So what does a spiritual warrior look like anyway?
Who will answer the Willow Tree?
I have so much in my heart I hope to share. For the past three months I’ve been very involved in remodeling our old house so it can continue its development into a House Church. Much progress has been made, but also much to go. And then there is the Teepee and spiritual retreat at the farm. So much to do, and so little help. I can’t believe I get to enjoy all this developing of a vision to myself. Building it with my own hands one day at a time, and at my age. Is there enough time? Only God knows. My assignment is to proceed in faith.
There is a lot of “ugly” in this world, and the job of all spiritual warriors is to find the “beauty”. Most of the time, God’s assignment to us involves bringing some beauty out of a lot of ugly and pain. This can take many shapes and forms. For example, here is a before and after picture of a beam in our old house.
We transformed that ugly into beauty with our own hands. But I have missed writing while I’ve been building, and God has given me so much to say. This is the beginning of a series. Perhaps a long series. “A Warrior sat under the Willow Tree”. (W.-W.T.)
Where do I even begin with this subject? One of the goals of this series is to discuss special movies I have collected over the years. Movies I believe send a very spiritual and true message when viewed from the right perspective, even though they were made by Hollywood. But before I can get into any of those, I must explain what this perspective I have is, and I have found most people struggle with this image.
For some odd reason I have always loved this spiritual analogy, even from childhood, and have spent at least 50 years developing ways of sharing it. The particular movies I have collected are some of the “tools” I use.
What does it mean to be more than a “civilian” citizen of heaven, but a spiritual warrior? Did Jesus even teach such things? And why does my Bible call itself a Sword? And why is Jesus described in the book of Revelation as coming back on a white horse with a Sword coming out of his mouth? Does the life you’re living fit any of that? And what does that kind of life look like, because again, it takes many shapes and forms.
I’m not considered the “normal” Bible teacher, so let me start with this. I happened upon a comic book the other day, just by chance, and in this graphic novel was a character called “Katana”. She is very deadly with Samurai swords, especially her own, which in this fiction story is not a mere sword, but also contains the soul of her husband! Yes, there would be a supernatural element here, but so is your Sword!
We will speak of this more, but we only begin cracking open the door of this subject, and I hope some will want to know more, but if the Bible says it is a Sword, and John Chapter One says the Word (Jesus) became flesh. Note: Jesus was the Word “first”, and then took on flesh and blood. Whereas we come at this from the other direction. We were flesh and blood “first”, and now we are becoming the Word? A Sword? (That’s the assignment.)
So… do your spiritual algebra… if the Word of God is a Sword…and Jesus was the Word made flesh… then he is also a Sword… and he has become our husband? Hhmmm. Truth can be stranger than fiction.
Here’s the bottom line, if you accepted Christ, you have been supernaturally born again into a supernatural existence. God birthed us into a supernatural plain AND gave us a Sword? And tells us that Sword is to be our husband. We are the bride of Christ. Follow me so far? Hhmmm.
I challenge you to not take this lightly, but truly attempt wrapping your brain around what we have been called to be. We’re not mere humans anymore, but a new race of people in Christ, birthed in the supernatural, and given a spiritual Sword. How else can we describe being “born-again” except it be a supernatural work, applied to us? Wow. Is that the picture in your head when you wake up every morning? Is that the fire burning within that gets you out of bed every day? It could be. The Christian life is supernatural from beginning to end. It is actually supernatural, or it is nothing at all!
I’m still working part time as a dishwasher to earn “me” money. I just ordered a beautiful $350 Samurai sword the other day. (Pictures will come.) It has the theme of an eagle. But I work with a guy who is very verbal about being an atheist, and he doesn’t like anyone trying to talk otherwise. As a matter of fact, he’s pretty vocal about everything. And he does not believe in God. Period!
However, I am a spiritual warrior. A Sword comes out of my mouth. So you can imagine. But as I said, I don’t teach the Bible in the normal way, and I started with him by saying, ” I very much believe in the supernatural.”
It’s funny how people who don’t want to talk about God, will still enjoy talking about the supernatural. So when I said that, he did not get mad or turn me off. He was interested. And then I said, “I very much believe in the supernatural, both the good and bad side of it, and I want to be on the good side, so I start everyday in prayer.” Hhmmm. I just kind of let that hang there. He got a little quiet. It just happens he’s got a lot of bad things happening in his life right now. So… if there is the supernatural, why be on the bad side of it? Next time I may tell him that God is the most supernatural of all.
I’ve spent 64 years learning about a way of life Jesus promoted. I’ve depended on prayer and faith as powerful weapons to my advantage for 64 years. Over those many years, when I look back, I see a mountain of evidence that the Word of God is TRUE, and also a Spirit Sword against the enemy of our soul.
I will likely write much over the next few weeks, making up for lost time. We had an unusual day on December 26th this year, in Indiana. It was 54 degrees out and sunny! It just happened my wife and I planned to see episode 9 of Star Wars that day. The theater is located within walking distance of the Willow Tree! And I went there after the movie to think, and hear God. I have so much more to say. This is barely a beginning.
It was interesting seeing a Willow without its’ leaves. It was so warm, but the sun was getting low. Time, daylight, running out. I sat there in the silent beauty. Listening. (I will write more, soon.)
Thank you for visiting the Willow Tree with me. Please come back. There is much more to say.
Sitting under the Willow Tree 