WARRIORS NEED REST TOO
For those of us who are fighters, what’s more thrilling than winning a battle against the enemy of God’s people? Not much, right? And yet Jesus tells us in Luke 10 that there is something even more spectacular.
“And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, Behold, I give unto you power over all the power of the enemy. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:17-20).
What does that mean? Well, for one thing, there will be no more battles to fight in heaven! Everyone who’s born again has true peace and joy to look forward to, forever.
Revelation 21:4 tells us: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
And Isaiah 65:25 paints a beautiful picture for those of us who are animal lovers: “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock.” In the Bible, there was a donkey who talked to a prophet, so many of us believe that in heaven, animals will be able to talk too and what stories they will tell!
According to our Lord, heaven is something we as Christians need to focus on at least as much as we focus on fighting those battles.
It’s dangerous to be a warrior without taking time to revel in the hope of heaven.
If we spend most of our time getting all hyped up over the battles, what about when there are no more battles? If we’ve not practiced just being happy in the Lord’s presence, we might not know what to do with all the free time. Seriously.
We’ve all seen that happen to some retired people. They work, and work, and work and don’t take the time to find out how to relax. Then when they retire, they feel like they have nothing left to do. Let’s not be like that.
King David of the Bible was a warrior, and yet his psalms are salted with verses where he is basking in the hope of heaven. Look at Psalm 16:8-9: “I have set the Lord always before me: Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.” Psalm 119:114 and 116: “Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word. Let me not be ashamed of my hope.”
And lastly: “Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God” (Ps. 146:5).
It’s no secret that the world’s in a mess and we are the ones letting God work in us to fight against Satan for the health, deliverance, and blessing of God’s people. But let’s take at least equal time to be happy in the Lord, focusing on the great hope of what He says about heaven. It’s what Jesus said we should do.
It wouldn’t even be a bad idea for us to memorize those two verses about heaven or write them down and carry them around for a while (Rev. 21:4 and Isa. 65:25). With all the negatives that bombard us each week, I think it might help us if we can also take a little time to focus on heaven.
Love, Carolyn
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