The warrior

"I'll tell you when I shoot you."  "I will let you know when I stab you."  " O.K. Now come alive!" - these are the comments I hear as I listen to my six-year-old play with the neighbor boys.

There was a time I would have been horrified, embarrassed, and come completely undone to think that my child, my son would actually play like this.  Well, 13 years and two boys later ---- boys play like this.  It does not matter whether you allow guns in your home or not, or what your stance is on the 2nd amendment. Little and big boys will turn anything into a gun.  Did I mention that my 13-year-old son was in the basement playing some shooting wii game with a friend at the same time?

No, I have not thrown in the towel and no, I do not condone needless violence, but what I believe God has shown me over the years is...... the warrior is a child, or more accurately, the child is a warrior.   Inside these two boys of mine are very strong warriors.  As a mom (and a girl) it is a little hard for me to understand this level of activity.  The noise level can become unbearable and there are always the tears at the end of a battle that didn't go so well.

God is training me to train warriors.  I can choose to stand in the battle and prepare my sons for the physical and spiritual battles that will come, or I can continue to tell them to put down the weapons and not act on the gifts and talents that God has given them.

Throughout the Bible we see countless examples of warriors, the need for battle and the glory that comes when we battle in the name of the Lord.  I can work to understand what God is showing me and train them or I can give into the pacifist mantra of present society that demands, can't we all just get along.

I believe in today's society we are lulled into the belief that if there is no conflict then all is well.  If we read closely, the Word, which is given to us, we see that is not really the case.  I must as a mother who desires to raise strong Godly sons/men impress upon them the need to understand what it is to battle and to transfer those physical skills into the spiritual reality.  I think in today's church society we have a hard time getting down and dirty with the ugly reality of the battle (sin). We have been sold the lie that all is well if you show up on Sunday morning. We are losing our sons to the world that allows them to be strong, encourages them to be passionate and follow their hunter-gatherer instincts.  While in church pews we ask them to sit still and be quite.

I see it in my 13 year old - he is screaming let me be RAW, let me adventurous, let me be aggressive.  I must seek God to know the best way to train him to be all these things in a way that will glorify God.  I must not squelch this warrior spirit in him; I must guide it to be a warrior for Christ.  If I tried to stomp it out I am convinced that it will rise again but will more likely than not come out in a way that will not glorify God.  If I can step outside my "girlyness" and find ways that encourage my sons to be passionate about the world that God created - to revel in this time of training, knowing that there will be a much better day when we will be victorious, I will have accomplished the job of training my sons to be warriors.  To be passionate for the Kingdom, and to desire to stand and fight against the world and its distractions, sin, and rejoice in the life God has given us, is the ultimate goal.

The gospel breaks our train of thought, shatters our comfortable piety, and cracks open our capsule truths. His sentences stand like quivering swords of flame because He did not come to bring peace, but a revolution. The gospel is not a children's fairy tale, but rather a cutting edge, rolling thunder, convulsive earthquake in the world of human spirit. Brennan Manning-

Join me in the training........

Zechariah 10

The Restoration for Judah and Israel

 ¹Ask rain from the LORD in the season of the spring rain, from the LORD who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field.² For the household gods utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; they tell false dreams and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd. ³ "My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the LORD of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them like his majestic steed in battle.⁴From him shall come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler— all of them together.⁵They shall be like mighty men in battle, trampling the foe in the mud of the streets; they shall fight because the LORD is with them, and they shall put to shame the riders on horses. ⁶ "I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back because I have compassion on them, and they shall be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them.⁷Then Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior, and their hearts shall be glad as with wine.Their children shall see it and be glad; their hearts shall rejoice in the LORD.⁸ "I will whistle for them and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall be as many as they were before.⁹ Though I scattered them among the nations, yet in far countries they shall remember me, and with their children they shall live and return.¹⁰I will bring them home from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria, and I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon, till there is no room for them.¹¹ He shall pass through the sea of troubles and strike down the waves of the sea, and all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up. The pride of Assyria shall be laid low, and the scepter of Egypt shall depart.¹² I will make them strong in the LORD, and they shall walk in his name," declares the LORD.

The Armor of God

 ¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸And 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 all the saints. ¹⁹Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.