Tag Archives: Battle

Prayer for a Battle-Weary Friend

Posted on by under Inner Healing

Journal 2019

My friend is a strong, fearsome, mighty warrior who stands guard before a massive ancient metal door, the entrance to a beautiful city. She stands firm, eyes on sharp lookout for the enemy.

Arrows have continually bombarded her plate armor, and still she stands. Swords have flashed from many directions, and still she stands her ground, thrusting, parrying, and defending. I watch the tip of a sword pierce through her armor and slice her heart.

Next comes the battering ram, and with supernatural, Samson-like strength, she thrusts it to one side. But in the process, her body is bruised and weary, and her knees are beginning to sag.

A foul stench now fills the air, and the fumes begin to overpower her senses. Her body, though battered and bruised, fights to stay alert, ready to take on any danger. But her mind becomes addled as the poison seeps into her ears and nostrils. Her words, now her only remaining weapon, cry out in authority, commanding the demon hordes to back off.

My warrior friend sinks to her knees, worn down by the fight, exhausted to the point of a death wish. Her body and mind are weak. Who cares if the city gets overrun? She’s fought the good fight. Let someone else do this job.

I see her lying on the ground now, her sword and spear useless in her cramped hands. If she tries to stand, she knows she’ll just be knocked down again. What’s the use of continuing the battle?

But deep inside she knows her job is not done.

Just then, a little girl with bright blue eyes approaches the prone figure. Her innocence and purity radiate around her like a bubble of protection. “For you,” she says as she hands the warrior a bouquet of wildflowers.

The warrior’s tender heart cannot help but smile and then frown. What good are flowers in the midst of a battle? She’s puzzled. How did the little girl get here? Where did she come from? How did she escape the notice of the enemy soldiers? If the Guardian is defending this city, why is the little girl on the outside of the gates? All this time she thought her job was to defend the little girl, but instead she’d been defending herself. What does this mean?

That afternoon I prayed for my discouraged friend who had lost her way. I sensed that God had downloaded this visual so that I could read it to her. It was exactly what she needed, she said. She knew immediately what it meant, even though I did not. She said the warrior was her human spirit, and she had her focus on the battle instead of on the little girl, her inner child. And the doors? They were an illusion. It seemed to satisfy her. She called me a prophetess.

Armored warrior shielding a child with a raised wooden shield amid ruins

Winning Souls

Posted on by under God, Scripture

Journal 2005

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

The legalistic Bible school I attended felt like a trap, sucking the life out of its students. They taught that “soul-winning” (a phrase lifted from Proverbs 11:30) was the only/primary goal of the believer. All else paled in significance in the Christian walk. And the associated church’s supreme goal was increasing their numbers, proudly announcing each Sunday how many souls they had won for the Lord, like a collection of scalps on their belts.

But there is no glory in collecting scalps from dead people on a battlefield. God gave these scalp-takers the job of searching the battlefield for dead soldiers and waiting there until the General arrived. Only He can bring them back to life. And so it’s a bit amusing to watch these braggarts showing off their trophies of war.

God has assigned me the job of getting wounded soldiers to the medic tent where the Great Physician can set their broken bones, remove bullets, and put healing ointment on their wounds. He has assigned other people to water boy duty. Some are healthy, front-line soldiers. Others are responsible to cook for the army. And then there’s the chaplain who prays with dying men.

It takes a whole army to win this battle—and the enemy is not people. To a select few, God gives the gift of scout/see-er who recognize Satan’s invisible hoards and know effective weapons for dismantling their power. Some take great delight in swinging wildly in all directions, hacking off their heads. But the General told His army all they have to do is stand still, fully armed, and He will fight the battle for us.

A 2022 Update. I have a lot more grace toward my alma mater now, for I see them as untrained soldiers, blind to the need for an army to work together against an unseen enemy. Over the years, I’ve watched some of them fall in battle, while others matured and became stronger in their faith.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com