04 Jan On Mission Warrior (11 of 12)
THE ON MISSION WARRIOR (11 of 12)
Continuing our year-end series on “The On Mission Warrior”…check our previous posts for the first ten below if you missed them!
ELEVEN (11 of 12): I determine to become increasingly aware of Who my Master is – the Lord Jesus Christ. Additionally, I determine to become increasingly aware of who my enemies are and what defensive and offensive tools God has provided me with for these battles He has called me to fight.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12, ESV)
“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10:3-4, ESV)
The Bible gives us many metaphors to represent how we are to relate to the Lord and His purposes. One is followers of Christ being soldiers, or warriors, in His army. We must recognize and embrace the fact that we are (assuming we are redeemed believers) each a soldier in the army of God. There is a battle raging and we are involved in it, whether we realize it or not. Whether we are equipped for it or not. Our lives and the lives of people around us will be affected by our awareness of the battle and the choices we make as to how we will equip ourselves for the fight and whether we will choose to engage.
At OMMA we talk about how we should train to become a “warrior,” not just a “fighter.” A fighter will fight for many reasons – pride, fear, money, or out of hatred. A true warrior fights only for a just and noble cause. A warrior only fights FOR something, while a fighter fights WITH someone. True martial arts are about learning movements that a person can use to fight as a warrior.
When taught appropriately, the martial arts are learned as a tool to be used in self-defense, to defend the good from the evil, the innocent from the malicious, and the weak from the oppressor. It is a task that carries with it a great sense of responsibility and challenges, but also one that brings a great level of satisfaction and fulfillment.
There are likewise, many challenges and obstacles to overcome in our quest to become an effective warrior in the army of the Lord. The good news is that we do not enter the “training hall” alone. As children of God, we are filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit Himself. He is all we need to be all that God would have us become. He has granted us the powerful Word of God (Sword of the Spirit) and, as Pastor John Piper says, the “war-time walkie-talkie” of prayer.
Partnering with the local church and families, the On Mission Martial Arts community is a group of like-minded believers who support each other as we all pursue a common goal. The goal of developing our physical, mental and spiritual offensive weapons and defensive tools to continue growing into increasingly powerful warriors for God. Warriors who will be adept at facing down common enemies who desire to marginalize, neutralize and victimize followers of Jesus Christ.
“Life is war. That’s not all it is, but it is always that.” – Pastor John Piper
Keep Fighting the Good Fight!
Blessings,
Marco
OMMA Founder/Senior Instructor
Yondan – 4th Degree Black Belt
Attachment: on mission warrior.pdf (116.2kB)