man leads and the lady is his perfect mirror image.

In order to be an effective leader – in any area, the first requirement is that you know it yourself!!! How many of you would follow a boss/squad leader/dance instructor who had only read about it? The answer is NONE. We yearn for effective leaders. In our schools, jobs, churches and in our relationships. Many times, I would have “students” come to take dance lessons that had never tried it before. “I have two left feet” is a response I’ve heard all too often. My answer is always the same: “No, you have one of each but only hear the music and not feel it”. When we are in tune – whether with Christ, our dance partner, our squad mates or our spouse, we FEEL them. Their words and actions go right to our hearts and move us. When we exude confidence and model the one who taught us, then and only then are we true leaders.

In dance, I break down the dance into the basic steps. I’ve had many who that is all they ever aspire to. How sad. You soar when those steps take you deeper and deeper into becoming one with your partner.

In relationships, the man is commanded to be the leader – not the dictator!! He is to so imitate and mirror the humility and compassion of Christ, that his spouse yearns to follow his lead. That is not dominance, it is loving that spouse so much that you want to copy his direction. In this day and age, we have lost that. The woman is NOT inferior to the man, they are equal in God’s eyes. Need proof?

So please know that I believe this with my whole heart. If churches would start to have true leaders – those who yearn to model Christ in all things and preach the whole counsel of God, then and only then are they HIS kind of leaders. There are too many ear ticklers in the church pulpits. There are too many weak minded men who won’t take leadership (by modeling Christ) in relationships. The sad state our world is in is because men have failed to stand as the mirror image of Jesus. He modeled His Father in all things. He obeyed Him even unto death. He longs to see men and women mirror Him. The dance I long for is to dance along the huge banquet hall of heaven with the TRUE leader – Jesus Christ and feel His loving arms take me through the laughing joyous steps of celebration that His wayward son is welcomed home.

Dance with Him, my brothers and sisters. Let Him LEAD in all life’s “steps” Some days its the fun of a triple swing, some days a struggle of the tango…but keep on dancing and soon oh so very soon, we will dance with Him in heaven. I truly don’t believe there is much time left. Who will YOU dance with? Jesus or the evil one? Choose wisely for it is an eternal choice.

I AM WEARY…..

I first wrote this post over 2 years ago! Wow! time flies. Some things have changed and some things have remained the same. That which remains is the truth of His words.

I don’t have any fancy title for this post. I don’t even want to do this post! Last night and today brought back a lot of memories of what a soldier is. The soldier is BRAVE. The soldier is SURE. The soldier is READY…..and so on and so on. Well, I didn’t have any of those words going through my head. Immediately when I say the word “soldier” or Warrior…you have a picture in your head, don’t you! Well, how many of had THIS one?

He has seen too much. He doesn’t want to hear the noise of  battle or see the guts of his squad mate hanging out. He doesn’t care who won the football or what the latest catastrophe is. He has shut down. Emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually this warrior is completely weary. Can you relate? Was it or is it you? Today, it is me….all except the spiritual part. I’ve had enough. I have seen enough and I’m worn down to nothing. In the middle of the night and through today’s work day, all I could see was the verse from Matthew 11:28 – “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened and I will give you REST”  Hmmm. It took me back to places I will not ever say much about. The military is known for shaping people into their best…at least that is the concept. 

You have just finished slogging through the mud of your day. You are beat and can’t take one more step.

You see this on the left picture . I see THIS:

 

 

 

 

You’ve just been in a wicked fire fight with ALL your enemies and just want to be relieved. You see this and I see THIS:

 

If it wasn’t the Master Sergeant it was the Captain. If it wasn’t the Corporal, it was the Warrant Officer. EVERY step was dogged! EVERY maneuver was critiqued and yelled about …..and EVERY fiber of your being wanted to scream “I WANT IT TO STOP!!!! I CAN’T TAKE ANOTHER STEP”

Yeah, that is where this warrior is today……with all of that PLUS the verse rampaging through my head. REST Lord?? WHAT rest? In the quiet, over the last few days, He said “Come here, child and I will tell you”. It isn’t about the Lazy boy, kick back and take some needed down time to do a chill. It isn’t about the final rest when He comes back and the redeemed move into the TRUE rest. No, it is about His all encompassing peace. I am all too well aware of what a living hell is. So are many of you. You may not have faced fire fights and blood and guts; but, you have faced abuse or depression or death of loved ones. You may face them still…BUT He is in the middle of all of it with us. I can’t do the deep theology of it. All I know is that I can’t but HE CAN. So, I take one more step – right into Him. PERIOD. I won’t spend tonight analyzing my horrid place I was in today. I won’t let the “flashbacks” of battle rule. I WILL let His peace flood through and tomorrow IF He grants it, will be another battle, another enemy and another opportunity for Christ to shine.

