The Warrior Within

“The lives of many rest in the courage of a few.” There is something about this statement that resonates in the heart of a young man. We all want to be significant the same way Jesus was. We want to free people, to protect them, to be a hero. We want to come through for ourselves and on behalf of others. And that is what God wants for you, too. God wants men to be strong inside and out to help others, freeing them the way He frees us from our sins.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”

—Galatians 5:1

But where does that desire to stand and fight come from? Would you believe it comes from God himself? Did you know that God describes himself as a warrior? It’s true! Check this out:

  Exodus 15:3—“The LORD is a warrior, the LORD is his name.”

  Psalm 24:8—“Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.”

  Jeremiah 20:11—“The LORD is with me like a mighty warrior.”

So the heart you have to compete and to win in life is from God, and it is good. To live successfully, you will need this fighting heart. Life is full of obstacles from all sides. Unless you are willing to confront them courageously, you’ll get taken out. If you are prepared to fight for what is good and wholesome, God will prepare you to win and overcome. As you gain strength from victories and courage to fight again after defeat, God will build you into an overcoming warrior who has what it takes to live strong and share your strength with others.

A Human Target

You have an enemy. He is Satan. He wants to trip you up at every turn. He wants to attack you in every way possible. Satan has a bull’s eye on your back.

Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, wrote a letter to fellow Christians and said, “Be alert and of sober mind.” In other words, don’t be fooled into having a dismissive attitude. Be on your guard! You have an enemy out to get you. Peter continues in his letter, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Lions don’t make good house pets. If you think back on the programs you’ve watched about wild African beasts, you know that lions maim and kill their prey. That is Satan’s purpose. He’s not your house pet; he’s your enemy!

Peter is echoing Jesus’ words and wants you to know that there is a predator who intends to take you out. Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” The devil has no good intentions toward you, your family, or your friends. He opposes your dreams, your talents, and your future.

But there is good news. Jesus immediately gave us this encouragement when He said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Yes, there is an enemy, but Jesus invites us to enjoy His protection and provision in the battles we face against our enemy. As a warrior you will have to face your enemy often. But you will do it in God’s strength and He will be at your side.

Where did Satan come from? Originally, he was an angel created by God, but God had to punish him for trying to make himself greater than God. Ultimately, Satan and his followers will be condemned to eternal punishment. Until then, we must contend with him on earth. Fortunately, we do not contend alone.

C.S. Lewis said we make two mistakes when dealing with devils, including Satan. First, we make a mistake if we “feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.” * But we also make a mistake when we don’t even believe they exist. Both extremes—wanting to know too much about them or not even believing in them—are dangerous. And in our culture today, many people don’t even believe Satan exists.

But you have a very real enemy: Satan. He’d love for you to live your life blindly, confused by everything that is set against you. He wants you to blame God for everything going wrong in your life while denying Satan’s very existence. But Jesus wants to remove the blinders from your eyes so you can see Him, and so you can gain His strength to do battle and to be victorious.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). Learn it now and learn it well: God’s intentions toward you are always good. He wants you to become the very best version of you possible. His plans for you are perfect. But also learn this: Evil stands between you and everything good that God has for you. With God’s strength and presence, you will have to fight to take hold of what God has for you.

You have an enemy. You are a warrior. You have the same warrior’s heart that God has. When you choose to follow Him, He will teach you how to battle at His side. He is all-powerful and will share His strength with you to win if you invite Him into all your battles.

God’s Got Your Back

God is eternal and infinite. No one created Him, and no one will take Him out. He had no start and will have no end.

God is all-powerful. There is no force equal to His. Not even close. No contest. God will never be defeated, ever. Not by anything or anyone, period.

God knows everything. He loves it when mankind makes breakthrough discoveries and inventions, but He’s never surprised. We can’t teach Him things He doesn’t already know. In fact, all knowledge comes from Him.

God is present everywhere, always, and at the same time. He’s eternally existent. That means that the limitations of time and space don’t apply to God. Science fiction stories about time travel and teleportation are everyday occurrences for Him.

