What does it mean to be a mighty warrior? What does it take? In the Old Testament, God gives us a perfect example . In the book of 2 Samuel , David is recorded as saying this:
2 Samuel 23:15 And David said wistfully, “Oh, if only someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem . You know the one I'm talking about, the one by the gate!”
King David didn't order anyone to get him a drink of water. He was just thinking out loud. But three of his men heard him.
Chief among the three was Josheb-basshe beth. He had lifted his spear against 800 enemy warriors and killed them all in one battle. Next was Eleazar. He had defied the Philistines to their face, and when he was alone by himself he attacked them! He fought with them until his hand was cramped around his sword and he couldn't turn it loose. The Bible says the Lord brought a great victory to Israel that day. Then there was Shammah. While the rest of the army of Israel ran away from the advancing Philistine army, Shammah stood his ground in a field of lentils to defend it. As the Philistines fell on him he stood in the center of the field alone. He fought the Philistines by himself, but the Word records that God brought about a great victory that day.
The Bible says they “broke through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem , that was by the gate” .
As quietly as they went out, they returned. They come before their king without fanfare and extend the vessel for him to drink. It's no big deal; they just got him a drink. But King David was not a fool. He could see the haggard look on their faces. He could smell the death and battle that clung to their clothing like a medal of valor – and his soul was gripped with remorse as his flippant words rushed back to him. His heart exploded with gratitude and humility at the devotion of these warriors who faced certain death, yet stood before him.
And he cried out, “There is no way, O Lord, that I could drink this! This is the blood of my men who threw their lives away! And for what! For what! So I could have a drink of water?” And he wouldn't drink it. He poured it out on the ground as an offering before God.
What does it mean to be a mighty warrior? What does it take?
The actions of these three men show us. How could they risk their lives for a drink of water? What value did these men place on their lives? Did they have aspirations for their careers? Did they hope to live to a ripe old age, and surrounded by their grandchildren and great grandchildren, recount the days when they served the king? Perhaps, the Bible doesn't say. But what we know for sure is this: No matter what value they placed on their own lives, it wasn't as important as a drink of water for their God's anointed king.
Out of all the millions of souls who have lived on this planet, how many of us have accomplished anything by living that would rate an honorable mention in the Bible?
The Spirit of the Living God is at work in our world today. He wants to save the lost but He's got a big problem - and it's not the lost! The lost can struggle, be ineffective, be uninterested, kill time and have no power to protect themselves from evil, all on their own without us. They don't need to join us and then be expected to invest ten percent of their income for the privilege!
We, as individual Believers, and members of the Body of Christ, through the course of time, the erosion of doctrine and the deception of the Evil One, have become guilty of perhaps the most insidious sin ever to fall on mankind. I'm convinced it's worse than any sin the godless are capable of committing. We blissfully ignore all of the warnings in the Holy Scriptures so we can remain guilty! In the eyes of the lost, we're no better than they are. In fact, they feel a certain moral superiority over “Christians” because at least, as unbelievers, they aren't hypocrites!
Fellow Believer it's time to die. It's time to die to everything we hold dear, all of our dreams, all of our aspirations, all of our selfishness, all of the things we hold back from God. It's time to die because until we do, we can't live for God's Anointed King. When we live for Christ alone, we will realize that nothing in life we've held onto compares to a single moment living to serve Christ. When we count our lives already lost, we can live to serve God's Anointed King. And because we are already dead, and live only to serve The King, it will be living that we accomplish.
This was revealed through other Mighty Warriors of Valor in the Bible as well. The Apostles knew it. Paul wrote about it.
Acts 20:24 But none of those things move me, neither do I count my life dear to me. Without the burden of dragging my life along, I can accomplish God's purposes for me with joy, and the ministry assigned to me by the Lord Jesus which is: To live for Christ and spread the good news of the grace of God.
Philippians 3:7-10 But everything I have gained in this life, I count as lost for Christ. Without hesitation, I count all things lost for the vast richness and fullness of knowing The Anointed One of God, Jesus, my Lord. I have let go of all things and consider them to be garbage, because I can reach out and embrace Christ. I do this so my life would be yielded to His will. So I would not rely on my own goodness, obtained by obeying the law, but trust in The Anointed One of God and His righteousness. God grants this reconciliation to me through faith in His Son. For this reason I can associate and identify myself with Jesus and the power released in His resurrection. I can share in His suffering, being obedient to relinquish control of my own life. For this reason I am dead to my own desires, raised from the dead to live to serve God's Anointed One.
Paul had become a Mighty Warrior of Valor. He counted his own life as lost. He didn't give up his life just to die. He gave up his life so he would be free to live for God.
It's time to die! It's time to throw off the raggedy old life of death we've wrapped ourselves in. It's time to discover that true life is living for God's Anointed King. It's time to step into what God has desired for us from the beginning. It's time to become Mighty Warriors of Valor, achieving supernatural exploits for our King. God never intended for the Body of Christ to be a 98-pound weakling! God intended for us to live victorious lives. God intended for the joy and love and power of our lives to convict the lost of their sins just by being in our presence!
Deuteronomy 14:2 Certainly you are a sacred people set apart for Jehovah, the Lord your God. Jehovah has chosen you to break apart from the crowd and be a special treasure gathered to Him; set apart with whosoever would gather together as a troop, employed in battle, arrayed against the earth.
It is no accident you are hearing this message today. God is calling together a mighty Army, not to war against the lost, but to fight for the lost. He is calling on you.
Rise up Mighty Warriors of Valor! |
