Experiencing the Warrior Inside

The warrior is in service to a purpose beyond him; something transcendent and noble. He competes because that is his role; everything is adversarial. Spiritual warfare seeks out the warrior inside us. Everyone alive needs their warriorhood. That is because everyone fights a spiritual war from within them and external to them. As God is everywhere, so it seems is the war.

Experiencing the warrior inside is opening ourselves to the soldier within who complains not of the battle but is delighted to serve.

Experiencing the warrior inside is containing the fear in the presence of courage. Even as the battle rages, and terrifying visions intercede, the warrior has to beat these visions down or they get in the way of the real conquest. Focus becomes him.

Experiencing the warrior inside can be by either good or evil. I, of course, advocate for the good warrior, for all Christian warriors are essentially fighting the spiritual war against The Adversary. That evil being, which is manifest in myriad form, has us on the run all our lives or we stop and turn against the evil by fighting the good fight of faith.

To be a warrior requires us to act in accord with certain inalienable values that are supremely above us:

Truth Against Lies – the good warrior, one who is devoted to goodness in all its ways, seeks for truth. There is no other way to live life. Commanding efforts is the screen for truth through which all of life is sieved. When in battle the warrior looks for truth but expects lies, but is not tainted in his outlook by seeing lies in the truth. He plans for the best but expects the worst. He is calculatingly realistic. The warrior never gives up on truth, because truth is the way to justice.

Justice Against Injustice – good and evil are encapsulated in these two words. The good warrior fights for justice, but learns early on to devote himself to winning the war, and not every pathetic battle. Oftentimes initial defeats honour later victories. There is the exercise of discernment and the reliance on healthy boundaries. This warrior knows up from down and down from up. And whilst he is reviled by injustice, he has the mettle to maintain his emotional discipline. His tactics are calculated, rehearsed, honed. He times his charge to perfection. And he always fights for the justice of others and not for his own justice, unless to defend critical boundaries.

Love Against Fear – underpinning the good warrior is an energy source that is wholly good. This energy source purges fear and promotes love; indeed, it is love. It is God—who is Love—that provides. All of the warrior’s discernment is accurate because of love; but he needs to continue to return to it. That is because love is bigger than he is. All his power is from love. Without love, he, like everyone else is in that state, becomes nothing.

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We exist in a realm surrounded by invisible spiritual warfare. Part of our role is to adopt the warrior: to seek truth; defend justice; and be energised by love. Only when we are in touch with the warrior inside can we endure a long life, with resilience our way.

© 2012 S. J. Wickham.