He became like us so that we could become like Him. Stay close to the King, as close as a branch is to its vine (John 15:5). First and foremost, mission #1: Stay Intimately Connected to The King. I in Him and He in me! Whatever else happens, whatever else doesn’t happen, Warriors stay close to their King. This is what a Warrior’s heart must learn. He is where our Life is and He is where our Life comes from. Jesus got out of the way what was in the way of our intimacy. He showed us what was most important… staying connected to the Father. He showed us how and told us why… we are encouraged and warned to do the same. Our King knows the Art of War…
THEN JESUS, full of and controlled by the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led in [by] the [Holy] Spirit for (during) forty days in the wilderness (desert), where He was tempted (tried, tested exceedingly) by the devil. Luke 4:1-2 (AMP)
In World War II, the United States entered a conflict that had been well underway for almost 10 years. It was March 20, 1933, when Nazi Germany completed the construction of the first concentration camp, Dachau. Shortly after their defeat in WWI, those in Germany quietly began regrouping and re-advancing their cause for European domination. As the German invasions and advances grew through the 1930’s, Great Britain and France were finally provoked into declaring war; it was September 3, 1939. Why so late? Evil had finally come to their doorstep. 1939 wasn’t the beginning of Nazi treachery, just the beginning of its threat to the English and French ways of life. From 1939-1941 the US was very concerned, watched what was happening and did all it could to not be pulled into the war.
With one eye on Europe and another on Japan, evil had come to the United States' living room, and on December 8, 1941, the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the US entered the fight on two fronts. How can Germany and Japan, both about the size of California, come to occupy and dominate so much of the world? What those evil dictators and their soldiers were doing to human lives would later be discovered and thought unimaginable.
The conflict we have been born into has a history that can be traced back to some of our own doing. Now, right now, there are two kingdoms at war and the battles rage over the alliance, allegiance and affection of our hearts. One kingdom offers the truth, the truth that will set us free (John 8:32). The other kingdom, the lesser one, offers lies disguised as the truth (John 8:44). Lies, that if believed, will both bind and enslave, keeping our hearts from what they were most created for, love. The prince of darkness has operated unchecked for far too long at the borders of our hearts, and for far too long they’ve been doing the unimaginable. Pastor and author, Erwin McManus, wrote in his book, The Barbarian Way,
What if we were meant to be something greater? The invitation of Jesus is a revolutionary call to fight for the heart of humanity. Our weapons are Faith, Hope and Love… it will cost everything. It is a life fueled by passion… passion for God and passion for people. Our mission- to reconnect humanity to Him. Fueled by His presence as a follower of Christ, there is a raw and untamed faith waiting to be unleashed.
My one caveat to McManus’ point is that our “first mission” is to reconnect with God, reconnect, again and again and stay connected (vines and branches), our hearts to His. This is what the battle is all about… receiving God’s love. Once secured, then…then…we can join the battle and offer our strength, what we are experiencing from God. We can offer a transforming intimacy we know and live to model and share, just like Jesus did. As mentioned, Intimacy with the One who loves us most is our priority #1 and most central. Lose connection with the Vine and the branch dies. If this is our priority then know this is opposed. The Warrior Heart must know and expect opposition. A man doesn’t have to sign up or decide to get in a war, but he can and needs to understand that he is, and therefore engage!
