Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need, says Hebrews 4:16. Spiritual warriors come boldly to God’s throne room, knowing both their own role and his will.
A Christian becomes a spiritual warrior in an instant, singular rite of passage. In that moment, the believer becomes fearless in his approach to God, for he fully understands his nature, fully understands his inmate goodness, and fully appreciates the incredible favor he has towards each of us. After that divine encounter we have to develop the discipline, anointing, and faith to stay at this new level and operate from this dimension. We will make mistakes until we fully gain experience in partnering with God’s sovereignty. Spiritual warriors know that their capacity to approach God and receive mercy will be a distinguishing feature of their walk in the spirit. The affection that God has for us cannot be overcome.
We are welcome in God’s presence – so welcome, in fact, that the Holy Spirit will help us cut a well-worn path into the presence of God. Grace will overwhelm us again and again – usually when we least deserve it.
Every step we take towards God is an offensive act against the enemy. When we love the Lord God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we are literally offensive to the enemy. Spiritual warriors know this – when they fall in their humanity and sin, they repent quickly; because even that repentance is an offensive attack on the enemy. A band of warriors say to each other, the enemy had better kill us, because if all he does is make us stumble, will come back even stronger than before. Repentance gives us even more confidence to enter the presence of God, because no penitent soul has ever been turned away by the Holy Spirit. And that boldness in coming to Him inspires others to do the same.
When we combine a supreme confidence in God with our own humility, we are given continuous access to God. Spiritual warriors practice the art of looking into the face of God – always longing to live one more day under his smile. We become preoccupied with his nature, and live a life in his presence.
It is our intimacy that makes us intimidating to the enemy – our confidence in the father’s love, our position in Christ, the fellowship with the Holy Spirit. They all combine in us to take us to a place of being so loved that we lose all fear.
There are many types of fear to which we can give place in our hearts and minds. We know the usual suspects of worry, anxiety, panic, fright, alarm, being apprehensive, nervous, and intimidated.
We can also dread something so much that we turn away from it, no matter the cost. Some people are like that with confrontation. They submit to years of abuse rather than contest the matter. I didn’t like to say anything, is a common comment from the fearful.
When confronted with their own timidity, people will still try to excuse their own acceptance of ill-treatment – doesn’t matter; I got used to it. Timidity, hesitancy, and shrinking back are all forms of fear that rob us of the pleasure of life and pleasing God – Hebrews 10:38 – 39.
Not daring something when you have the chance often masks secret fear that has not been dealt with by the Holy Spirit. Believing the worst, expecting something bad – both debilitate us and prevent us from reaching our potential.
Job was a brilliant guy – blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil ( Job 1:1), but in his heart he nurtured a secret fear. He dreaded the fact that one day he might lose everything he possessed. He worried about it constantly, thought of it often. He became tense and nervous at each fluctuation of life. It was growing in him to. Enough for the father to realize that it was going to become a problem – a self-fulfilling curse. The enemy would be given rights over Job and his family and business because fear is the devil’s domain. fear, unchecked, eventually grows to the point where it torments us – 1 John 4:18. It begins to dominate our conscious mind as well as our unconscious state.
In the end, in order to deliver Job from fear, the Lord had to face him up with it. When it occurs, Job’s cry reveals his deepest heart:
Job 3:25 – for what I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me. I’m not 80s, nor my quiet, I’m not at rest, but turmoil comes.
The only antidote to fear is perfect love – 1 John 4:18. A love from the Lord that has matured into a place of complete confidence. Mature love has a settled nature to it that cannot be overcome. This is the root of fearlessness. If we know with absolute certainty that we are accepted and loved, were not afraid to make mistakes. We try things knowing that we are covered. In any contest, we cannot win if we are afraid to lose.
Hesitancy and timidity are shackles that bind us just as surely as horror and dread. Fear of man prevents us from stepping out in faith. The biggest fear in the prophetic realm that prevents people from speaking, is the fear of being wrong. The biggest fear in giving a word of knowledge concerning sickness is our not having the faith in God to back it up.
We forget sometimes that the father is a believer to! He loves to believe in us. He has faith in his own abilities in and through us. When he gives us a word and knowledge, his own faith is on the line, together with ours, to back us up and empower us to succeed.
Fearless people give courage. We inspire people to believe. We influence people to trust in the Lord. We infuse faith in the people. In the modern era bill Johnson and Randy Clark are brilliant at this. I remember when Randy took a small team of friends to be with him in Philadelphia the year he first began to do his own crusades. We slept in a room in the church for about 8 days together – in the bunker, we called it – just to be an encouragement to him. His first talk was, God can use a little ol’ me. Inspired by him, we all moved out of our comfort zone to move in the supernatural (though not as much as Randy!) He was so determined to occupy that place of promise. His fearlessness has increased considerably. When you meet people that Randy has trained and mentored, they have that same quality of astonishing simple trust in the bigness of God.
Spiritual warriors give courage to people. They are refreshing to be around. They have that sense of being indomitable, impossible to subdue. Soldiers line up behind warriors because they know there is an excellent chance of victory. Warriors make things happen. Good people add something to us by who they are and how they live. Other people are negative and take things away; still others have a contrary spirit and become divisive. Warriors multiply. They give more than is required. Measure has no meaning for them. Abundance is their language and way of life. When you meet real warriors they overwhelm you with possibilities and refresh you with their certainties.
They are unafraid, and it shows. They attract faith and power. It’s in their mindset, their attitude, their bearing. They wear it like armor. They contribute these things to the atmosphere around them. They create a better environment because they are massively in league with the creator. They help to shape the way we position ourselves to fight the situation we are facing. Such warriors have heard the Lord laughing at the enemy. It echoes in their own hearts. They feed off the sound of victory.
We train for this position, using our lifestyle situations. We learn the craft of obedience and submission to the great heart of God. As he is, so are we in this world. Heaven coming to earth in our own hearts. What a glorious way to live! Far above all principalities and powers – no longer earthbound, but seated with Christ in heavenly places – Ephesians 1:18 – 23/2:4 – 10. Living a life that exemplifies a revelatory understanding of our place and position in Christ – being partakers of a level of kindness unheard of in the earth.
A loving-kindness so huge it reduces every opposing force an idea to a ridiculous minimum. Warriors love freedom and are fierce about it. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. We are partners with Christ in releasing people from captivity. Warriors do not imprison people: they bind the enemy. They cast out devils. It is their fearless nature that we need to relish and respect.
Jesus is a warrior. He is the King and champion of our hearts. Fearlessness is the norm; anything less is merely bravado.
Assignment – be honest about your current tensions, fears, and apprehensions. What would be the opposite of them that you need to ask the Holy Spirit to give you? Make a list of these characteristics. Apply them to the situations you are in. Cultivate the mind and persona that creates space for this attribute to overpower your circumstances.
Commission – if you wanted someone to write a eulogy about you being a warrior, what would you want them to say? Write one out for yourself. What would have to change in you to make that eulogy become the truth?