What would happen if children throughout America were able to see God transform their warrior fathers into loving, gentle dads? What would happen if these children could witness the transformation of their fathers, stained by sin and plagued by their time at war, turn into powerful, spiritual warriors, who walk in God’s love and who are able to leave a legacy that they can count on? What would it do for the hearts of these children? What would it do for future generations?
If I could pray for nothing else, I would pray for warriors to find God, allowing them to turn their hearts to their children and the hearts of children back to their warrior fathers. I challenge every one of us to be a warrior of prayer, a warrior of justice, and a mentor for our children and grandchildren. There is a simple truth. When our children see and feel the love of God coursing through our veins, when they can see it filling our hearts, and when they hear God’s word coming from our lips, they will know love and they will want to follow. How glorious would that be?
Our Legacy
As warriors we were called to be first and foremost warriors, then we were husbands, then fathers, and then sons. We are now called first to be warriors for Christ, but to make this transition we must first start with ourselves. With a God first approach, we set ourselves up to properly lead our wives and children. With this mindset, we can not only impact the happiness and spiritual health of our families, but can help mold future generations to come. We have been blessed by our Heavenly Father with “every spiritual blessing” (Ephesians 1:3). We have new identities after we shed the flesh of the worldly warrior, for His power has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:2-3). God’s promise is simple. He won’t desert us nor will he forsake us.
All warriors of God must live our lives with the understanding that every decision we make could impact eternity. True power and submission in Christ begins with recognizing our shortcomings. This does not mean cowardice as we have been taught; it means facing our new reality living in a civilian world. Even though, in many ways, our lives have become much more complex and distractions permeate our lives, all we must do is call His name, and rely on His strength as others have relied on us.
To leave a lasting legacy of faith we must ask for help
God knows we cannot keep His commands and that we are sinful in nature. He knows that we are unable to love him with everything we have. He knows that we can’t love our wives with Christ like love or guide our children as Christ could guide them. God knows that we will break all ten commandments, in action or in our hearts, if left to our own devices. He calls us to surrender ourselves, allowing him to take control, for warriors of flesh are just that. Every veteran who is stained by sin and who allows their past to rule their present will only find salvation when they fully embrace the spiritual war with surrender and submission. I stress this because submission is counter what warriors are supposed to do. Full surrender of our relationships (Luke 14:26), of our material things (Luke 14:33), and of ourselves (Luke 14:27).
We are G.I.’s; God issued.
God, our creator, put us together in our mother’s wombs. He made us, and paid a heavy price for our sins by shedding his own blood. The amazing thing is that all God requires of us to repay this massive debt is love and belief. The greatest act of love wasn’t your mother giving birth to you or your wife marrying you, but from Jesus Christ’s sacrifice allowing us the opportunity to know God. We must understand that we can not earn our reward, for the gift is too great. The simple act of acceptance is all He requires for if we delight in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4).
When we recognize that our actions affect our legacy, we begin to understand the importance of asking for help from our Father. We can finally recognize that only through submission with full abandon can we set the stage for future generations to accept His glory and salvation. So, how selfish must we be to not surrender to Him? This country is in need of an army of faithful warriors. An army that will rise and fight for their marriages, their children, and generations to come. Only by following Christ and submitting to his Word, can we raise the next generation to live their lives in God’s love. Then, at the end of our lives, we will be welcomed into Heaven, confident in the thought that we have created a legacy of faith and love in a world of sin and darkness.
By God’s grace can we all become that kind of warrior.
