The Code of the Warrior of God (Part 4)

To follow the flow of my thoughts: For part 1, click here, part 2 here and part 3 here.

Presence
Power

Finally, we come to prowess.

These three mark the code of the warrior of God.

Prowess, either as a natural or supernatural trait, or in simple obedience to God by faith, is an absolute necessity for the warrior of God. Nimrod's exploits assumed boldness. It is also implied that Abram and his "trained men" were brave, going to battle against kings when they were greatly outnumbered.  God specifically commanded Joshua numerous times to be "strong and very courageous."  Gideon was encouraged to be courageous, and given a glimpse into the minds of his enemies to further embolden him.

It is very encouraging to me that God commands strength and courage.  This shows me that I can simply choose to be strong and fearless, and that God will back this fearlessness.  In fact, He promises to back what He commands by giving His Spirit, as it is written, 

"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you."  Acts 1:8

The Lord Jesus and His apostles were especially powerful and bold, to the extent that the boldness of the apostles was noted by their enemies: 

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13

What does all of this have to do with you and me?  We are not at war or on a battle field of enemies, are we?  

The Bible assumes spiritual warfare as our reality.

Think of this spiritually, soulically, and physically.

The Bible says, "Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you."

We see that through faith in Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior, we have the very same Holy Spirit with us that warriors of God in days of old had with them.  The difference is this:  The Spirit of God remains in believers of Christ now and forever!  He doesn't just come upon us temporarily to empower us, as He did with Kings, Priests, Prophets, and Warriors in the Old Testament.  I have the very same Holy Spirit in me that Joshua and David had with them.  

With His presence we have his power, or ability, and divinely given bravery.  But who, or what, are our enemies?  Spiritally, the devil and demons and deceptions and temptations are our enemies.  We must possess the presence of God to fill and fulfill us, so that the tempations and deceptions of Satan pail in comparison.  We must be brave to resist such a treacherous and ferocious enemy, a powerful liar and murderer, sadistic unmerciful and cruel.  To resist and oppose him will invite the retaliation of Satan.  So be it, says God's warrior, filled with God's presence and God's power.

Our enemies attack our souls, our minds, emotions, and free decisions.  We must resist manipulations, seductions, and dominations.   There is war against our spirits for our souls.

Our enemies attack our bodies, seeking to weaken us, sicken us, and kill us.  Whether through stress, disease, or literal physical attacks, we possess a duty to honor God with our bodies, and thus resist attacks upon us physically.

We have everything we need for invincibility and perfect victory.  We possess the presence, power, and prowess of the one true God who is a warrior!

If you are a believer in Christ and a child of God, then God says these words to you now:

"The Lord is with you mighty warrior!"

how much faith is enough?

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”  He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.  Luke 17:5-6

it seems like they had enough faith, as far as the Lord was concerned.  yes, he at times marveled at the "great faith" of some who trusted him, and rebuked the "little faith" of those who didn't; he even outright denounced the "faithless generation" that sought signs and wonders instead of trusting the signs he already performed.

yet he said that the smallest amount of faith could move mountains.

how much faith is enough, and how do we know we have it?
 

 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  Hebrews 11:1 

so, do i have the smallest sureness of what i hope for, and the smallest certainty of what i do not see?  i want my children to be healed of sickness, for example.  this is what i hope for:  healing.  this is what i do not yet see:  perfect health.  how can i be sure that my children will be healed, and certain of their healing before i see it?

the verse assumes a promise, a surety, a legal guarantee from God.  like when i paid first and last months rent, and gave the land lord a security deposit, so God gives us a "security deposit," the Holy Spirit, as Paul said to the Ephesian Christians.  So, as Paul said, if God would not spare His Son, or His Spirit, and if God would give us His Son while we were His enemies, will He spare us anything else that is good and of far less value?

