I have heard the name Warrior Bride before but have never really claimed the name for myself… until last night! As I shut off all electronic things that would distract me, I worshiped and danced before the Lord only in candle light. I didn’t even know what time it was! But because of the time I spent with God this weekend, I do know that the Lord, my Father and King, is singing over me and showering that name on me!
See, I’ve never truly considered myself a bride. For to be a bride, you must be pure… and I’ve never felt pure since I was a little girl. I have also been a real bride before and the marriage that came with that caused me nothing but pain and betrayal, ultimately ending in divorce… and the new title that came with that divorce. BUT, last night, God showered me with love; all the love of a Bridegroom!
It was and is astounding, amazing, and utterly and wonderfully sweet. HE WANTS ME!!! Me in all my brokenness, my mistakes, my failings, and my past that no one would ever want to relive. But He doesn’t just want me as a bride… NO! He wants me as a Warrior Bride! He wants me beside Him in battle against the darkness of the evil one!
Ephesians 6:14-17 says “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you WILL be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”
See, even with all my mistakes, He still wants me! He still knows (better than I) that I can do this with His strength! Even with my past…
Even with your past! He has called YOU! He Has redeemed YOU! He has given you back your land! He wants to romance you if you’ll only let Him!
One of my favorite books is by Francine Rivers called “Redeeming Love” (and it will probably be the one book I take with me on the World Race lol). It’s a fictional story that is based on and represents the Book of Hosea about a Godly man that marries a harlot out of obedience to God. Talk about one of the most forgiving and redeeming love stories ever told… Mmmm, and what a love story!!! But the love story is not just between the man and the woman, but also between the Bride (who never thought that she’d ever be a bride) and her Heavenly Bridegroom, her Husband… her God. OUR GOD!
Hosea 2:14, 2:16, and 2:19-20 say:
“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfort to her. ‘And it shall be, in that day’, says the Lord, ‘That you will call me “My Husband” and no longer call me “My Master.”
I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord.'”
What an awesome message!!!!! Let Him allure you!! If you think you’ve got too much mess in your stuff to be used by God… FORGET IT!!! God can turn any mess into a powerful MESSAGE!! He can take all the broken pieces of your life and put you back together so your cup can once again be overflowing with His love and goodness! He is the Potter and we are His clay. Me makes us, shapes and reshapes us, and makes us strong. He is doing it for me… and yea, it isn’t always fun to be remolded… but He is alluring me! And He will do it also for you!!
THE WARRIOR BRIDE: Strong in the Lord, steadfast in Hope, wearing the armor of Salvation… READY TO FIGHT!!! And yes, waiting patiently for her Bridegroom’s return! — This is what God sees in us!!
“As the bridegroom rejoices over his bride, So Shall Your God Rejoice Over You!” Isaiah 62:5