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You see, warriors, here it is. We WILL be soon in the midst of the worst fulfillment of God’s judgement on this earth. We WILL be commanded to stand for Him – even at the cost of our life. Some of us will be martyred, some imprisoned. Bibles and churches will be banned. Demons will freely roam in many forms and WE are on the front lines. So…armor is good! He tells us to wear it. A clean and pure heart before Him is good! He commands that we constantly seek repentance and holiness. Being ready in  season and out always to give a clear presentation of our faith…even in the middle of mocking and scorn; is good and right! He reminds us of that. BUT…add to all of this, resting in His peace. That is where this weary, battered, almost disillusioned warrior is tonight. Tomorrow, I fight again. 

 

I thank all who ever read these posts. I don’t do ANY of them for attention, sympathy or a typing exercise. I did not do this one for any other reason but to remind all of us that He doesn’t YELL at us for being weary. He beckons us to come and to enter His peace…the peace that few understand but the warriors can bask in. The soul, spirit, mind and body are living in the deep shadow of His peace and are restored and replenished. When you are where I am tonight…go to Him…take that one more step. PLEASE

 

Need assistance

I’m trying to re-post on FB some of my blog posts…um…does anyone know how to take an existing post and re-send it to FB?

SACRED DELIGHT…The 5th Beatitude: Be Merciful

This is as timely today as when I wrote it. Please pray and think of applying this lesson in your life; as did I!

I only need to type two words here and MANY of you will remember. Ready? Okay…EXXON VALDEZ. Need a gray matter jog? Here:

 

Now it comes back doesn’t it? 11 MILLION gallons of oil leak into Prince William Sound and coat the water, shore line and sea life with the pollution. The public was outraged at the pollution. THEN we find out that the captain was not in control at the time the tanker ran aground on the reef – he was sleeping off a drunk! Now the people of TWO nations – Canada and the US are REALLY peeved! They cried out for not only reparation costs but also JUSTICE…they were out for blood! That collision of a tanker and Bligh Reef was terrible! BUT it was nothing compared to the collisions that occur so often in our relationships!

You’ve been there….the unmet expectations, the broken promises and now the verbal pistols come out and rounds of hurtful words are fired off. The result?  A collision between the hull of your heart and the reef of someone’s actions.

Precious energy now leaks out. It coats the soul with a deadly film of resentment…a black blanket of bitterness and darkness. Darkness that dims your once bright world to inky night. It sours your outlook and suffocates the joy that God has been building in you!  

Do you have a hole in your heart?

The wound there may be old!….a parent or trusted person abused you. A teacher shamed you or a mate betrayed you. AND you are angry! Perhaps the wound is still fresh. You may have loaned someone money to pay bills and they drive by in a new car. Maybe you finally suck in the pride and ask someone to help you do something and they promise but never show up. You feel stupid and used…and angry! You are torn between anger and deep hurt. Part of you is broken and part of you is bitter. Part wants to cry and part wants to come out fighting! There is a fire of resentment burning –  a fire fuelled by the oil of anger and ugly! It is blazing away in your soul and threatens to consume any good work He has started in you. 

You are left now with a decision: put it out or fan it? Get over it or get even? Well, my friends, that is exactly what the 5th Beatitude deals with!! Did you think of that? Let’s read  a passage that comes after Matthew chapter 5…but pertains VERY much to this 5th building block in our re-construction.

The Parable of the Unforgiving Slave

²¹ Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how many times could my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”

²² “I tell you, not as many as seven,” Jesus said to him, “but 70 times seven.^{[a] 23} For this reason, the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. ²⁴ When he began to settle accounts, one who owed 10,000 talents^[b] was brought before him.²⁵ Since he had no way to pay it back, his master commanded that he, his wife, his children, and everything he had be sold to pay the debt.

