There’s a very good reason why we don’t let young teenagers drive until they reach a certain age, study for an exam and pass both the written and actual ‘behind the wheel’ driving test. Simply stated, it’s because they don’t know squat. Most still struggle to do their chores in a timely manner and when they do them, fail to do them well, or at least to our expectations. It’s only after they mature in knowledge and experience that we grant them license to engage on the big stage of crowded streets and the highways and byways.
This same logic applies when we differentiate between young Christians and those more seasoned, battle tested Warriors. There is much to learn, as well as, unlearn when one becomes a born-again believer. It can take quite a bit of time to truly grasp the pre-existing love God has for each and every one of us; and that this love existed even before we were introduced to His goodness.
Learning to accept this Grace, receive His mercy and embrace what He has to say about each of us, even when we continue to misbehave and miss the mark, requires continual prayer, practice and persistence. We’ll call this life cycle, our teenage years.
As we grow from baby Christians feeding on milk to more established and tested believers feeding on solid food (the deeper things of God), and then to full-fledged, responsible soldiers with accountability for the spiritual welfare of others as well as ourselves, it becomes increasingly necessary to have a rock solid, firm, and even bold opinion and voice with which to speak out against the things of darkness that confuse the weak.
It is here, on the battlefield of life, that we grow stronger, wiser, more proficient and more confident in our ability to stand against darkness and His ability to protect us and empower us to run the race worthy of our calling. There’s an old saying: “If you don’t believe in something, you will fall for anything.” Obviously, if you don’t have a solid inner understanding of our personal morals, ethics, and integrity, when we are faced with a decision between two gray options, we may forget that there could be another option or a higher road to take besides what is being offered at the time. It also follows that if we don’t completely believe in God, don’t accept what He has done or what He says about each of us, then we run the risk of falling for other, less favorable belief systems that will lead us to empty purpose and little fulfillment.
It has been said, that the only ability God lacks is availability. Our purpose here on earth is to be available and to let His purpose and His will play out through our lives so that “He might make His power known.” As we gain more understanding of how these principles work within the Kingdom, and of what components are at work in the Kingdom, we learn more about the Helper, the Holy Spirit, who dwells within each of us and is there to offer instruction and guidance.
Think of the Helper as the inner voice of reason that we hope our teenagers carry with them and defer to every time they leave the house without us around to guide them. As we wave goodbye to them as they back out of the driveway, we pray they will recall and listen to the voice of wisdom we’ve shared with them over the years. I believe God wants nothing less from us.
Warriors are seasoned Soldiers that have learned how to return, time and time again, from the battlefield. Over the years, they learned the tactics of their adversaries, developed both defensive and offensive moves to counter superior swordsmanship, when to fall back and when to advance. Thankfully, today, you and I don’t battle in open fields with iron against iron.
Instead, we take up the spiritual armor of God so that we are able to resist in the evil day, as seasoned prayer warriors, mighty men of valor, who have trained our senses to know God’s will, who have practiced and exercised our faith, who have hidden God’s Word in our hearts, who have sharpened our tongues to be effective, whose faces are seasoned with wisdom like the lion’s, and are well able to assess a need and quickly respond.
If we, who profess to be Christians, will not stand and become the moral backbone and voice of a nation, examples of Godly character, biblical principles and behavior worthy of emulating - then who will?
Learning to accept this Grace, receive His mercy and embrace what He has to say about each of us, even when we continue to misbehave and miss the mark, requires continual prayer, practice and persistence. We’ll call this life cycle, our teenage years.
As we grow from baby Christians feeding on milk to more established and tested believers feeding on solid food (the deeper things of God), and then to full-fledged, responsible soldiers with accountability for the spiritual welfare of others as well as ourselves, it becomes increasingly necessary to have a rock solid, firm, and even bold opinion and voice with which to speak out against the things of darkness that confuse the weak.
It is here, on the battlefield of life, that we grow stronger, wiser, more proficient and more confident in our ability to stand against darkness and His ability to protect us and empower us to run the race worthy of our calling. There’s an old saying: “If you don’t believe in something, you will fall for anything.” Obviously, if you don’t have a solid inner understanding of our personal morals, ethics, and integrity, when we are faced with a decision between two gray options, we may forget that there could be another option or a higher road to take besides what is being offered at the time. It also follows that if we don’t completely believe in God, don’t accept what He has done or what He says about each of us, then we run the risk of falling for other, less favorable belief systems that will lead us to empty purpose and little fulfillment.
It has been said, that the only ability God lacks is availability. Our purpose here on earth is to be available and to let His purpose and His will play out through our lives so that “He might make His power known.” As we gain more understanding of how these principles work within the Kingdom, and of what components are at work in the Kingdom, we learn more about the Helper, the Holy Spirit, who dwells within each of us and is there to offer instruction and guidance.
Think of the Helper as the inner voice of reason that we hope our teenagers carry with them and defer to every time they leave the house without us around to guide them. As we wave goodbye to them as they back out of the driveway, we pray they will recall and listen to the voice of wisdom we’ve shared with them over the years. I believe God wants nothing less from us.
Warriors are seasoned Soldiers that have learned how to return, time and time again, from the battlefield. Over the years, they learned the tactics of their adversaries, developed both defensive and offensive moves to counter superior swordsmanship, when to fall back and when to advance. Thankfully, today, you and I don’t battle in open fields with iron against iron.
Instead, we take up the spiritual armor of God so that we are able to resist in the evil day, as seasoned prayer warriors, mighty men of valor, who have trained our senses to know God’s will, who have practiced and exercised our faith, who have hidden God’s Word in our hearts, who have sharpened our tongues to be effective, whose faces are seasoned with wisdom like the lion’s, and are well able to assess a need and quickly respond.
If we, who profess to be Christians, will not stand and become the moral backbone and voice of a nation, examples of Godly character, biblical principles and behavior worthy of emulating - then who will?
