The Weakness of a Warrior

A preacher unwilling to preach from their own pained position may not be too effective. They will soon run out of things to say or at the least will be a dry place void of anointing.

For the gospel of Jesus is about the transformation of lives and how the Shepherd does indeed walk us through many valleys of shadows.

Some of my favorite preachers share openly of their struggles and how Jesus revealed Himself during each trial. It is so encouraging for us walking through winter seasons.

In the scriptures we see Paul often sharing his trying moments, inward struggles, and constant need for Christ.

Show me a man, or woman, with a limp and I’ll show you a likely effective minister of the gospel.

They’ve had to cling to the hem of His garment to live and not die. They’ve had to fight demons on every side to forge new territories for the generations ahead. They’ve been baptized in an anguish many either haven’t lived or pridefully hide.

They’re not just reading, or quoting, those scriptures, you know. They’ve had to swallow every morsel whole and live, or die, by them.

Be sure that part of my payback for all the devil does in my life is to put the oil from my crushing to a work he had wished he had thought through.

If you haven’t been crushed yet, you’ll likely be more religious about Christ than relational. There’s a lot you don’t know yet. Someone sobbing their way through a divine message will bother you instead of move you with compassion. You’ve not yet learned of the tenderness of the Spirit at work.

There’s power hidden in pain.

You see, God is making a warrior out of us and humility will be embedded in the fabric of that warriors being.

They know how to wield a mighty sword against all of Hell while also bending low to help the hurting. They place themselves above no one and instead tend to the least of these. They can see clearly the need of humanity while carrying their own pain.

Weak, yes…

But still a warrior nonetheless.

One minute they’re flipping tables and the next healing the broken.

One minute their slaying 400 prophets of Baal and the next minute under a broom tree too tired to fight.

They’ve wallowed in prayer with a desperation that is precious to God because it throws their deep need for Him over His healing altar.

Like a limp dish rag goes their frame falling forward onto Grace.

They’ve got nothing to hide any longer because it is Jesus alone who does a single thing of value in, and through them.

There is weakness in every warrior.

And it must be so. After all, we are still flesh and blood.

For if when I am weak He is strong then it surely might be something of value in weakness to me. Otherwise we tend to get a bit too big for our britches.

Apart from Him I can do nothing.

It is true.

If that is not settled in the depth of your heart, you’ll be exalting yourself very soon.

That nugget of truth never changes. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve followed Christ or how big your ministry seems to get.

It is Jesus and Jesus alone who does the work. I need not touch His glory to even think of exalting myself.

Every mighty warrior has fears.

Every warrior has strengths.

Every warrior comes to a moment in a season where they tremble while facing their giants.

Every warrior worries if they will have the courage to make it through.

Few in the Bible whom either God called mighty men of valor or whom God enlisted for great exploits agreed with God.

Moses tried to talk his way out of becoming a great deliverer telling God the reasons why he was the wrong candidate.

Gideon couldn’t see past himself as the weakest of his clan when God called the greatness out of him.

David went from Giant slaying to pouring out his deepest sorrows through the Psalms confessing his weaknesses before the Lord. We also see that although he was a mighty warrior that he had weakness in his flesh. Sin could still overtake the man after Gods own heart.

We see the same God-ordained warrior, Samson, weak in his discernment as he gives away his strength to the hand of a woman. Seduction snatched his heart. Yet, in the end, the warrior in him rose again.

Joshua had to be told more than once to be strong and courageous by God. He must have seen into Joshua’s heart to have to repeat this three times within the same chapter of scripture in Joshua 1.

Two things can still be true at the same time. You can still be a mighty warrior and still carry weaknesses. One does not cancel out the other.

So, do you feel like a weak warrior today? If so, good…

You are…

But when you are weak, He is strong..

So, grab your sword, mighty warrior, and carry on…