²⁶ “At this, the slave fell facedown before him and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything!’ ²⁷ Then the master of that slave had compassion, released him, and forgave him the loan.

²⁸ “But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him 100 denarii.^[c] He grabbed him, started choking him, and said, ‘Pay what you owe!’

²⁹ “At this, his fellow slave fell down and began begging him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ ³⁰ But he wasn’t willing. On the contrary, he went and threw him into prison until he could pay what was owed. ³¹ When the other slaves saw what had taken place, they were deeply distressed and went and reported to their master everything that had happened.

³² “Then, after he had summoned him, his master said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.³³ Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴ And his master got angry and handed him over to the jailers to be tortured until he could pay everything that was owed. ³⁵ So My heavenly Father will also do to you if each of you does not forgive his brother from his heart.”

OUCH!! That one really should put the mirror up to our faces! Remember, the 5th building block states that:

“How blessed are those who show mercy!
    for they will be shown mercy.”  

Are you seeing how this connects? Who among us hasn’t begged for mercy on Sabbath and then on Monday screamed for justice? Who among us hasn’t been a roadblock to God’s love being lived out in example to others? Paul, in Romans 2:4 says:

Romans 2:4Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

⁴ Or perhaps you despise the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience; because you don’t realize that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to turn from your sins.

Notice back in Matthew 18, what could happen if we spit on compassion? HE turns us over to be dealt with!    Jesus has another way of teaching it to us. Dr Luke records it for us in Luke chapter 9

A Town Rejects Jesus

⁵¹ When the time was coming near for Jesus to depart, he was determined to go to Jerusalem. ⁵² He sent some messengers ahead of him, who went into a town in Samaria to make everything ready for him.⁵³ But the people there would not welcome him, because he was set on going to Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When James and John, followers of Jesus, saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven and destroy those people?”

⁵⁵ But Jesus turned and scolded them. And Jesus said, “You don’t know what kind of spirit you belong to. ⁵⁶ The Son of Man did not come to destroy the souls of people but to save them.” Then they went to another town.

Well! the two sons of Thunder sure lived up to their names wouldn’t you say? Remember that the Samaritans and the Jews did not like each other!!  We are not much different. Let me give you a rather tough example:  You watch the news and you see the vile and evil things that the Islamic jihadists do: they rape, they behead and they slaughter hundreds. What is our reaction? Be honest with yourself and with God. You want them lynched,gutted, castrated, drawn and quartered!! Right? You can even justify it with phrases like “righteous indignation”! Look, I am NOT in any position to finger point! I SAW this evil firsthand. I witnessed the atrocities that a sinful and deceived group can do because their demon god- straight from Satan – tells them to do these things! I seethed!!! I not only wanted revenge…we exacted it!! God was NOT in agreement with that. I am NOT His just executioner. I was no better than them before Christ saved me! NO BETTER!! I took people’s heads off with my words. I slaughtered people’s emotional well being with my sinful behaviour. I raped the innocence of relationships by my stand off cold heart. In God’s eyes they are the same people!

 Okay, let us get back to the key. God IS building JOY in us…but we have to be on board. IF we don’t show mercy, then no mercy is shown to us by Him! No mercy shown equals no joy grown!

I end with this story…a true one. Koos  and his wife, Lois were missionaries in Thailand back in the 1980’s. At a Bible study in a small village one evening, a man in anger, raced up to the fireside and shot Koos. He was killed. The man was arrested and imprisoned. The little church family and Koos’ widow could have been indignant and angry. Instead, they visited the man in prison every week. They brought him food and clothing. They shared with him the Good News of salvation. Before his execution, he accepted Christ and his testimony led to his whole family coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus!  THAT my dear friends, is JOY in action! THAT is being merciful. It is not easy, I know that. Do you have a hole in your heart? Jesus Christ looked right at everyone of us from the cross and said “Father, forgive them” Later in our lives, when we knelt to declare Him our Lord and Saviour, He forgave ALL our sins and showed His divine mercy. He forgave us…GO and do likewise. We go no further in our re-construction until we can do this.

