Last week we began a new teaching series on Warrior Wisdom, and suggested that it is not enough simply to wear the uniform, but to truly be victorious requires a serious commitment and understanding in the ways of God and spiritual warfare. This week we take a look at the importance of intimacy which empowers the individual and allows revelation.

Week 2
The secret life of the warrior
If there is one vital element in the life of the warrior, one secret weapon in his arsenal which outranks all others, one principle which is well grounded and understood, it is the importance of the presence of God. To even be aware of the spiritual nature of the battle which surrounds us would take the spiritual discernment which comes through a sensitised heart that has spent the time necessary soaking in the presence of God himself. Without this prerequisite of intimacy, we would not even know with any certainty the battles which lie ahead of us, or the strategy required to overcome.

When we are talking about spiritual warfare, we must understand that victory cannot be gained by the application of worldly weapons. The two arenas are entirely different. To make progress in the spiritual realm requires ultimately the outworking of the Holy Spirit through the faith, prayers and obedience of the believer. The source of inspiration and strength cannot originate in the soul, but must come from the spirit. Remember the account of Joshua and Jericho. There is no way that Joshua would have reasoned in such a way that brought the mighty citadel’s wall come crashing down. On the contrary, Joshua was thinking along more traditional humanistic lines, relying upon the strength of his army rather than the strength of God. This is subtly revealed in his confrontation with the captain of the army of the Lord (likely a christophany) in his question “are you for us or for our enemies?” The Man replies sharply, “neither but I have come as the captain of the army of the Lord, now take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground”. The Man then went on to reveal heaven’s strategy for taking the city: A plan which didn’t rely upon the physical strength of Joshua’s army, but upon his obedience and faith in the revelation given. Note also that here is introduced the “army of the Lord”. This can so easily be overlooked, as we tend to focus upon Joshua’s army and what they did. But in truth there is a co-operation here between heaven and earth, between the army of Lord, and the army of Joshua. It was through the faith and obedience of Joshua and his army that released the power of God and His army to bring the victory. Wow, what a revelation. That we don’t have to fight the battle on our own. In fact, the battle doesn’t belong to us anyway, it belongs to the Lord. If only we could hear what the Lord is saying in any given situation and rely upon Him to fight for us rather than in our own strength.

Here then is the problem. Without intimacy with God, we lack the spiritual sensitivity required to receive revelation. In the absent of revelation or vision, the Bible says that we would perish. (Prov 29:18), or cast off restraint. In the void of God’s voice and Holy Spirit enlightenment, our soulish man is quick to fill the space with all manner of plans and strategy. These are based primarily upon the human reasoning and argument rather than divine revelation. Ask yourself a question: do your plans make sense? If so, are they formed upon your ideas or God’s? This isn’t to say that we should dismiss wisdom or careful planning, but if the original source of inspiration is not truly from the Holy Spirit, then we could be in danger of building the house in vain.

The secret life of the warrior is critical for success. The man or woman of God must know how to access the presence of God and long to spend time just being with the Father.