Warriors wake up every day with an awareness that a battle could ensue any minute. It is the same for a citizen of Heaven. With the gospel, we openly defy the powers of darkness that think they can continue to rule. Their reign is reduced as we advance the kingdom of Light across the planet. Cultivating a warrior mindset is critical to advancing the kingdom of Jesus into the hearts and homes of the neighborhoods that the King has deployed us to. The warrior mindset is cultivated and maintained through vigilance. Personal Training: Starting each day with a solid training session in the Bible is a must for every warrior. He or she must invest 30 to 60 minutes into prayer, reading the Bible, and listening to the Trainer's voice. Emotions, thoughts, and ideas must be vetted by the word of God. Prayer must be used to adjust thinking and expectations, as well as bring requests to the King. Mental, emotional, and spiritual tenacity and strength grow from the first hour of the day. How do you start your day? Put on the mind of Christ and be renewed in your thoughts and emotions each morning. You are a son or daughter of the King. Think, feel and act in accordance to that identity. Live a life that is authentic to your identity as a new creation in Christ. Use your time in the Word and Prayer to align yourself with the thinking of Jesus Christ. As you sit at your Dad's table each morning, you'll find yourself growing in the family resemblance. Wholeness is a must for warriors. Old wounds must be healed and new incisions cleaned and sutured. The Holy Spirit is the surgeon who identifies wounds, cleans, and heals. And, the warrior must rely on and participate with the Holy Spirit. Have you ever flinched at an insult or overreacted when rejected? Have you felt the cold fingers of fear or the sinking feeling of condemnation? Do you experience certain sins in life as though they are slightly magnified to always catch your attention? Then, you need to engage the Holy Spirit in a personal healing session. Here's a starting point for healing persistent issues. 1. Ask the Holy Spirit to tell you why you're experiencing the sinful reaction. 2. Listen to what He brings to your mind. A. If it is an unconfessed situation, ask for forgiveness in prayer. B. Renounce out loud that you did that or were involved in that. C. Ask the Holy Spirit if there is an oppressive spirit involved. If so, say, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I command the spirit of (ie. rejection) to leave me now. D. Think about your family history. If you see this sin in your family history, say, "I renounce all generational sin in the area of (ie. lust) and I break all agreements with (lust) through the blood of Christ. Generational spirit of (lust) leave now in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth." 3. Fill with the truth that is the opposite of the issue. ie. Trust for fear. Identity in Christ for rejection. Patience for anger. 4. Fight to keep your physical health: Stand on the truth. Refuse to tolerate any thoughts, emotions or physical responses that do not come from the Holy Spirit. Fight to keep your freedom! 5. Once you've dug the infection out of your wound, you need to learn and repeat scripture verses that deal with that issue. For example: After dealing with the root of rejection, memorize and repeat these verses Eph. 1: (God) predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (If you do not see significant improvement in your life regarding the issue, please contact me. Healing is not a recipe, but a journey with the Holy Spirit.) The King's Business: Be on the offense! Take the battle to the enemy. What defines the life of a Warrior of Light? He or she is always about the King's business. When Jesus sent out the twelve disciples, He summarized the mission: ... As you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. (Matthew 10:7-8)
When Jesus gave the great commission, He restated it this way: And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:15-18) How can you use your gifts, time, and resources to bring healing, spiritual freedom, and salvation to those living under the sway of the dark kingdom? Each one of us is uniquely gifted to reach a certain segment of the population. Let's live in light of this prayer, "Your kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven."
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The SwansonsWe're a family on mission to bring the good news of Jesus to the Philippines. |