Warrior Spirit

Isaiah 48:10-11

10 See, I have refined you, though not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.

11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this.
How can I let myself be defamed?
I will not yield my glory to another.

God is the only one who can do the refining, be it in ourselves or in a church as a whole. God will refine through fire as affliction. It's the only way we can grow - for His sake. And for His own sake He will refine. He will not stand for His glory to go to something or someone else.

I loved Joe's post today.

He is right on with it. I personally have been studying being a warrior the past could of months. I've heard it said and have been using it regularly: Christianity is not a playground, it's a battleground. We are called to be warriors for our King. This is a spiritual war we were enlisted to when we decided to follow Christ. If you are truly following Christ it's about more than just learning from Him, it's following our General's commands.

Every warrior has a cause to fight for. Quote from Craig Groeschel: "Until you find the cause in which you are willing to die - you will never truly live." My cause is Christ alone. Philippians 1:21 - For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. I will fight. I will not run from affliction. I will embrace trials for the Glory of God alone. For it is not about me - it's about Christ. I will not hesitate - for "the warrior in battle who hesitates is the most vulnerable warrior of all."

I will trust in the Lord with all my heart - not leaning on my own understanding - fully relying on the work Christ did on the cross for my sins. And because I live under Christ's grace, I will be firm and steadfast. 1 Peter 5:10 - "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." No one else can do that. Only CHRIST.

Yes, there has been a lot of drama going on lately:

Marriages in our church are under serious attack
Kids struggling to gain identity and security in this crazy world
Young people dying tragically and unexpectedly
Financial struggles everywhere
"natural" disasters seem to come on a regular basis
The resignation of a gifted speaking preacher
Gossip and division
Broken trust
Confusion, And this is just in my own church - let alone in my own house.

The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?
When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. (Psalm 27:1-3)

There's a lot of crazy negative things going on around us. But what are we going to be determined for? Like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3 - will you be determined in situations. They determined in advance what their response was going to be -- for God, not Neb's "god" statue of himself. They were thrown into the fire for standing up to the king - but they were saved by the King of Kings. Regardless - their response was determined: vs. 16-18: "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." That's being determined.

Even in the craziness that's going on around us - how will you be determined? What will be your "As for me and my house...." stance? As for me - I will serve the Lord only. Regardless of who's up front. I will take a stand - I will stand in the gap - I will protect - I will not cower - I will not run - I will help advance the Kingdom. Even though I am a woman alone, I will still fight on the front lines in this battle. I will fight beside those who are kindred spirits - we will have each others' backs. I will be armor-bearer to the King only (at least until He may bless me with a husband to fight along side of). Here are a couple of warrior-inspired videos.