The Walk of a Warrior

Reading: 1 Peter 5

"After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 5:10-11

Examination:

The benediction briefly summarizes Peter's message of encouragement. Christians' suffering will last only a little while, while their glory in Christ, to which they were called, will be eternal. He does not sugar coat what they should expect nor does he encourage them to look out for their best interests and easiest solution. He tells them to man-up, step-up, and walk the walk of a warrior.

Application:

Man-up. The Spirit of Christ in me is not weak. The same Spirit that stood beside God when He created all of creation, the same Spirit that worked miracles in the desert for Moses, the same Spirit that empowered Christ to endure the cross and the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is at work inside of me. Passivity is not a trait God honors.

Step-up. God does not desire that I ever become content. I must always know that He will never let me settle. Every moment of every day I must press myself to pursue another level. The status quo may be comfortable, but there is no joy in standing still.

Walk the walk of a warrior. In this chapter Peter reminds me that my enemy is not only real; he is active. He is not only active; he is vicious. He is never content to just harm or maim. He will stop at nothing short of devouring me. If I put my head in the sand or get distracted then I am setting myself up. God has a battle plan for me and I skippy sure better stay engaged with it.

Prayer:

I have turned to many things, seeking to improve myself. I have pursued many things, hoping to be confirmed by others. In moments of weakness, I have experimented with much, hoping to find strength for the day. I have tirelessly pursued many goals, hoping to establish myself on this earth.

The desires of my heart have taken many forms, all of them in one way or the other express my desire to be perfected, confirmed, strengthened, or established. They also share the common trait of having failed to accomplish their intended result. My pursuit of perfection has only revealed additional short comings. My efforts to be confirmed have only resulted in the hurtful rejection of my efforts. Everything I have sought for strength has failed to sustain me. Sustaining the things I have established on earth has proven to be a near impossible task.

I am stubborn, hard-headed, ambitious, and driven. As much as I like to do things on my own, I fully admit to You today that I am incapable of finding perfection, receiving confirmation, renewing my strength, or establishing security on my own. Help me today to man-up, step-up, and walk the walk to which You have called me. The only path that leads to the things I desire is the one that calls me to consistently and humbly pursue submission to Your leadership of my life.