Of this I am sure and certain:  God is love, and God is good.  I know that God is full of compassion and great in mercy.  Jesus promised this:  Ask, and it will be given.  Seek, and you will find.  Knock, and the door will be opened.  He said if evil human fathers can give good gifts to their children when they ask, how much more will the perfectly good heavenly Father give good gifts, and His Holy Spirit, to His children when they ask?  now that i am a father, i have a deeper understanding of this verse.  i know without doubt i am an imperfect father, yet i can say with all honesty that i have not knowingly withheld ANYTHING good from my children when they've asked.  i give them whatever they need or want that is good when they ask.  if i can comfort them or help them, i do it without hesitation.  i am certain that God is infinitely better and has more power than i do.

Therefore, I am sure of what I hope for and certain of what I do not see:  That God will heal my family, and that the devil will flee from me.

how much faith is enough, and how do i know i have enough faith?
the smallest amount of sureness in God's goodness is enough.  i know that i have it, because i can't live without it.

 

What Jesus Wants Me TO DO (PART 3)

standards.

by what standards can i know i am indeed following the Spirit, the real Spirit of the real God?

personality and ability

an ambassador of the Lord Jesus named paul said the Spirit's personality is loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled.  paul said you can't be too much of any of these.  it is written in the scriptures, and was said by the Lord Jesus, "let everything be established by two or three witnesses."

two or three.

so i feel that i don't necessarily have to focus on all 9 personality traits of the Spirit.  i can focus on two...or three.  so i focus on self-control manifest in gentleness.  i focus on this because i struggle with harshness, which is not a personality trait of the Spirit.  i know from paul that to live in agreement with the Spirit, or to follow the Spirit, i must focus my mind on what the Spirit desires.  i know he desires gentleness.  and i can know that if i focus my mind on this, on gentleness, then the Spirit is focusing on this with me; that we agree.  as it is written, "how can two walk together unless they agree?"  so, if i agree with the Spirit, He agrees with me and will walk with me.

by the Spirit's personality expressed in me and through me, i can know that i am indeed with Him.

i also know by the Spirit's abilities in me that he is with me.  in a word:  POWER!

by definition, supernatural power.  going back to personality, the scriptures speak of God's "eternal power and diving nature."  so His personality is a divine personality.  he's not just a nice person, he is a divinely nice person.  in other words the nine personality traits must be DIVINELY experienced and expressed.  it's not just love, joy, and peace, but GOD'S love, joy, and peace.

and it's not just power, but ETERNAL power!  supernatural power.

something behind my words should be powerful, supernaturally powerful.  it shouldn't just be intelligence, or emotionally compelling tones, or a strong relentless human will.  i should know things that only God can reveal, i should create feelings that are beyond what you see, hear, taste, touch, and smell.  and my words should be as irresistible and irrefutable as the very words of God would be if he were writing this blog.

divine personality and supernatural ability

these two prove to you that God is in me, that you are ENCOUNTERING GOD IN ME.

nothing less than these two
settle for nothing less if i claim to speak from God.
settle for nothing less if anyone else makes the same claim.

What DID Jesus DO? (Part 2)

Alright.
So we're not in Galilee.
How do we apply the last post?

I'm an officer.  As a God appointed governing authority (see Romans 13) I demonstrate the authority of Christ Jesus in heaven and on earth, a spiritual/supernatural authority as well as physical/natural authority. Whenever I enforce the laws of the land that agree with the laws of God, I manifest the fear of the Lord on earth, and bring about order on earth as there is in heaven.  I "bind" demons to silence, inactivity, and absence, destroying the works of the devil--the works of lawlessness, chaos, and rebellion.  I experience the power of the presence of God by the Spirit's power.

A teacher would experience the authority of THE TEACHER.  It was said that Jesus taught with authority, an authority that astonished and amazed those who heard; an authority that even struck fear in those who challenged them, silencing them in shame.  So it should be with the believer who is a teacher, whatever he teaches, whatever instructions she gives.

A homeschooling mother proclaims the good news to her children, teaching them the ways of the kingdom, manifest in her children's relationships to each other, their father, and their mother.  If any of them are sick, she lays hands on them and heals them, just as Jesus did, and would do, in the same situation.  And if, God forbid, her kids are attacked by demons, she casts them out with calm authority, and they leave at her word.