Personal request: I would really love to hear from you about how you forgave someone. We build each other up when we share what He has done or is doing in our lives. Forgiving those who have wounded us is truly key to growing in Him. Let’s do this for Him and to sharpen one another. (I will share my story later) No one understood this concept as much as Mary of Magdala…listen to this song “Alabaster Box”

 

Ready, set…..and wait

 

Hey wait a minute!! I thought the saying was “ready, set, go!”. Yeah, me too. I learned early on in my military life, that waiting was a very natural part of it. You’d be briefed on a mission, get all kitted out and ruck on out to the air line….and wait. Very seldom did I ever know why the halt signal was on, but, there was really little reason to get all het up about it. I would hope you’ve learned that worry or fretting about the “when” ever accomplished anything.  Now, as soldiers on the battle lines of this spiritual warfare environment, you’ve come to realize that many times, God has us waiting. We’ve all heard the oft spun saying that “Until God opens a door, praise Him in the hallway”. You know, there is truth to that. Unlike my time in the military, in this life in Christ, we don’t just praise Him in the day to day; we are encouraged to try the doors! Keep on pressing forward with what that still small voice prompts. Idleness is of no use. As we press into Him and dive deeper and deeper in love with Him, more tends to be revealed. You see, soldiers, our TRUE mission isn’t spiritual warfare. Surprised? Our true mission is this and this alone:

We are to glorify God! All else is the working out of that.

As a soldier of the King, we live every moment for HIS glory…not for our own fame and status; not for rewards and crowns; not even for others. Our chief (sole, ultimate) purpose is to bring honour and glory to our God – our Commander in Chief. If He asks us to charge into battle, we do so to bring glory to HIS name and character. If He asks us to come alongside the hurting, we do so for HIM and Him alone. If He asks us – oh heaven forbid! – to wait, we do so for Him and His glory. He DOES know what He is doing in your life. He knows ALL regarding the warfare we are in. He KNOWS your pains, your fears and your gifts. He will use every single one of those to show you and others who He is. Remember this:

So, while you wait on the air line or in your love life, your career aspirations or your next mission for Him; do it in such a manner that your glorify Him…without grumbling, chomping at the bit or wandering off to do something you “think” is from Him. We stand together in Him, we fight the good fight in Him and …we wait….yep…we wait…for HIS signal and His alone. Hey! I’m there too. I hated the waiting then and even more so now! I know the time here is short and I’m eager to do something for Him….but, I wait! Come on, sit down with me, let’s clean our armor or talk about all He’s done for us and in us. Soon and very soon, the “Move out!” clarion boom of the Commander will be given. Ready? Are you “set”? Only then will He choose to give the order.

NO WEAPON FORGED

Hey Soldiers! Yep, it’s been awhile. This verse has been on my mind the last few days now. I realize that we are all aware that the reality is this: The promise from God isn’t that no weapon would ever be formed or even used against us! His promise is that when we are truly willing to be servants of His, then those weapons that the enemy (remember him -Satan by name) will not prosper. Now, I would have loved to have gone into a mission briefing and been told by the unit commander or intel weenies that the enemy didn’t even have weapons and the battle would be a cinch! BUT it wasn’t true then and it sure isn’t true for us in spiritual warfare. There WILL be onslaughts by the devil. He WILL try any and all means to destroy not only us but those outside of Christ. He wants nothing but the total destruction of God’s creation. A sidenote: he seems to be doing a very good job lately wouldn’t you say? Wars and rumors of war; pestilence, famine and disease; all manner of sin being declared as now normal and permissable; the wholesale slaughter of babies and calling it pro-choice. I could go on for a lot longer on that list of what he has influenced humans to do for him.

Our heritage in Him, the verse says, is that even our righteousness – our close relation with Him is promised. He already won the war when He rose from the dead and conquered sin and death. Now it is merely a mop up. Satan knows he is defeated and so he desires to “not go down alone”. Do you want to join him???? NO!!! If you aren’t in Christ already, bow, confess to Him your sinfulness, ask His forgiveness and be made new again in Christ Jesus. If you are already a believer, then stand…I say STAND on the battlelines and be confident; for NOT ONE SINGLE WEAPON (trick, deception etc.) that Satan tries to use will prosper! Put on the WHOLE armor of God and stand….for behind you are many more ready to engage in spiritual warfare to give those not yet in Christ a few more days/months whatever, to come to Him and be saved from the wrath that will descend to destroy all that is evil. Thanks again for your prayers and support.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE 5 “A’S” OF THE SPIRITUAL WARRIOR

I will leave this picture both as the first thing you see as well as this big! We NEED this reminder.

