You Are A Warrior

Can you remember a time when things were difficult? It's likely something or several things are happening right now that are terrible. Do you remember thinking that, "if I could just *fill in the blank* I would be set? Once this is over with, life will be better."

  • "If I could get that job or promotion, that's all I would need." 
  • "If I could get that bill paid then I would be doing great." 
  • "If I could just get some relief, I would be ok."

Stand Your Ground

Unfortunately, this kind of thinking sets us up for failure when the next challenge comes along. If we achieve a victory or good fortune overcoming a difficult situation, we want to make sure we do not disarm ourselves for the next encounter.

Celebrate The Wins, Develop Fortitude For The Next Challenge

Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. - Ephesians 6:10 NLT

Certainly, we want to celebrate every win. It is an integral part of laying a foundation of fortitude. Yet, instead of letting down our guard and thinking it's all clear, understand that the next step is to ready yourself for the next battle... before it comes!
Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. - Ephesians 6:11 NLT

Let's change our mind about how we approach our day. We do this for the things that will inevitably come our way.
Put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. - Ephesians 6:13 NLT

We want to do this because we know that no matter what we achieve and no matter what we overcome, the battle of life is not going to stop. Let's not expect it to.
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. - 1 Peter 5:8-9 NLT

A Tall Order

Our daily fight is never going to end. Horrible things will never stop coming our way. Take a moment to get your mind wrapped around this idea. Then let's activate the superpower of love. We want to do this because our tendency is to work up fear. It's a tall order but we must take every opportunity to think like Jesus thinks.
And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. - 1 John 4:17-18 NLT


The world, Satan and circumstances will continue to keep coming at us for as long as we are on this planet. The enemy is not going stop. When has "evil" ever stopped and said, "Pardon me. That was my bad?"

Never!

The bad guys never go away. The trouble is never going to go away. We are never going to arrive at some point where we no longer need to be a warrior in our thinking. We are never going to reach a point where perseverance is no longer needed.
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. - Romans 5:3-4 NLT

The Way Of The Warrior

It is imperative to not think of life as being able to arrive at some safe zone and then thinking that things just get easier. If we think this way we become susceptible to being caught off guard by the myriad of troubles that have been strategically placed in our path.
For we are not ignorant of his (Satan's) devices. - 2 Corinthians 2:11 NKJV

A warrior does not think like this. A warrior knows the battle is never over until he gets home. A warrior stands. A warrior perseveres. A warrior builds fortitude.
They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. - John 17:16 NKJV

Once a warrior gains ground he secures the area and then pushes on. He is eager to win the day! Let's gain ground and then be hungry to take more.

So let's become an expert in these things. Let's think like Jesus thinks. Be the warrior you were made to be.

More to come...

~~~~~~~

Take Action!

How are you readying yourself for the battlefield? 
Build your fortitude. Become an expert. The first step is you have to get your mind wrapped around the idea that you are a warrior in an ongoing battle... then build fortitude!
Need a place to start building fortitude? Well, that's what In The Cool Zone is designed for. Do a review of the following articles to start your warrior training. :-)

Please, add your thoughts in the comment section.

~~~~~~~

Concept >>> “You Are A Warrior”
Next >>> "Made For This Moment"


In The Cool Zone concept. Think like Jesus thinks.

Comments

Post a Comment

Please, select Name/URL from the list below to comment. Note: URL is not required.

Popular posts from this blog

Armor of God | Watchful Perseverance

Image
The armor of God has been a topic that has been difficult to get our minds wrapped around. What it is and how we put it on, has seemed to be a bit mysterious. So maybe by looking at the effect of the armor we can get a better understanding of how to put the armor on. We previously looked at  The Word of God , so let's take the next piece. We're leaving in,  The Effect of Armor,  section here for continuity. The Effect of Armor The most prominent place the armor of God is listed is in  Ephesians 6:14-18 NKJV .  Each piece of armor has an effect. Since it is spiritual armor, and we are physically oriented, it can be difficult to understand what is happening when we have it on. One of the things we know about armor is that once we are in the battle, we shouldn't have to think about the armor. It will passively protect us and we shouldn't have to give it another thought. We inspect, test and repair the armor on a regular basis and ensure it is fitted corr
Read more

Galvanize Your Heart

Image
Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. What and how you think about life is extremely important. There is also another aspect of thinking that needs to be considered as well. That would be the priority of thinking. The scripture in Romans 12:2 NLT  does not ask us to change the way we feel. We need to change the way we think. Thinking is the part of your heart that the Lord is working on. So let's put a high priority on how we think. Pray. Think first. The emotions support and reinforce our resolve. The body gets us there and does the physical work. God is glorified. Think Like Jesus Thinks So what and how do we think? Have you ever noticed that when Jesus answered a question, he either asked another question back or answered the question they should have asked to find salvation? Jesus certainly did answer their question but more importantly He would first give another answer to a question they did not ask, but they should have. The q
Read more

ITCZ 101 - Foundations of Fortitude

Image
The core value of In The Cool Zone is in the techniques for putting our mind, emotions and body in a position to support our thinking so we can do the work the Lord has given us to do. That work as we define it is thinking like Jesus thinks, delivering the Gospel and teaching what we have learned. These are the same goals declared in our Vision Statement and Mission Statement . ITCZ 101 Foundations of Fortitude Preparation Introduction You Must Seize This Reality Count The Cost The Holy Spirit Leads Calm, Cool Demeanor A Sincere Approach Forgive, Forget Seek The Truth Willing To Learn Wise As A Serpent Harmless As A Dove Required: Daily Prayer List Developing Expertise In The Field Deliver The Gospel   Curious Unto Salvation Your Elevator Pitch Non-Christians Fellow Christians Body Language A Place Of Power An Attention Grabber Actively Stay On Topic An Expert Listener Ask Questions Set The Premise Not Looking For Agreement
Read more