What Makes the Heart of A Warrior Surface

What is it like to live like a warrior? What is life like when you are known for being a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield? Some people may think that it’s glamorous to wield such power and have such a reputation, but is that true? Has anyone ever wondered what it is that causes a person to decide to put the one life they were given, on the line against vicious enemies? Living as a warrior is not an easy task at all. Many may admire a warrior coming home from a battle and be inspired by him, but they have do not understand the reasoning behind the action.

I love my movie nights with my husband where we usually watch some kind of war film or something with superheroes. Lately, we’ve been getting into doctor shows, but that would mess up my point.  Anyway, these movies are my version of a “chick flick.” The top movies that I love are ones that take place on a battlefield or a reenactment of war. I don’t watch all of those kinds of movies because of the potty words, but the ones that are do-able are precious to me.

The very first movie Sam and I watched, as a dating couple, was “Braveheart.” It still stands as our number one movie. It was inspired by a true story that takes place in the late 13th century; during the war of the Scottish Independence. It starts off in Scotland where mere peasant men decide to go and negotiate with the English invaders. The English do not honor any agreement and kill all of the negotiators. William Wallace, a boy around ten years of age, is saddened by the fact that now his father and brother were going to war without him. The English had oppressed the Scottish and the men in the area weren’t going to lay down and let it happened any longer.

It wasn’t long before William’s father and brother are brought back dead, both killed in battle. How would he live his life without these strong men leading and guiding him? Fortunate for William, his uncle took on the responsibility of raising him. He would leave his home and become educated in various cultures. His uncle even promised him that he would teach William how to fight with a sword, but first, he needed to learn how to fight with his brain.

Years go by and William Wallace grows up to be a strong man and England grows to be an even stronger force. By the time Wallace returns, the English had passed a law called “Premi Nocta.” It is a law that states that any new bride will be taken on her wedding night by the English Governor of that district to have sex with her before her husband. The men of Scotland were fed up and decided to rage war against their oppressors, and they asked Wallace to join. Wallace, however, did not want to start a war. He wanted to live in peace even though England continued to steal land and violate the women. He had his eye on a beautiful bride, and that was his goal…ok I know it’s starting to sound like a chick flick but is not…maybe a little.

Wallace looks for a peasant girl by the name of Murron who he loved from when he was a boy. After he woos her, he secretly takes her as his wife. The love they had was obvious, and it caught the attention of one of the guards. Thinking that Wallace was not around, they tried to rape Murron, but as she fought back, William comes to her aid and fights her attackers. The two now try to run to safety and William tell Murron to go ahead as he distracts their pursuers. Murron along the way gets captured where William escapes. She is brought to the center of the village by the English Magistrate and slits her throat for all to see. “An attack on the king’s guards is like an attack on the king himself!” the Magistrate screams out as he kills Murron.

Why Fight When There is No Threat

Now, the very man who wanted nothing to do with war was now ready to make war the moment something precious was taken from him. When word got to William of his wife’s murder, it was not long for him to rally a band of militia, kill dozens of guards, slit the Magistrate’s throat the same way Morrun was killed and burn down the English base. Wallace had now waged war on England.

Why fight when there is no struggle, no danger or threat? William Wallace is an excellent example of stirring up a hornet’s nest. When someone fights for a purpose, they are driven by something outside of their comfort. They could care less what it will cost, the pain, the sacrifice or the discipline needed; they want to be a part of the solution to injustice. Warriors usually fight because something is challenging the existence of something that they find valuable.

Many Christians are like William Wallace in the beginning. They see that the enemy is taking from their fellow believers, but because it doesn’t come to their front door, it means nothing to them; it’s not worth leaving the comfort they have or forsaking the dream they are pursuing. We want to live in peace without conflict, but sometimes real peace comes from conflict.

What is the Definition of Warrior

Can you be labeled a warrior if you’ve never fought? You can have a soldier that never saw battle, but you can’t have a warrior that never saw war. To be a warrior you need experience. That means that struggle has come, wars have been fought, your life is challenged, and you lived to share the story. You are known for overcoming your enemy when the odds were against you. You are known for fighting with and for your fellow soldiers. I wanted to be this kind of warrior; I didn’t want to be the soldier who enlisted but never saw battle.

Once Murron was killed the fight in Wallace came out. What will it take for the fight in you to come out? Are you chasing after something that can’t happen until you’ve strapped on your gear and fight the fight of your life? Do you dream of peace, a life with freedom and victory? Well, some dreams can’t be obtained without removing the things that challenge it. Freedom may not be experienced until you challenge your oppressor and lastly, you can’t have victory without a battle.

Before we go storming into battle, we need to do a few things.

1) Know your enemy. Click to read our article. Don’t rage war on a force without knowing what they are capable of. Everyone is driven by something; you have to know what is driving them.

2) Know your God. As much as we want to allow our strength to determine the end result; the truth remains that God is our shield and strength for times like this. There is no winning a battle for freedom, peace, and victory without getting your God involved.

3) Be willing to leave it all behind to go on the battlefield. There is a reason why soldiers don’t have their families in the trenches with them. Not only will they get hurt but they can be a distraction. There are times when you have to remove all distractions and civilian life to defeat the enemy who has threatened what you love.

Weekly Challenge:

Read Matthew 11:2.  What, in your life, do you need to take by force?  We can not allow the enemy to continue to come in and rob us, destroy what we have built, and not rage war. Think about it and start asking God how to fight back.

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We have worked really hard to talk about the war that Christians are in. We are meant to win every battle set before us but there are many times we get in our way.  What are some things we need to learn in order to never lose another spiritual battle again?  Buy our Book on Amazon to find out.