Most people think that if you go
to church then you are considered a Christian. But there is so much more to it
than that. Some who claim to be Christian and go to church put on a very
different face outside of church. I’m sure you know someone who fits in this
category.
None of us are perfect. Even
Christians mess up sometimes. But the difference between a regular church
attendee and a true warrior for God lies in a person’s heart, and the actions
that come from their heart.
To start with, character and
integrity are extremely important to a God warrior. What do those words mean,
though? When I was in school, I remember one of my teachers explaining
character this way:
“Character is who you are and
what you do when no one is looking.”
Sometimes you think you can get
away with something when no one’s looking, and sometimes you succeed. But even
though people may not see what we do, God sees what we do, and He knows why we
do it.
A person with good character
doesn't feel good about doing something wrong. Integrity is what guides a
person’s character to be good, and the opposite of integrity is dishonesty. It
is our moral conscience and we can decide to ignore it or not.
A God warrior doesn't just have
good character and integrity. There are a lot of people who have good character
but they are still not a God warrior. So what is the difference between a God
warrior and a good person?
If you believe in God and care
about doing His will, then you will have a sincere longing and desire to live a
life of character and integrity. What is His will and why should you care about
it?
“For I know the plans I have for
you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a
future” (Jeremiah 29:11).
Part of doing God’s will is
following His example. You decide to be nice to other people. You help others.
You are compelled to share Him with others so they can learn who He is.
As a warrior for God, you also
actively seek opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus. There are a lot of
people who want to lie about who God really is. They want to hate God. They
even want to say He does not exist.
When you are on God’s side, these
things will make you sad and angry. This is because you know God is real. You
know He is love. In fact, by letting Him in your heart, He shows you who He
really is. And it is up to us to defend who He really is. 1 Peter 3:15 says:
"Always be prepared to give
an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you
have. But do this with gentleness and respect."
We shouldn't stay silent as
others walk all over God. It is our duty to defend the truth. And we can take
these situations as opportunities to share who God is in the face or our enemy.
Even if we don’t know what the
bible says, we can share who God is in our own lives and help others. By doing
things like this, people will start to see who God is through us. And a God
warrior gets excited when others decide to come to Christ.
It is also through grace that we
are even able to accomplish His will. Now that you know what His will is, how
does His grace help you carry it out?
“My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
We are not perfect. We all make
mistakes whether it’s on purpose or not. So through Jesus’ death, grace is
God’s acceptance of us. He gives us a clean slate by forgiving and forgetting.
Without this, we can’t do His
will on our own. We are not perfect, but He is. We don’t know all things, but
He does. We may fail, but He does not. When we know He is our source of all
things and that He freely gives it, we can stand up in courage through His
strength.
Prayer is also part of who a God
warrior is. When we pray, we speak directly to Him like we would a friend. You
can share with Him your deepest feelings, thoughts, pains, hopes. And you can
ask Him for strength, advice, direction, or help anytime and anywhere.
By being a warrior for God your
primary goal is to discover and fulfill God’s purpose. You still have personal
interests and goals but they are not your primary focus; fulfilling the destiny
God has for you becomes your top priority. Everything you do starts to revolve
around that primary goal.
To reach this goal, you will need
resources. A God warrior needs tools and training to defend against the enemy.
This is why the bible is such an important resource for every Christian. The
more you want to learn about God, the more He will help you find Him.
Will you step up to be a God
Warrior? Will you be our one in a million?
You can start now by visiting
www.warriorarise.com to learn more. You can register your youth group to join
the movement, take the Warrior Pledge, or help us by volunteering. Sign up for all three if you want
because we’d love for you to join us!
If you liked this message, I encourage
you to share it with everyone you know. May the God of peace and the peace of God be with you. Amen.
*** Written by Sarah Sloan | Warrior Arise Ministry ***
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