How To Be A Wonder Working Warrior
by Jean L Metcalf
We live in an amazing period of history! Times have changed. Life is definitely not like it use to be! Today, more than ever, we must put on the full armor of God daily, know what weapons we have been given and be filled with the Holy Spirit to know how to use them! We must trust in the Lord at all times and not depend on our own perception of things. (Proverbs 3:5,6) We need wisdom, knowledge and understanding to know what to do and when.
Proverbs 2:1-5 My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you so that you incline your ear to WISDOM, and apply your heart to UNDERSTANDING;
Yes, if you cry out for discernment and lift up your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver and search for her as hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the KNOWLEDGE of God.
It is my prayer that as you read this article, you will receive with a teachable heart the implanted Word, which is able to save your soul—your mind, will and emotions—from the daily battles we all face. (James 1:21)
WHAT IS A WONDER WORKING WARRIOR?
Webster’s dictionary says the word warrior means “a person who is engaged in some strong conflict”.
First of all, he is a born-again Christian. All that means is when you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and ask Him to be the One who rules your life, then He send His Holy Spirit to be one with your spirit and you become a born-again child of God.
2. Being 100% COMMITED TO GOD no matter what. Circumstances do not matter. Family background does not matter. Married or single. Education doesn’t matter. Financial stability (or lack thereof) is not a pre-requisite. Whether you have had emotional pain, physical abuse, mental health issues, insecurities, rejection, abandonment or whatever—that is not important.
What IS important is that Jesus Christ is Lord of your life!
I made that choice to be 100% committed to God no matter what in June of 1988. It was at a Wednesday night church service with a special speaker. I was already a Christian and loved God with all my heart, but this time—this invitation to stand and be totally committed to whatever God’s plans were for my life was different. I stood up and knew somehow that life as I knew it would not be the same. That October, my first husband left me and my five year old adopted son. (Yep, total abandonment.) I found out that my Mom had been praying, “Lord, shape him up or ship him out!” Wow! The prayers of a praying Momma are powerful! Mothers—NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR CHILDREN!
Not only is a wonder working warrior 100% committed to God,
3. A Wonder Working Warrior is also
- WORSHIPPER OF JESUS CHRIST.
His heart is filled with praise, and thanksgiving is on his lips .
Psalm 34:1 “His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Ps 138:2 “I will worship toward Your holy temple & praise Your Name.”
Abraham was a man of worship. He was also 100% committed to God no matter what. Genesis 22 is the story where Abraham and his son Isaac were walking up the mountain to worship and make a burnt offering to God. Unbeknownst to Isaac, he was to be the sacrifice because that is what God had told Abraham to do. It was on that journey where Abraham’s faith was tested as to how much he trusted in God. Verse 8 is the answer to Isaac’s question on where was the sacrifice. “Abraham said, ‘My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.’” (That is where one of the names of God is found: Jehovah Jireh-the LORD will provide.) Well, bottom line is the LORD DID provide and a ram was caught in the thorns and was the sacrifice. Wow! Such trust and obedience!
Mary, the Mother of Jesus was a worshipper and also was committed 100% to God no matter what. She was engaged to be married to Joseph when the Angel Gabriel appeared to her and told her “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women.” (Luke 1:26-56) The Angel told her she would be overshadowed with the Holy Spirit and would be with Child who would be called the Son of God. Verse 37 says in the Amplified, “For with God NOTHING shall be impossible, and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.”
Mary responded, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”
We, too, are to be men and women of worship.
Psalm 29:2 “Give unto the LORD the glory due to His Name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.”
Psalm 95:6 “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.”
John 4:24 “God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
WORSHIP– DON’T WORRY!
4. A Wonder Working Warrior SPEAKS THE WORD in season and out of season. (2 Tim 4:2) In other words, whether its convenient or not. How do you speak the Word? By daily spending time with God, reading the Bible, studying it, memorizing His promises, so when you talk to people—
What you have in your heart just comes out of your mouth!
