Kingdom Warrior
By Butch Dias 07/23/2011
War·ri·or [wawr-ee-er, wawr-yer, wor-ee-er, wor-yer]
–noun
"To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace." General George Washington
Psalm 18:37 KJV: “I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them, neither did I turn again till they were consumed.” 2 Samuel 22:38 “I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; and turned not again until I had consumed them.”
When I read this verse I was so impressed. What a great attitude for a warrior. What an awesome job. What an awesome warrior. I wanted to know his name. I wanted him to be my hero. I wanted to be more like him. It reminded me of Mel Gibson when he played William Wallace in Brave heart. He was a warrior, a man’s man. A great and mighty leader, I wanted to fight right beside him. I would have died for the cause.
Vince Lombardi said, “I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour is that moment when he has worked his heart out on a good cause and he’s exhausted on the field of battle victorious!” This quote reminded of my old football days. We played the game with all our heart and soul. It wasn’t just a game. It was our life. I felt like I had purpose. It felt like I had a destiny. Nothing seemed impossible. It was a great feeling. We were an awesome team that could not be defeated.
Theodore Roosevelt said, The Man in the Arena. “It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who never knew neither victory nor defeat.”
As Kingdom Warriors fighting on the front lines, you are the men & women in the arena. You have a choice to fight, die, or sit in the stands and act like a cheerleader. God has called us to be warriors not cheerleaders. I think about the movie Gladiator. Russell Crowe played the ex-general of the Roman army, Maximus Decimus Meridius. He was betrayed by Commodus the Emperors son, who became the new emperor of Rome after his father’s death and sentenced Maximus to die. Maximus’ family was murdered in cold blood. Maximus escaped and was found unconscious by slave traders and sold. He became a slave made to fight as a gladiator. He was supposed to die in the arena, but he used his tools and his wisdom and became a hero. He made a difference against all odds. He was a true warrior.
David was a mighty warrior, who had a heart after God. As a warrior of God you first have to make sure your heart is right. Are you fighting for the right reasons? What are your motives? What are you fighting for? David like all of us made mistakes, but the difference that made him a mighty man of God was that he was quick to repent and God was quick to forgive. Many religious battles are fought for the wrong reason and with wrong motives. If you choose to fight for the right reasons, all hell will come against you.
David said in Psalm 51: (10-13) “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of my salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.”
A Kingdom Warrior is one that fights for the Kingdom of God. We are all called to be Kingdom Warriors. As Kingdom Warriors we are not just to fight, but take the ground and occupy until our King comes. We are called to make a difference in our sphere of influence. There are two kingdoms on this earth; the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. The war is for the souls here on earth. It is a life and death situation for eternity.
Kingdom Warriors are not only here to fight, but preach, teach, lay hands on the sick, and cast out demons. We are to be ready in season and out of season. Just like the minutemen in the Revolutionary War. They were regular people, like farmers that fought in the militia. They were ready to fight in a minutes’ notice. That’s how they earned their name. We must earn out name by fighting and taking ground for the Kingdom of God.
II Timothy 2: (3&4) says, “Thou therefore endure hardness as a soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
2 Samuel 22:35 says, “He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.”
2 Corinthians 10: (3-4) says, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For our weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.”
God calls us to be soldiers. We are not supposed to let the affairs of the world tie us down, but we are supposed to stand strong and fight, so our commander in chief will be proud.
Matt 11:12 (KJV), “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence and the violent take it by force.”
In Greek Violent means:
Extremely Energetic…
Extremely Zealous…
One who enforces…
Passionate
We must be energetic, zealous, & passionate about the Kingdom of God. This is what will draw people to Him. We have the greatest story about the greatest gift ever given.
Could you imagine Christians getting zeal & passion as some of the sports fans or tailgate or the weekend warriors of football we see on TV? Could you imagine Christians on fire like Gator, or Seminole, Hurricane fans or Dolphins fans? We would have a revival that would rock this world.
We all are in a battle of some kind. Everyone goes into a battle to win. I have never met someone who went into a battle to purposely loose. God gives us everything we need to fight the battle. We need to motivate, to train, and to fight if we want to get our victory. One Navy Seal Motto is, “The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle.”
Our attitudes and our hearts have to be right. The three things that help me keep a good attitude are:
(1.) Don’t doubt.
(2.) Don’t give in.
(3.) Don’t quit.
You are still in the battle if you don’t give up. Our battle is for the kingdom of God. This is our duty. This is our war. We need to be focused on why we are here. The kingdom of God should be our message and our focus. We need to focus on heavenly things not earthly things.
Our attitude us what will take us over the goal line to the ultimate victory. Our attitude will give us a cutting edge. We must have the attitude of a warrior. So many times we miss the victory, because our attitude causes us to doubt, give in, or give up. We have to be aggressive and stand and stay on course. We need to say, “Steady as she goes” until the job is done.
Jesus went all the way and finished the job, when He died on the cross for our sins. He defeated the devil and all the powers of darkness. He finished the job. The Lord is the ultimate warrior.
Exodus 15:3, “The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is His name.”
Exodus 14:14, “The Lord will fight for you and you shall hold your peace.”
The Lord is the ultimate warrior and Commander in Chief of the Kingdom of God and Jesus is His name.
