The Warrior

Excerpts taken from The Way of the Wild Heart by John Eldredge:

"Our God is a Warrior because there are certain things in life worth fighting for, that must be fought for. He makes man a Warrior in His own image, because He intends for man to join Him in that battle." (pg. 140)

The assumption is that whatever else a man might be, he ought to be a fighter. I noticed this assumption in the rosters of the tribes of Israel as they came out of Egypt. The families and clans are arranged and numbered as fighting men (Numbers 1). And remember - these are not trained soldiers, but runaway slaves. I doubt any of them had held a weapon in his life, yet it is assumed that if he's a man, he's a fighting man. Given who and what he is , Scripture assumes that a man acts, a man intervenes. Passivity has no place in the lexicon of true masculinity. None. And to overcome passivity, God has set His warrior heart in every man." (pg. 146)

How often have I, have we, simply suppressed that urge to fight for what is right, fight for another person who can't fight for themselves or is too weary to fight? I often listen to that subtle voice that says "it's not your issue...let them work it out on their own". This morning while reading, The Way of the Wild Heart, I began to understand that the urge to fight or stand up for what is right...it comes from God. He is the one who put that warrior heart in every man, but too often we suppress it or minimize it to the point it no longer makes a difference in our life...just as Satan intended it to be! God didn't create us to look the other way. He has created us and called us to fight for righteousness, for truth, for all that is good.

The next subtle voice says "you can't fight, you don't know how, your not equipped to do this". There may be a sliver of truth in that, but I was encouraged to see that God expected his men to fight...even if they had no experience. Scripture assumes that a man acts and a man intervenes. Yes, my heart and mind goes back to how much stronger we would be as men if we were part of a fellowship of men.

Don't stop reading now...

Am I advocating violence and bloodshed...no. Yes, there are times when we need to physically stand in the gap and intervene as with the abuse or physical assault on a child or another person. Our battles are not all physical. (Read Ephesians 6:10-12) Sometimes the most powerful and long lasting results are achieved through the medium of ink and paper. For example, Martin Luther did not sit by passively but rather posted his 98 Thesis on the door of the church. The warrior heart within him could take no more and he stood up and changed the world...for which we still enjoy the benefits of today.

As we see those around us, our friends, our families, our church leaders, our co-workers, our nation being attacked...we need to stand up in the gap and fight for them. What a symbol and example of love...the passionate love of our God.