A Warrior Matures through Loss

Every Warrior for God’s Plans MUST face a time of mourning and reflection. Too often, our mentors in life do not see our ultimate challenges and victories. They prepare us, pour their love into us, and then life forces us out of the comfort of their arms and into the biggest growth opportunity of our lives. This time of loss is also a time of great growth for the warrior. This is a call to maturity that can be painful, but is as necessary as day following night.

I have recently (November 15) lost my mother. This means that I am now an elder in my immediate family. It means that I must BE the mentor 100% of the time. There are no earthly parents to look to or lean on.  

2 Kings 2:5-6, 8-13, 15 (Amplified Version)

⁵ The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came to Elisha and said, Do you know that the Lord will take your master away from you today? And he answered, Yes, I know it; hold your peace.

⁶ Elijah said to him, Tarry here, I pray you, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan. But he said, As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. And the two of them went on.

………….

⁸ And Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up and struck the waters, and they divided this way and that, so that the two of them went over on dry ground.

⁹ And when they had gone over, Elijah said to Elisha, Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you. And Elisha said, I pray you, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.

¹⁰ He said, You have asked a hard thing. However, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you—but if not, it shall not be so.

¹¹ As they still went on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire parted the two of them, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

¹² And Elisha saw it and he cried, My father, my father! The chariot of Israel and its horsemen! And he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

¹³ He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan.

……..

¹⁵ When the sons of the prophets who were [watching] at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha. And they came to meet him and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

The need for this maturity and growth comes from the tears that we shed (v12) and the mantle that we pick up (v13). Your Warrior’s Sword may well be an inherited blade with generations of battles, victories, and defeats. It may well be on you to finish the task that a previous generation started (see King David and Solomon).

Each of us is called forth to the battles of our appointed times (v5-6). We are not immortal, so we fight the fights in front of us. We claim our victories in His Name and we take it to the enemy in front of us with all of the vigor and courage that He has given us. However, we learn early that we cannot fight EVERY fight. God anoints us to fulfill His purposes for us (v9-10), not His purposes for all.  

As a result, I have been forced from bold to tearful. Wielding my 6 foot Claymore did NOT get this one done. My sword is now scarred and pock-marked from dragging it on the ground as I went to my knees before Him. Relying on Him is ALWAYS in His Will for us, so I am comforted to be in His Presence and to move according to His will.    

Humility and Trust, along with this needed growth, are the crucial elements to being His Warrior and to fighting His battles. God must know at every turn that He can trust you, which means that you are 1,000% relying on Him. When the battle is no longer in your hands, but you are still in the fight, you are reduced to your most powerful weapon – PRAYER.  Even when it doesn’t look like a victory at first, know that your prayers were indeed used according to His Plan and that the victory will be revealed to you. 

Blessings,

Bryan