Tuesday, July 8th, 2025
Of all the things that are stirring across our world today, the most significant of them is the warrior spirit of the Bride of Christ. The days of hiding out in our safe places hoping the enemies of our souls pass us by have long vanished. The blatant stoking of the flames of unrighteousness and wickedness have unleashed a plume of darkness that we must be prepared to engage. Every single one of us that chooses to take up their cross daily and follow after God is being given the option of battle-ready boots or cozy slippers.
This really isn’t any different from what many of our Biblical front-runners faced. I just sense in my spirit that the time is now for us to make a strategic effort to enter the battle. Things aren’t just going to get better on their own. People are not going to all of a sudden start living righteously. Those of us who have received the gift of God’s grace must roll up our sleeves, be obedient to His living word, and enter whatever trench He asks us to. Some days it may be a physical trench; other days it may be the trenches in our mind and heart where the enemy of our progress hides out and slings flaming arrows all day long. We all have a part to play to bring in the harvest and it almost always starts on the inside.
Now I’ll take you to where this stirring came from. In the beginning of 1 Samuel 14, Jonathan’s courage had been awakened, and he and his armor bearer had decided to face some Philistines at their hide-out. Let’s look at two scriptures from that exchange. 1 Samuel 14:6 and 10:
6 Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few.”
10 But if they say thus, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up. For the Lord has delivered them into our hand, and this will be a sign to us.”
Jonathan’s posture varies wildly from those of the Israelites and even his father Saul in the previous chapter. Here we read that the people were distressed, hiding in caves and pits and some were even crossing back over the Jordan! Saul himself even got anxious waiting for Samuel and committed a sin that cost him his kingdom. But Jonathan, he was not phased. He knew all he needed for victory was a God that could save by many or by few. Saul and Jonathan started out with 3,000 men. After many fled and hid, that number fell to 600. At the end of the day, only Jonathan and his armor bearer were brave enough to press on.
Final Thoughts…
So which camp are you in? The 99.93% or the .07%? Following God takes faith. It takes a type of faith that is willing to put aside all present doubts, future fears and past wounds and know that the God that made it all can make it all beautiful. We must, must, must get out of our comfort zones and start living a life where God is our only source, goal and comfort. Lace up those boots and do whatever business you need to in the deep recesses of your heart and mind so that you can help set others free in those same places. There is a world full of people in desperate need of the Savior’s love and grace.