Recently, during lunch at work, I had a tiny warrior ninja appear on my table.
I was eating/journaling on a balcony when a flash of green caught my attention. A praying mantis was crawling on the table!!
At about 1 inch tall – this guy appeared out of thin air and started crawling around my journal and coffee mug. He would freeze for a moment every now and again then dart with a startling ferocity to his next pose. We made eye contact several times and every time I was 100% certain of the following:
- He was much smaller than I.
- He was a fast little dude, but I could catch him if I tried.
- I did NOT want to try.
There was more than a little bit of a threat emanating from this little guy. He had the posture of one ready to fight – ready to win whatever battle he might have to face.
Once he was gone I relaxed (I was a little tense, apparently) and started to ponder this guy’s posture. A little green creature changed my entire atmosphere with his tiny stance.
Then I thought about my posture.
How many times have I confronted a situation – any situation with a posture of defeat? How many times have I faced the battle and already am braced for the impact of loss. Friends, our attitudes betray us. Our posture matters. It impacts the atmosphere and whether or not our enemies pick a fight.
Friend, don’t face whatever you’re facing with your head down and shoulders crouched – braced for the loss. Throw back your shoulders like our fiesty green little friend here, and put your prayer hands together in a Christ-like warrior pose.
To heavily paraphrase Eph 6:
That is why we MUST put on the full armor of God – so we can stand against the strategies of the devil. We don’t battle against our fellow mankind, but against spiritual strongholds and the rulers of the darkness of this world; against wickedness itself.
That’s why we must walk in peace, our mind’s eye focused on Jesus.
Cover the sensitive areas with Truth. Intense pain will be felt if you do not.
Protect your heart with righteous living – for out of the heart comes either Life, or death.
And when the enemy tries to tell you that what you think isn’t true, Faith will keep you safe from attack! So build up your faith by sharing your stories of what God has done for you, and by remembering the price Christ paid for you to be set free!
Do I leave you playing defense??
NO.
I give you a weapon. My authority and my Words (the Bible). In it is everything you need to fight and to win. It is like a lightsaber – a weapon of sophistication and precise division. Separating lies from truth and right from wrong in a world with fifty shades of gray.
Most of all, always keep in your Warrior’s pose – Praying constantly with humble request for your needs and for your brothers and sisters around the world to persevere in their walk with Me.
(I hope you enjoyed my little interpretation of scripture! If you want an actual quote of the Bible verse, here’s a link to the direct passage. I sprinkled in a few other scriptures, aaaand maybe a couple of pop-culture references.)