A mail carrier becomes God's messenger, and when he speaks with neighbors that meet him in his deliveries, he heralds the good news of God's kingdom, a heavenly mail carrier, if you will.  If any need prayer, healing, or deliverance, and sense The Healer with her, the mail carrier prays as she is asked or sought out, and those who receive their mail also receive Christ the healer in the mail carrier.

Wherever the believer goes, the Spirit of God goes with him.  Wherever the believer goes, the power of God goes with her.  The presence of God, which is the kingdom of God, has indeed come to earth, and is experienced in Spirit filled, Spirit lead followers of Christ!

A believer who sees an accident on the road can stop and heal the ones in the accident.  When the paramedics come, they will find no one in need of medical attention.

A security guard can silently cast out a demon when encountering a violent person, and then skillfully subdue the criminal physically. 

The power of God is univeral and all applicable. 

In whatever situation you find yourself in, you possess power and the Spirit if you believe in Christ the Lord.

He is the same yesterday today and forever.  He is in you if you believe. Therefore, do what He would do in the same situation.  If someone is sick, in His name, heal them.  If someone suffers mental torments, in His name, cast out the demons, the source of the mental oppression.  If someone is down, in the name of Jesus, preach the good news.  If someone is confused, in Christ's name, teach the principles of the kingdom.

Do what Jesus did.
Do what He would do.

GOD FIGHTS (PART 3)

"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." 

Exodus 14:14

God fights for His people.

God fights through His people.

The people of God are warriors, strong in the Lord and the power of His might.

God armed them, making them dangerous with invincible armor and a double edged sword.

They are impenetrable and immovable.

Touch them and suffer consequences dire!

Called more than overcomers, more than conquerors, more than victors, God's people possess spirits of power, spirits of love, and sound minds.  They follow the example of their Lord, who silenced the mouths of enemies and kings; who told His followers that His Spirit gives irresistable and irrefutable words. 

End the madness of God's children who weaken their words as though weakness is love!

The God who is love is a consuming fire!  Thus the love of God warms and burns!

God's children overcome evil with good, unmercifulness wtih mercy, injustice with justice.  Take them lightly to your own harm, for the word of the Lord is on their tongues!  That word which is a double edged sword is theirs!  Beware!  Be enlightened!  Reject the deception that they have no weapons!!  Their weapons come from heaven and are made by the hands of GOD!

Children of God, all who read, heed the words of your brother:

You are warriors, sons and daughters of God, The Invincible Warrior!  Your words are swords. Your faith is an impenetrable invincible shield.  Wield the truth that is Christ, that is your life, without fear.  Love good.  Hate evil.  Accept good, reject evil--expose and eradicate the works of the devil!!!

God fights for you!

God fights through you!

GOD FIGHTS (PART 2)

"Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle."

Psalms 24:8

God not only fights.

GOD FIGHTS WELL!

And by God I mean THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE SPIRIT. 

Enough of the foolishness that makes GOD THE  FATHER THE MEAN GOD, and Jesus meek and mild, with the Spirit meeker and milder.

Hear all who read, the LORD our God, the LORD is ONE.

God cannot be mocked, defeated, played, or annoyed.

Who is this King of glory?

Who is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah?

Who is the Spirit who will not forgive blasphemy against Him?

GOD FIGHTS

"The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name."

Exodus 15:3 NIV

Those who fight God, God fights.  

God wins!

Conquering all opposition.

God alone invincible.

As it is written, "Do not be deceived:  God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.." Galations 6:7

No one opposes God and comes out unscathed or unharmed.

Those who refuse to change their ways, Jesus fights with the sword of His mouth! This double edged sword pierces so sharply that it divides the spirit from the soul.  This is the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, words of truth.

Truth cuts, stabs, pierces, and dissects.  For those who lie, the truth hurts.  For those who need healing, the surgery of truth removes cancers of falsehood. 

According to the scriptures, God enjoys exercising lovingkindness, justice, judgement, and righteousness in all of the earth.  He is indeed the just judge, angry with the wicked every day, as it is written. 



Can man and woman enjoy rebellion and think the LORD does nothing?

As it is written, "Vengeance is mine.  I will repay," says the LORD.