"Life will provide a thousand sessions for the raising of the Warrior. Turn your radar on during the day, and intentionally don't take the path of least resistance. Take the road less traveled. If you are the kind of man who just hates any sort of conflict, then walk into some. When an awkward subject comes up at work - or at home - don't run. Move toward it. Ask hard questions. Hold your ground. The phone rings, and you can tell by the caller ID it's someone you don't want to talk to. Pick it up. Engage. That's the key word - engage."
If we want to be Warriors, we have to man up and act like Warriors. Paul said it in 1 Corinthians, "act like men, be strong." At Thermopylae, 300 Spartans faced hundreds of thousands of Persians, and they stood their ground. Less than 200 men defended the Alamo against thousands of Mexicans. Thousands of Allied troops hit the fortified shores of Normandy. You don't become a Warrior by retreating, you do it by getting back up and running the gauntlet again. You become a Warrior by running to the battle, not away from it. It's what you do that defines you.
"There are things we can do intentionally to develop the Warrior... Competition is good, and ought to be a part of every man's life. Adventure also provides many settings for the Warrior to come forth... head into something that will really test you, and you'll see the Warrior emerge. Be decisive. Every time a man makes a hard decision, the Warrior in him is strengthened. Notice those places you are normally passive, and do the opposite. What are you surrendering these days? Go take it back."
Again, this isn't something that happens accidentally, or by random chance. If it's going to happen it has to be intentional. The only way to get better is to push our selves forward. The only way to improve is to keep pushing our limits farther. The more we do, the more we'll realize that we're tougher, and stronger, than we ever thought.
And it's crucial that we prepare ourselves because battle is something we cannot escape. We are born into a world at war, and it is only a matter of time until we are called up to fight. "Eventually we find that we must face our enemy head-on." We have a real enemy, and he is always working to destroy us. He never wanted us to begin this journey, let alone get this far, and he has no intention of sitting by and letting us continue unopposed. We must resist him if we are to continue onward in our journey.
"WE have the example of Jesus in the wilderness as a model for how we must resist Satan (and all foul spirits - for Satan has many subordinate demons working for him). Jesus treats him like a real person (not a human being, but a fallen angel with an intellect and personality). He doesn't treat the temptations and accusations and assault simply as if they are weaknesses within himself; nor does he act as though they will go away if he tries to ignore him. He directly confronts the demon present out loud, with authority, and with Scripture."
As we seek to become like Christ, the enemy will try to take us out, just like he tried to take Christ out. The ultimate point of the wilderness attack was to try and get Jesus to avoid the cross. Satan did everything he could to prevent the will of God from being accomplished, and he failed. Jesus' victory empowered each of us to be victorious. William Barclay said, "The choices Jesus made in the wilderness inevitably meant the cross. But the cross, just as inevitably meant the final victory."
"Jesus triumphed over all foul spirits through his cross (Col. 2.:13-15). All authority in heaven and on this earth is his now (Matt. 28:18). He gives us his authority to overcome foul spirits (Luke 10:19; Eph. 1:18-21)... Jesus models for us in the wilderness trial that first, we make no agreements with it. Give no room in your heart to it. Then, send it away in his name. Your life is the training ground, and when it comes to spiritual warfare, it's all live-ammo training. Take it seriously."
Aragorn tells Theoden, "Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not." And the same is true of us. We are born into war, and so we must be ready. Fortunately, we are made in the image of a warrior God, and therefor Warriors ourselves. We must be intentional and ready for the battle.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
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