Warrior Challenge Day 6

Warriors Follow Their Orders

“Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules.”
2 Timothy 2:1-5

In our culture, obedience is almost a four letter word. Our flesh, the world, and the devil all try to convince us that we are the master of our sea and that we know what’s best.

But if we really knew what’s best all the time, we wouldn’t end up being trapped in pain. We wouldn’t perpetuate unhealthy patterns that hold us back in fear and enslave us to shame and guilt.

That’s why God’s Kingdom warriors receive their orders and follow them. Not because their Commander is harsh or burdensome, or because He’ll punish them if they don’t, but because they trust that He is for their good and freedom. He knows where the traps and landmines are hidden that will ensnare and wound them, taking them out of the fight for freedom and leading them back into bondage.

We follow the orders of our King, even when we might question or doubt them because we believe that He is all-good, all-loving, and all-knowing. We trust that our King has good purposes for the best outcomes in our lives.
He has the best perspective.
He has the best intelligence.
He has the best view of the battlefield.
He knows the best strategies to outwit the enemy.
He knows the enemy’s schemes even better than the enemy does.

A Kingdom Warrior knows that God’s commands can be hard to follow. Sometimes they might not even make sense. So a warrior spends time with his King, getting to know Him, listening to His voice, and allowing himself to be loved. A warrior learns to trust the King in the quiet times so that in the chaos of battle he can recognize His voice above the noise, trust Him, and fulfill the mission He gives.

It’s what Jesus did. He spent time with the Father in His Word. He talked with the Father and listened to Him so that in any given situation he could hear his Father’s voice above the crowd and do the next right thing. This trust and obedience ultimately led to freedom and salvation for all of us who call on the name of the Lord.

Warrior, your friends, family, co-workers, and everyone around you need to see you follow the example of your Savior.

They need to see you clinging to your King’s promises and following His ways even when your flesh doesn’t want to.

They need to see your grit and determination as you battle for freedom that comes from an overflow of having rested with the King.

They need to see you overcome fear and follow your Commander into battle.

They need to see you experience the blessing, the freedom, and the victory that comes from obediently following God’s ways rather than the world’s.

So rise up in obedience, Warrior.

Love.
Trust.
Follow your orders.

TRAINING QUESTIONS:

→ What is your initial reaction to God being an authority in your life?

→ What areas of your life do you know you haven’t surrendered to Him?