Knowing your place
It’s important that Warriors in God’s Kingdom know their place: with Jesus as their Leader. If you think about a cute little 2-year-old, they don’t realize that they should stay next to their parents while crossing the street, and sometimes they are simply carried across because it’s a busy road.
So too is the case with us. As Warriors, we don’t just run around like chickens with our heads cut off (though as parents we feel like that a lot), we seek God before stepping out to cross streets. The enemy tries to get us to think that we must cross this road, that road, that path, that street, and this one, and that one, and on and on. He is the father of lies and he loves to confuse us. As Warriors, however, we know that we are to seek God and ask for His leadership in our lives for His wisdom, insight, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
God gives us certain battles that we know are ours. We are to approach those battles with everything we’ve learned in His Word. (Moms and Wives, I invite you to read The Warrior Mom and Warrior Wife Handbooks as well). We must remember, however, that ALL battles have not been assigned to us. Arrogant soldiers don’t last very long in battles, and when we become spiritually arrogant (not meaning to - of course) and think that this battle is ours, and that battle is ours and on and on, we lose our focus, we forget the mission, and we lose. And so, let us remember to only cross the streets Jesus asks us to cross (knowing that sometimes He will pick us up and carry us across when needed), remembering also that He will ask us to cross streets that we really don’t feel brave enough, trained enough, or tough enough to cross. Fortunately, He is going with us anyway so we go forth because we know that the battle is the Lord’s anyway. He’s just asking us to partake in “this one.”
Chapter 14 in The Warrior Mom Handbook provides a skit of 2 ladies who are discussing this topic. It is such an important lesson to learn. As Warriors, we must be wise so that we don’t walk right into an ambush, taking innocent people with us. In Ephesians 6:10 the Armor of God is laid out for us. At the end of the discussion of the armor, verse 18 reads, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for the saints.”
Being alert is essential! When I went to boot camp, I started learning the basics. I guess that’s why it’s called basic training. One of the things I learned was that I had to be smart, use common sense, and be prepared for whatever may await me ahead. A soldier only learns to do this by falling over simple traps a few times which brings to surface the realization that they need to be more alert - at ALL times. Soldiers who aren’t alert at all times in battle are more prone to losing their lives (and the lives of those around them).
Being a soldier in God’s Army requires that we know the basics as well, but more importantly that we remain alert. Warriors, wear the armor proud. You are a Warrior now. More importantly, wear it wisely as you operate under the premise that even the battles that God assigns you to - are HIS ANYWAY. For the battle is the Lord’s.
1 Samuel 17:47
The Lord is a warrior.
Exodus 15:3
Kristina Seymour loves to encourage and equip women through the Word and through community. She is the author of The Warrior Mom Handbook, The Warrior Mom Leadership Manual, and The Warrior Wife Handbook; they are available at Amazon.com. Kristina's Bible studies are for women who desire to live by faith in the midst of their everyday lives. She has learned that women can't survive on caffeine and animal crackers alone; women in the Word and in community are united and able to stand firm. To learn more about Kristina, please visit her website, https://kristinaseymour.com/. God loves to share His story of love and grace through us all, and Kristina believes that everyone has a story to tell.