As I’m working on the final touches of my book, I ran across these powerful words in my journal. It is a devotion that I received through e-mail from John Eldredge, Ransomed Heart Ministries. Enjoy!
Oct. 15, 2008 – Last night the tears continued to come as I cried out to God to help me. It’s been surprising to experience this much exhaustion. The other surprising thing is the depth of my crying. It seems to come from somewhere deeper in my soul. When I woke up this morning, I checked my e-mail and could not believe today’s devotion from John Eldredge entitled, “A warring bride.” Listen to these words:
Ladies, you are the Bride of Christ … and the Bride of Christ is a warring bride.
Now, often the hardest person to fight for is … yourself. But you must. Your heart is needed. You must be present and engaged in order to love well and fight on behalf of others. Without you, much will be lost. It is time to take a stand and to stand firm. We are at war. You are needed.
Yes, men are created in the image of the Warrior King. Men are warriors. But women need to fight too. It is a powerful good when a man battles for a woman’s heart and stands between her and her enemies. But often, there is not a man present in a woman’s life to fight on her behalf. And even when there is, God desires the woman’s spirit to rise up in his strength as well. One day we will be queens—we will rule with Jesus (Rev. 21). We need to grow in our understanding and practice of spiritual warfare not only because we are being attacked but because it is one of the primary ways that we grow in Christ. He uses spiritual warfare in our lives to strengthen our faith, to draw us closer to him, to train us for the roles we are meant to play, to encourage us to play those roles, and to prepare us for our future at his side.
It is not that we are abandoned. Christ has not abandoned us.
It is not that we are alone. He will never leave us or forsake us.
It is not even up to us. The battle is the Lord’s.
Jesus came through for us before we were even born. He fought for us before we even knew we needed him. He came; he died; he rose again for us. He was given all authority in heaven and on earth for us (Eph. 1:22). He has won the decisive victory against our Enemy. But we must apply it. Christianity is not a passive religion. It is an invasion of a Kingdom. We who are on the Lord’s side must wield his victory. We must learn to enforce it. Women need to grow as warriors because we, too, were created to reign. God said of Eve as well as Adam, “and let them rule” (Gen. 1:26). And one day we will rule again (Matt. 25:21; Rev. 22:5). God allows spiritual warfare and uses it in our lives for our good. It is how we learn to grow in exercising our God-given spiritual authority as women.
Much of what he allows in your life is not for you to simply accept, but to get you to rise up! God wants you to know how to wield the weapons of warfare, how to take a stand, and how to fight.
“One day you will be a Queen and you must open your eyes.”
—William Wallace to the Princess in Braveheart
Women are not meant to be helpless creatures. God has given us a fierceness that is holy and is to be used on behalf of others.
Leave A Comment