God is only limited by His own nature. He will never violate His own Word. For example, God will always be good and never bad. God will always be truthful and never lie. God will always treat you right and never harm you.

God has no equal, no peers. We never have to doubt. God’s goodness will triumph over evil. God will totally defeat Satan and his armies at a time of God’s choosing. Until then, you must fight for everything good that God intends for you. And you are not alone. God is your Father. He will help you grow strong and teach you how to fight.

In My Experience:

When I was six years old, my family went to the ocean for vacation. It was in a small coastal town in Peru called Mejia. There was a rugged mountain formation that separated two beautiful beaches. There were two ways to cross that rock formation from one beach to another. One was a slow safe route; the other was faster though dangerous.

The slow and safe route was a path over the rocks that took about five to six minutes. The fast and dangerous route was a path through the rock formation directly on the beach, just as soon as the waves went back out to sea. When the water backed out, you had less than thirty seconds to run as fast as you could to the other beach, dodging and jumping over rocks before the waves came crashing in, covering the area with twenty to thirty feet of water.

My parents always insisted that my brother, sister, and I take the safe route. But one day we decided to risk taking the other. My heart was pounding in my chest as all three of us waited for the right moment to dash through the rocks to the other beach. My brother gave the signal and we took off!

The Bible says there is a way that seems right to a man or boy, but in the end it leads to death. As I ran with all my strength through the rocks, I didn’t know that I was running through a death trap.

The Bible says we all have to choose between two life paths. One is the safe and long path. The Bible says it is narrow and walked on by only a few, even though it leads to friendship with God and to life eternal. The other way is short and dangerous. The Bible says this path is wide and walked on by many, even though it leads us into Satan’s destructive plans and ultimately to eternal death (which is separation from God forever, with no hope of restoring our relationship with Him).

As I ran through those rocks that day, I fell further and further behind my older brother and sister. This scared me. Suddenly I looked at the waves I heard coming in to my right. In a panic, I turned and began running back to where we had started. But when I noticed the waves were even closer to the rocks in that direction, I turned around again running in the direction of my brother and sister. As I looked how far I had to run and how fast the waves were coming in, I knew I was trapped. Would I die? If so, how? Would I be knocked unconscious on the rocks? Would my lungs explode gasping for oxygen? I didn’t know. All I knew is that I had made a terrible choice to disobey my parents and take the short, dangerous path. The only way I’d get out alive is if someone bigger and stronger saved me.

The sooner in life you come to the realization that you are on the wrong path and that you will die in your sin unless Jesus—who is bigger and stronger than your sin—saves you, the better. The thieves on the crosses next to Jesus each realized they had chosen the wrong life path the night they died. One was defiant and said, “I’ve made a wrong choice, and I’m in this death trap now. But I’ll handle it myself.” He died and went to hell. The other was humble and said, “I’ve made a wrong choice. I need Jesus who is bigger and stronger than me to get me on the right path.” After that thief accepted Christ into his heart, Jesus said, “Today you’ll be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:32–43).

You see, the Bible says there is no other person you can call on who can save you except Jesus. He is the only One who can save you and me from the death of sin. Why? Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead to teach you how to live life His right way instead of your wrong way.

As I ran, I watched the waves get closer and closer and I knew I’d soon be overtaken and smashed up against the rocks. Suddenly at the very last second, my brother came running at me, and without slowing down he grabbed me less than a second before a huge wave bowled over me. With me in his arms, he thrust himself into the wave. My brother is seven years older than me and was a strong swimmer, and with great skill he saved my life. That is when I learned how much my brother loves me. He was willing to put his life at risk in an effort to save me from what would have been certain death.

Jesus expressed His love to me and to you in the same way. He died on the cross to save you from the death that sin produces in your life. He rose from the dead to lead you on His path—the right path. He’s got your back. Have you given Him your life?

I’m so grateful God spared my life that day. If He hadn’t, you would not be holding this book. I would have never met my wife and we would have had no life together. Our kids would have never been born. You and me, we owe everything to God. He breathed life into us, protects us, helps us, and He intends to make us strong and useful as we draw close to Him every day.

_________________

* C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1942, 1961, 1996), ix.