For some of us,AA was something we went through. Some of you American readers belong to the AAA. If, you as a reader, are a TRUE follower of Jesus-Yeshua the Messiah, you ARE a warrior. You may be a mild mannered kindergarten teacher. You may work in retail or as a labourer. You may even be in some form of Christian ministry. ALL of us are Warriors though! The Bible is full of blatant as well as lower key statements of the people of God being called as Warriors. Warriors have a code. Warriors are selected and equipped…..and Warriors do battle! Listen up buttercup!! There are NO armchair, sidelined, back field temporary soldiers!!!

I want to spend a bit of time talking about the code –  the 5 A’s. Before even becoming a warrior -a soldier of Yeshua, there MUST be the first A: 1.ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.   Long ago, when I was a boy , a knight would take a knee and with sword laid horizontally across outstretched arms before the King, would surrender their all and offer their life, their pursuits and their weapon for the King. They acknowledge their King as their Sovereign. They acknowledge that they were at the King’s disposal and to be used for his goals and plans. Today, you and I come to Jesus Christ, acknowledging that we are sinners. We failed the King and we had a death sentence hanging over our heads. Like the lyrics in Gordon Mote’s song “Mercy Walked In”, before the sentence is even passed, Jesus, the Saviour steps in and offers Himself in our place! We acknowledge that He DID die for us. He DID rise again to conquer sin and death. Now, allow me to digress for one quick moment. We believe that last line do we not?…that He conquered sin and death? We read it in the Bible, therefore it IS true. With that acknowledgement firmly fixed in our minds, we are given our assignments. Each warrior in the body of Christ, upon accepting Jesus as Saviour and Lord, is given a gift or gifts from the indwelling Holy Spirit. Some teach, some proclaim the Good News in evangelism. Some are prophetic and some have the gift of helps. Some mighty powerful ones are those who are the prayer warriors – the intercessory gift. Whatever your assignment…remember this: YOU signed on! YOU accepted Him as King, therefore DO YOUR DUTY! Use that gift! Use it every minute that He gives you breath!

 

Romans 6:8-10New King James Version (NKJV)

⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,⁹ knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. ¹⁰ For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

So then, understand this: We are fighting only a “mop up” operation! The victory is ALREADY there!! SO GET WITH THE PROGRAM!!

Most believers live such defeated lives!  Okay, now back to our regularly scheduled program! lol.  With the victory over sin and death and our acknowledgement of both our sin and need of a Saviour, we ask Him to cleanse us and make us new in Him. We acknowledge His Sovereignty, but we also acknowledge our servitude. Take the time today to assure that your servanthood is self acknowledged!

2. ASSESSMENT     We have all had our assessment by Him! We were guilty but He paid the price. There is also the requirement for a Warrior to assess. We are to examine ourselves, or assess.

2 Corinthians 13:5  English Standard Version (ESV) 5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

2 Peter 1:10-11

2 Peter 1:10-11   English Standard Version (ESV) 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The same as before I went out on any patrol or entered the battlefield, I checked my equipment, I checked my alertness and I checked my attitude —at the door!; the same self assessment is needed daily. Am I walking close to Him? Do I have a clear line of communication every minute with Him? How is my “armor”? If so, then a simple prayer of “Lord, let me STAND” and we are ready to go! AND GO WE MUST!! The days are getting more evil people and we need to be assured in Him that we will stand. Too many are getting sucked away from their assignment by the cares of the world; by trying to compromise; by moving away from their assignment and trying to do another. NEWSFLASH!!!! If you are called to be a teacher, do NOT try and be the janitor! If you are called to deliverance or prophetic warnings, do not try and preach or teach! Granted, in the way we conduct ourselves among those who don’t know Christ, our whole life is a witnessing sermon. That is a different thing. STAY THE COURSE that you were called to.

