4th and Final Step

If you’ve been following the progression of things you know that to become the man that God designed and desires us to be we must begin with RELATIONSHIP, move to LORDSHIP (this is where God’s in charge of everything in my life. . .and yours), progress to WORSHIP (where we have an undying passion for God and the things of God), and now we move to the final step in the process - WARSHIP. Yes, I know it’s not a word, but if you’ll work with me I think it works here.

WARSHIP means picking of the sword and engaging the enemy. Its not a pretty sight, but war rarely is. One of the misconceptions (for lack of a better term) of Christianity is the process of maturation. I would venture to say that most ministers, teachers, and church members have been taught or used the analogy of a baby growing into adulthood as an example of Christian maturity. And, admittedly, there is some relevance there. Even Paul speaks of sucking on milk (spiritual baby) and chewing on some meat (spiritual adult). But I think that there is a better analogy to describe what happens to us when we become a Christian - we are recruited into the army of God. We may be mere privates when we are first recruited, but we are recruited to fight none the less. As a matter of fact Paul speaks of the war that is waging around us. It is one we don’t always see, but one we are, in fact, involved.

So what do we fight for? Great question. There are several things I think every man needs to fight for.

• The Heart of Your King - In his book, The Barbarian Way, Erwin McManus describes the part legend, part truth of what happened after the death of William Wallace, the brave leader who fought for Scotland’s freedom against England. Robert the Bruce, the leader who seemingly betrayed Wallace, regained his patriotism to lead Scotland to its independence. It is said that on his deathbed he had one request - after his death he wanted his heart cut out and taken into battle with the troops. One of his knights, Sir James Douglas, agreed to the the task. After Bruce’s death Douglas had his heart embalmed and put into a silver and enamel casket and wore it around his neck.
Legend has it that Douglas found himself fighting the Moors in Spain. He and his comrades were surrounded. Death was immanent. So he ripped King Bruce’s heart from around his neck and heaved it into the enemy and said, “Go! Go fight for the heart of your king!” So, men. Go! Go fight for the heart of your King! Go fight for his Kingdom. Go stand for truth. Take up arms against the devil. You have protection, but you also have a weapon - a sword, called the truth, God’s Word - to fight with. USE IT!! What are you waiting for? Aren’t you tired of being beat about the face and head by Satan? I am. I’m also tired of seeing my King’s name, character, and heart being drug through the mud of this culture by an enemy who has already been defeated. So. . .won’t you join me in fighting for the heart of your King?

• Your Heart - Listen up. It is your job to protect your heart. How do you do that? How about watching what you look at - internet, movies, tv, magazines, women? You know what I’m talking about. How about what you say - the jokes you tell, the words you use around others - including your spouse and children? How about your thought life? How about your attitude? How about your pride? Dare I go on? Men, it’s our job to make sure our hearts are protected. It is our responsibility to take up the sword and fight for our hearts. Job did this when he made a pact with his own eyes. He even said that if he looked at another man’s wife lustfully that man would have permission to have sex with his wife. How many of us would dare to make that covenant with our eyes? We dare not try to do it alone, but with God’s help we can do it. But it takes our conscious decision to do so.

• The Heart of Our Beauty - Come on guys, you knew I was going to get to this one sooner or later. It is our job to fight the heart, the character, and the integrity of our beauties. It’s no one else’s job. And, oh, by the way, if you don’t and someone else does, don’t be surprised if she’s willing to follow him instead. The woman in your life is looking for someone to follow. She is looking for a man who will stand up for her, even if it seems hopeless. Winning isn’t the deal here. Fighting for her is. Besides who of us wouldn’t want our beauty nursing us back to health after a well fought battle. Man, I would!

I know more about this than I care to have experienced. When Karen was sick and I knew she was going to die of cancer - yes, it seemed hopeless - I went before the Lord and told him that, though He may not heal her, He wasn’t going to get her without a fight. I never knew if Karen knew or not how hard I fought for her. That’s not the point. The point is that I wasn’t willing to just hand her over without a fight. I spent many hours praying for her - her heart, her pain, her suffering, her joy, her healing. I knew others were praying, as well, but it wasn’t their responsibility to do so. It was my responsibility. It wasn’t about the outcome, it was about the battle. It was about picking up my sword and fighting for my beauty.
I know there will come a day when God will grant me another beauty to share my life with. I want her to know, above all else, that I will fight for her, ’til death do us part .

• The Heart of a Fellow Warrior - Finally, I think we need to fight for one another. I’ve been in those groups where we asked the “hard” questions only to find out that someone was not being open or honest. And if they were, they weren’t going very deep. But what if it didn’t matter? What if we had their back no matter what. In the movie The Last Samurai, featuring Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe, Tom Cruise’s character, Captain Nathan Algren has contracted with the Japanese government to prepare an army. In soon to follow battle, Algren is taken captive by Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe), Lord of the Samurai. Algren was nursed back to health only to discover the discipline, strength, and heart of a samurai. Through a series of circumstances and relationships he stays. In one scene ninja are sent to attack Katsumoto and the samurai. A fight ensues. Algren and Katsumoto find themselves back-to-back fighting, not just for their own lives, but for each other. By the end of the movie they are not only fellow warriors, they are close friends and comrades in arms. Neither man doubted that the other ever had is back. They literally fought the Japanese army side-by-side, back-to-back, to Katsumoto’s death.

Algren and Katsumoto is a great picture of men fighting for one another. Who are you fighting for? I don’t mean hanging out with. I’ve hung out with guys and never. . .not once. . .stood for them and fought for their heart, their eyes, their, minds, or their families. Imagine the difference we could make in the lives of men around us if we picked up our sword and fought for them?

So. . .there you have it - the 4 steps to becoming the man God designed and desires you to be.

RELATIONSHIP - starts here, grows from here
LORDSHIP - placing yourself and everything you touch under God’s authority
WORSHIP - developing an undying passion for God
WARSHIP - learning to fight for the heart of your King, your heart, the heart of your beauty, and the heart of the men around you

I know there’s a lot here. I know it takes time to process. But the process, I believe, is pretty clear. So. . .where are you in the process and what do you need to do to get to the next step? Only you can answer that question. Want a hint? Show these steps to the gift of a woman in your life and ask her where she thinks you are and what you could do to move to the next step. This is dangerous, but then again, the most dangerous place to be is in the middle of God’s will - just ask Jesus.

Mike