Special forces
Knowing our enemy is essential to winning battles and wars. This leads us into an important lesson: combining the physical for the sake of the spiritual.
When you combine the physical for the sake of the spiritual, the spiritual becomes that much stronger.
Yes, there were instances where people marched and circled Jericho and after 7 times, watched the walls tumble. Hebrews 11:30: “by faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people marched around them for seven days.” Another instance of combining the physical for the sake of the spiritual comes to mind as well. It was when men held up Moses’ arms to defeat the Amalekites.
Exodus 17:8-16 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.” So, Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up – one on one side, one on the other – so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
It was a physical battle, but through Moses’s faith, as well as through combining the physical raising of his hands for the sake of the spiritual, they received victory.
But the supreme example of combining the physical for the sake of the spiritual is Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
Colossians 1:13-20 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rules or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, my making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
So, how do we, who have received the gift of eternal life, live a more victorious physical life on this earth? It’s a circular thing; it works both ways. We are to combine the physical for the sake of the spiritual, and we are to combine the spiritual for the sake of the physical like a never ending circle. Live your life then, not as if you are two separate parts (physical and spiritual), but as if you are ONE. This is why Jesus reconciled both for us on the cross. Seek the Lord, always, and you will begin to sense His Special Force rise up in you and work through you.
Each branch of the military has a special forces unit. The Army has the Green Berets, and Delta Air Borne Rangers, the Navy has the Seals, the Air Force has Special Ops, and the Marines has Recon Units (to name a few). My point is that a Warrior in God’s Army has the potential to reach a higher level of alertness and preparedness as soon as he or she taps into the Savior’s Special Force within. It comes after being in the Word, studying it and LIVING IT! It starts to become part of the core of one’s fibers; your faith becomes bigger than your fears. You are more keen to your enemy, understanding that little battles come only to wear you down before the Nuke attack, but you’re ready, unshaken, because you understand the big picture. Yes, there are battles and wars that you see with your physical eyes, but you are steadfast because you have learned to combine the spiritual for the sake of the physical and the physical for the sake of the spiritual. You look to Jesus for strength and follows His example realizing that you are a Special Forces Warrior now, fully armored, equipped in the Word, and nourished in the fruit of the Sprit.
The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name.
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.
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.