How to Be a Warrior For God's Kingdom

So, now that you have become a part of God’s Kingdom, where do you go? How do you live?

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          First, we must know that following God is a lifetime commitment, in which we walk with Him every day. God wants communion and He wants a relationship with us. 1 John 1:6-7 talks about this walk,

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          “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

We can see that the blood of Jesus will only cleanse us, if we continue to walk in the light with God.

         What is the difference between someone who walks in the darkness and someone who walks in the light?

             One of the biggest differences is that the person that walks in the light understands what true love is. Jesus calls us to “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31) Our love for God should be so great, that it fills every part of our life. The people of the world, on the other hand, direct that love back to themselves, and often times when they love their neighbor it is simply because they have something to gain from them. As Christians, we love our neighbor because “he (Jesus) first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) Jesus even calls Christians to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44). This love is very different from the “love” of the people of the world that are still in darkness. While the people of the world love the world and the things in the world (1 John 2:15), the Christian must not because we know that “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15-17) Finally, we need to realize that we cannot love anything, or anyone more than God, not even our families, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:37)

          Next, the child of God must have faith in Him and put their trust in Him. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” The disciple of Christ must believe and put their trust in God, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) The people of the light have faith and trust that God is who He says He is, His words are true, and that He will fulfill His promises.

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          Finally, the people of God’s Kingdom must obey the King. There are many verses that talk about our obedience to God and following Him (John 14:23, John 14:25, Luke 11:28); two key passages are John 14:21, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” And 1 John 5:3-5, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” God has a will for our lives, and part of that will is to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2) Jehovah God wants us to discern His will and follow it.

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          Life is difficult. It can be hard to stay steady and remain focused on our goal and mission in life. When life gets tough, we are called to stand firm. Philippians 4:1, “Therefore, my brothers,[a] whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.” And Galatians 5:1, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

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          While we are here on this earth, we must walk with Him, live for Him, love Him, obey Him, and fulfill His Kingdom Mission. His Mission for us is to have an intimate, loving relationship with Him, to glorify Him, and to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)