"Before we talk about Warrior training for a man, it might be good to first address raising the lost Warrior in a man, resurrecting him... it might be best for a man to go back to those times and places in his own story when the Warrior was wounded. Invite Christ to take you there, and speak, and bring the healing you need. Some of you just need to live as the Beloved Son for a while, and then experience your initiation as a Cowboy. Then you can enter the Warrior stage."
I think this is a crucial step in the masculine journey for many of us. These stages cannot be skipped, they build on each other. Everyone boy has the Warrior hardwired into him, but sadly and far too often, somewhere along the journey the warrior is fatally wounded, and goes into hiding. I lost a varsity spot on the wrestling team in a wrestle off that shouldn't have happened. In churches, I've tried to change the world, and been shut down by leadership and people. How many young warriors has this happened too? We have passion to change the world and believe we can, but then we find many in the world really don't want to change and with no king to follow the fire is smothered.
Some don't even get to begin the journey. For one reason or another they are never given the security and freedom to be the Beloved Son. Without this key foundation it is impossible to move forward and find the initiation into Cowboy and then Warrior stages. Some are robbed of the early stage and it is cut short, forcing them to grow into a role they are not ready for.
In this it is crucial for us to remember that God wants to father us. He'll take us back to the places we missed or were robbed of. He'll bring healing to the wounded areas and initiate us properly. He'll love and affirm us as His Beloved Sons. He'll challenge us as Cowboys. And when the time is right, He'll call out the Warrior.
"How does God raise the Warrior in a man? Hardship. Something in you knows it's true. I think this is where we have most misinterpreted what God is up to in our lives. As long as we are committed to the path of least resistance, to making our lives comfortable, trial and tribulation will feel unkind. But, if we are looking for a dojo in which to train as a Warrior, well then - this is the real deal. What better means than hardship? What better way to train a Warrior than by putting a man in situation after situation where he must fight?"
As I read that my mind went to ancient Sparta. Spartan boys were taken from their mothers at the age of seven and brought into the Agoge. Here they were molded into the greatest soldiers of the ancient world. Here they became Spartans. They were given very little food which encouraged them to steal, and there was only punishment when they were caught. The punishment wasn't for stealing, but for getting caught. The hunger prepared them for war when food was short. As they grew they engaged in full contact weapons training. Some died, but it was all part of their training, your brothers are going to die in battle, get used to it. They were beaten so that they learned to ignore pain. And it was from this that Spartans were formed. This is how warriors were made, through hardship and hands on, in the field training.
Our Warrior training doesn't fall into the same physical extremes, but it is crucial that we come to grips with the fact that we will face hardships. "You will be tested. Like Jesus' desert trial, the enemy comes, probing the perimeter. He knows your story, knows where the weak spots are. But this is our training... This is how we develop a resolute heart. We make no agreements with whatever the temptation or accusation is. We repent the moment we do stumble, repent quickly, so that we don't get hammered. We pray for strength from the Spirit of God in us. We directly - and this is the one thing so many men fail to do - we directly resist the enemy, out loud, as Jesus did in the desert. We quote Scripture against him. We command him to flee."
We are part of an Epic Story, and we're called to the battlefield. We begin the journey as Beloved Sons, who know who our Father is, and know that we are loved and treasured by Him. We grow and begin to discover our strength. We adventure to conquer our fear and push our limits. We work to develop discipline and perseverance. And then the time comes for us to take the lessons we've learned, the courage and conviction we've developed, out to the front lines and stand our ground for the Kingdom.
This isn't something that is done passively or unintentionally. This is a deliberate choice we make. Let the Warrior arise.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
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