Raising Little Warriors: One Essential You Need

The young soldier threw his arms against the rock behind him and could almost feel it tremble. He lifted his left hand to shield his eyes from the sun, trying to get a better view of the small band of soldiers coming across the plain. His right hand grasped his sword a little tighter and he reached down to picked up his shield. 

He paused a moment, gazing at the round disk, his mind leaving the scene around him for a moment.

"But my Lord, these weapons look almost like a boy's playthings" he said somewhat hesitantly when he first saw his sword and shield, trying to feel his beloved Master out. The King looked at the soldier and then smiled before answering, "There is one lesson you have yet to learn before you can ever achieve a victory. You will never be victorious. And yet you can win every battle if you choose. But each victory must be won through the power of My might, not yours. That must be your battle cry in every encounter with the evil forces." 

The memory brought a brief smile to the young man's face as he prepared for yet another battle. It seemed as if he had been fighting one battle after another with minimal respite. He smiled again as he got a firm grip on his shield.The King had not told him that with every battle won his weapons would be come strong instead of worn down - the blade of his double edged sword seemed to grow sharper after each victory won through the power of his King's might. The shield was now a massive piece of armor that had saved his life on more than one occasion and he continued to grow in his skill with both. 

He glanced up. Three formidable looking men in full armor were closing in around him. The large rock behind him protected his back and he was thankful for it.

He checked his breastplate and braced himself for battle. He had been tired and discouraged a few moments before. Now the memory of the victory lesson his Master taught him seemed to give him new life. His eyes now shone with hope and determination as he adjusted his helmet.

Holding his sword in front of him, the King's soldier quickly shattered the silence. "I claim victory for the King! I fight you in the power of His might!" His attackers paused almost imperceptibly and then continued toward him, silently. The loud clashes of sword against sword and sword against shield were the next sounds to break the silence.

"You are all alone, fool. The King is far away and His power cannot help you here. You are in our power." The large soldier in front of him smirked and attempted a thrust into his chest. "The King's power never leaves those who fight for Him - our very weapons are filled with His might!" And the young man quickly deflected his blade and once again shouted "the power of His might!" 

The battle was long and hard. The sun moving slowly from the east side of the meadow seemed to pause over head and then began to slip down toward the west. The evilness of the three large soldiers was almost tangible and seemed to thicken the air. The soldier to the young man's right dropped back in a sudden change of strategy. The King's soldier glanced at him momentarily, wondering if he was retreating from the battle.

The man grinned viciously and began a verbal attack, making it hard for the champion of Truth to concentrate on the battle. "The King has filled your weapons with the power of His own might? Do you really believe that? It's all lies - lies He uses to bring people into His pitiful little Kingdom. Have you ever seen any part of the Kingdom He professes to reign over? He has tricked you and now you will die because of your stupidity."

​He paused to allow another malicious grin to run across his face as the young soldier seemed to falter for a brief moment. His grin quickly turned to a disappointed scowl as he saw the King's soldier once again deflect a blade wielded by one of the other soldiers of darkness. He had clearly counted on it being the death blow.

The evil soldier continued his bantering of the young man, never pausing for an answer. The soldier to the left seemed to be tiring and the young soldier started  directing his efforts towards him. Immediately the warrior that had been talking jumped back into the fight, allowing his tired partner a brief respite. Now the second soldier took up the mocking of the King and His soldiers. 

This pattern continued into the evening as the sun turned from its scorching yellow to a blaze of orange as it began to sink behind the trees in the distant horizon. The young soldier was at the point of exhaustion and didn't know how he could continue any longer. He had never battled so hard in his life and these were a most formidable foe. His shield was getting too heavy for him and he was getting slower with the handling of his sword. To give up was unthinkable and yet, was there another option? The fact that he was fighting two soldiers instead of three did not make it any easier because of the constant mocking of the third, confusing his mind.

The third warrior chuckled as he watched the younger man struggling for his life. "He's not so cocky now, is he?" This he directed to his two companions and they grinned as they continued battle. "Look at him" the representative of evil continued, "He's not fighting to defeat anymore. He's just trying to stay alive."

His eyes glittered and he laughed. "You aren't going to win this victory, are you? You with your special Kingly weapons. Those were just dreams, boy. Nobody has ever been victorious over us. What makes you think you would be any different? The King's got no special interest in you. He never gave you His power." He chuckled again, deep, dark and evil.

But the last statement the large soldier made was a mistake. "The King's power!" the young man thought. "This isn't my victory. It's the King's!" He felt new hope coursing through his veins. His foes faces quickly switched from cruel arrogance to dismay as the young man once again shouted his battle cry.

"By the power of HIS might!!" 

They screamed curses at him but he heeded them no longer as he continued to yell his battle cry and fell to the battle with such a burst of strength that it was over before the sun could completely disappear.

As he slowly put his sword back in its scabbard and let the shield lean against the rock he once again saw someone walking toward him across the plain. This time he ran to meet the man and knelt at the feet of His King.

"Through the power of Your might" he said softly. The King reached down and pulled him to his feet. "You have learned the lesson well and so the victory was won. For no matter how alone you may feel, I am always close beside you and you will always be victorious when you are strong through Me and trust in the power of My might."

---

When it comes to raising spiritually minded, courageous warriors for God, I think we can all agree that it's no small task. In fact, there is a battle raging for each of our kid's souls. And we are right in the middle of it, for the simple reason that we are parents.

It can be so easy to get overwhelmed with all the options and "have to's" that run thick in our culture. 

Memorize verses.

Pray this way.

Watch that training series.

Read this book.

And on and on. 

And resources and Bible memory and all those things are good. 

But before we start giving into all the things that we "need" to be doing, let's check our armor and lean into God's power. Only then can we proceed with victory.

Through the Power of HIS Might!

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