3. ALERTNESS The third ‘A’ of the Warrior code is key in these last days. When a soldier in the military goes out on a recce (reconnaisance) mission, the need to be alert for ALL possible danger is paramount! You can have all the gear, all the training and all the drive you want; your weapon can be ready and your will is strong….only to walk right into an ambush! Why? because you weren’t alert! Look around at a good percentage of “churches” today. Watch how many who proclaim that Jesus is Lord, live. They get sabotaged or ambushed by even the smallest temptation. I am seeing the line blurred by once solid public teachers of the faith. I am seeing warriors mix a little of this and a little of that into their assignment until they are compromised. We are warned in the Bible about being alert! 

1 Peter 5:8Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

⁸ Stay sober, stay alert! Your enemy, the Adversary, stalks about like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Watch around you on your “patrols” for Him. Do not let ANY entanglement-family, friends, money, employment, dreams, politics or ANYTHING distract you. We seem to have forgotten that Jesus was absolutely , categorically, adamant that NO ONE who puts their hand to the plow and turns back will be fit for the Kingdom.

Luke 9:62Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

⁶² To him Yeshua said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and keeps looking back is fit to serve in the Kingdom of God.”

 Now remember, I didn’t say this. Billy Graham didn’t pen this truth..NO!! Yeshua! Jesus our Lord, said this! (psst it might be wise to follow it!!) Always be alert. Cover each others’ six..their back. Watch and above all PRAY. Pray for situational awareness. Pray for discernment. Pray for each other!!

 4. ATTITUDE When we have done these, there comes as a gift from Him a new attitude! We no longer trudge along with fear and trepidation. We don’t take our faith and our calling with a huge dose of apathy! We are VALIANT. We are COMMITTED and we are TRUE. Paul tells us a bit about attitude doesn’t he? Check this passage out:

Philippians 2:5-11New Living Translation (NLT)

⁵ You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

⁶ Though he was God,
    he did not think of equality with God
    as something to cling to.
⁷ Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
    he took the humble position of a slave
    and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
⁸     he humbled himself in obedience to God
    and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

⁹ Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
    and gave him the name above all other names,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

What an intriguing paradox! We are to be humble, we are to see ourselves as servants – yet we are Warriors! Kind of goes along with another paradox in the Bible. We are a bondservant of Jesus Christ, yet, we are joint heirs with Jesus! We are servants and yet we are royalty!  When a soldier goes out on patrol and has a cocky “I’m the best” attitude, bad things happen. Yes, as believers we are to take the authority that we have in Christ…STOP!…go back…read that again.. WE HAVE AUTHORITY!!  because of Christ Jesus. Demons MUST flee when we declare His power through us! The sick can be HEALED in His authority. Jesus promised that “greater works than HE” we would do! So, um, I have to ask. Where are the results of that authority? Why aren’t we seeing more “greater works”? I submit to you that the biggest stop sign to that is right at the start of this post. Are we DAILY acknowledging our need to be cleansed? Do we fall DAILY at His feet and confess our sin? WE DON’T SEE REPENTANCE PREACHED AND THEREFORE WE DON’T LIVE IT!! Hence, no authority and no victories over sins’ affect on people. 

5. ACTION       Finally, when a Warrior has lived in the power and truth of the first 4 A’s of the code, THEN and only then will we see action. I didn’t get to go out on patrol after 3 weeks of training. I wasn’t selected for my specialty because I asked. ALL of the prep and all of the training that we go through as believers is for one reason: TO BE READY! WHEN we acknowledge His Sovereignty; WHEN we have had both His assessment and our own self assessment; WHEN we practice alertness and WHEN we have the same attitude that was in Christ Jesus, THEN we are ready every single moment of every single day to be HIS Warriors and ACT on the promises of God. THEN we will be placed in the front lines -where we are needed so badly – to fight for the lives of those who will perish lest we bring the truth of salvation; to train up and disciple new “recruits” for Jesus and to encourage, support and build up our fellow Warriors.  

Please take note: Jesus only accepts the penitent of heart, the ones who esteem others before self, the forgiven and the redeemed. No “actors” need apply. No part time week-end Warriors need apply.  The days are short, the time is now and the need is TODAY. Even while you read this, countless people stepped into a Christless eternity. Now, people, now. When all is said and done, we want to be able to say with Paul: