What does a warrior do? Fight . . . right?
Sounds like a “duh” question, doesn’t it? But I’m discovering it’s a lot more complicated than that.
I’ll bet a lot of you have been questioning who and what God created you to be – if not now, then at some time. Even if you often feel like you have it all together, do you ever wonder if that’s all there is? If God didn’t intend more for you?
Yeah. Me, too.
I spent twenty-five years working in the medical field, first as an ambulance EMT and dispatcher, then as a physician assistant (P.A.). Loved it. Felt like I was helping people. Figured I’d be doing this until retirement, then “live long and prosper”. (All right, I’m a trekkie. Have been from the beginning. The truth is out.)
So it looks like God has me in a different place and a different calling. Now, the Bible says that the callings of God are without repentance, meaning He doesn’t change His mind (Romans 11:29). The NASB says they are “irrevocable” but it sure looked like my calling was revoked. I’d always thought He had called me to medicine.
But the word I got from Him a couple years ago was that His calling for 
me was to be a healer. Now that has a lot of ramifications! Healing through medicine, healing through counseling and ministry, healing through bringing His truth in my writing. That’s why I have “healer” listed on my business card. It’s my calling. In all its aspects. And the calling hasn’t changed, only the assignment.
God has also called me to be a warrior. I’ve always wondered why I can’t be “sweet” like most other women. Why I can’t just sympathize with a problem instead of telling the truth about what God says in the situation. How can a warrior be a healer? It all depends on who and how you fight.
There are always two aspects in a fight, whether it’s on a chessboard, a gym floor, or a battlefield: offense and defense. A group that holds the high ground against an advancing enemy is the defense, and the aggressor is the offense. Of course, both sides engage in both aspects throughout, depending on what’s needed at the time.
The same is true in a spiritual battle. We have weapons for offense and weapons for defense. We listen to our Commander for instructions on what weapon(s) to use for which specific situation.
First, we’ll talk about defense. I’ve heard it said that the best offense is a good defense, and it’s true. A good defense will protect against incursions of the enemy. It will establish a home base, a place of training and recovery from wounds. It will be a place where the soldiers can go to support one another and to compare notes. And it will be where we get our orders.
Prepare for battle!
This is the first post in a series on warfare.
Part 2| The Big “D” of Warfare
all illustrations courtesy of freedigitalphotos,net