I Can't Get Away With Anything!

I'm tellin' ya ... I can't get away with ANYTHING! Every time I try, I get caught.

My insurance company did something today that I totally did not understand, so I called to ask them about it. What started out in the form of a question and a plea for help, turned out ... well, let's just say, it wasn't pretty. After the conversation, I set out to finish the rest of my errands. Along the way, I drove past a church with a sign out front that read, "DON'T FIGHT OVER NOTHING." Lol! NO JOKE!!! That's what it said! I guess God's not finished with me yet. He's trying to teach me how to become a warrior, but some of the fighter in me popped up instead.

Do you know the difference between a “fighter” and a “warrior?”  There is a huge difference, you know. A fighter is a very unorganized, uncontrolled brawler.  To give you a picture of what a fighter is, I’ll use an example from the old-timey western shows that we used to see on TV. You’d see two cowboys at odds with one another in the saloon. They would start punching at each other, and before you know it, everybody in the room is in a pile on the floor, each one doing his best to pound and beat the other with their fists … without even knowing why or who or what started the fight! A fighter is usually controlled by something other than him/her-self. Most often, it’s something like anger or fear or revenge. Therefore, a fighter usually has a good chance of being defeated.

A warrior, on the other hand, is a well-trained, finely-tuned "instrument" who is usually following directions or orders from his or her leader. A good example of a warrior is a soldier. A soldier is well trained, from boot camp on throughout his/her military career.  A soldier knows the who, what and why of his battle.  Anger, fear and revenge have no part in a warrior's actions; the warrior knows how to supercede his/her emotions and act on the word of the one who is in charge. Because the warrior is much more in control than the fighter, s/he has a much better chance of winning the war.

You know, God gave us spiritual armour (Ephesians 6: 11 - 17) for a reason. There's a battle on! A real war! And the last place we need to be is in the shoes of a "fighter" ... out of control and not even knowing who or what we're fighting about.  What we really need is a "warrior's" heart, discipline, self-control, obedience and knowledge of who we're fighting and why, if we're going to win this war.

Be aware of the enemy's tactics. I missed it this morning, and fell right smack dab into the enemy's trap. I fell into the old "fighter" mode, instead of standing on what the Lord is teaching me about being a "warrior." Nothing changed with the insurance company. Nothing was rectified. But driving by that church and reading that sign, "DON'T FIGHT FOR NOTHING," reminded me that I need to pick my battles. Not everything deserves my "attention." The Lord is still leading, and still the One I need to look to for my "marching instructions." He caught me in the middle of my humanity, and reminded me Who I belong to, and Who I represent. A good lesson learned.

And, a word to the wise ...