Matthew 12:34 “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
Hebrews 4:12. “For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two- edged sword…”
The double-edged sword is that spoken word of God that goes in your heart and then the spoken Word of God comes out of your mouth!
ELIJAH was a wonder working warrior who spoke the Word. I Kings 17: 8-16 is the story of Elijah and the widow woman who was gathering sticks to make the last meal for her and her son. Elijah asked her for a glass of water because he was so thirsty. She went into her house to get it when he asked for a piece of bread. She told him she didn’t have any bread, only a little bit of flour and some oil.
I Kings 17:13-15 “And Elijah said to her, ‘Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth’. So she went away and did according to the word of the LORD which He spoke to Elijah; and she and her household ate for many days.”
Elijah spoke the Word of God and there was a miracle for that lady and her son! Today, when we speak the Word, miracles will happen! Signs and wonders will follow us!
Another example of a Wonder Working Warrior was DEBORAH. Deborah spoke the Word. In the book of Judges chapter 4, it talks about Deborah who was a judge of Israel at that time. She was the only judge who was also a prophet. She must have been an absolutely amazing woman! She became judge after Ehud who had judged Israel for 80 years. In the last few decades, Israel had turned away from God. But Deborah was very close to God and spoke out what she was told from Him. Judges 4:6 says she sent for Barak, who was a general, and told him,
“The LORD, the God of Israel commands you ‘Go and gather 10,000 men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead the way to Mt Tabor…I will give Sisera of Jabin’s army into your hands.’”
Wow! What confidence! She trusted and obeyed God who gave her the conviction that all would work out.
Deborah was a woman of vision, wisdom and courage. Deborah had the strategy because she listened to the Word of the LORD.
Strategy is defined as “the science and art of military command exercised to meet the enemy in combat under advantageous conditions.” Wow!
We need to know the strategy of Heaven! We learn to hear it when our faith is focused on the Presence of the Holy Spirit who lives, dwells and resides in us as believers. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing the by the Word of God.” (Rom 10:17) Jesus IS the Word.
John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Deborah knew what to do, when to do it and who would be involved because she tuned into God’s Presence. She was aligned with His Design!
5. A Wonder Working Warrior is a man or woman of PRAYER AND FASTING. The last half of the verse of James 5:16 in the Amplified version says, “The earnest, heartfelt, continued prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available dynamic in its working.” When we pray with purpose and supernatural sincerity, circumstances change! People are eternally transformed! That’s when we become wonder working warriors!
Jesus said in Matthew 17:20, 21 ”…nothing will be impossible to you, however, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting”.
Prayer in private brings power in public!
What is fasting? Fasting is a time to deny yourself pleasant bread, chocolate or other foods you enjoy so that you can pray and focus on the Holy Spirit and His Presence.
EZRA was a man of prayer and fasting. He was a descendant of Aaron from the tribe of Levi, and therefore he was also a priest. Ezra was a bold man of God!
Ezra 8:21 “Then I proclaimed a FAST there at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before God, to SEEK from Him the right way…” Verse 23 – “So we FASTED and entreated our God for this, AND HE ANSWERED OUR PRAYER.”
Because Ezra had faith in God, he was a wonder working warrior!
ESTHER was a woman of prayer and fasting. The book of Esther doesn’t mention that she prayed WHEN she fasted, but I would think that she prayed intensely for the Jewish people and the situation of possibly being entirely wiped off the planet. Hmm…..kind of like today, right?
Esther 4:16 “Go gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and FAST for me; neither ear nor drink for 3 days, night or day. My maids and I will FAST as you do.”
Esther was a bold woman of God, and therefore she, too, was a wonder woman warrior! Esther also heard from Heaven and the strategy she was to put together to expose Haman for his hate for the Jewish people and his determination to utterly destroy them all.
We need to be men and women of prayer and fasting!
Be encouraged today to be 100% committed to God no matter what, be a worshipper of Jesus Christ, speak the Word and be a man or a woman of prayer and fasting.
You can do it!