Entering Into God’s Presence

Knowing God Through His Nature & Character (ADJECTIVES) 

God is Warrior

To study and ponder:

• God is referred to as a warrior many times in the scriptures, always the victor.

• The Lord is a warrior; Yahweh is his name. Exodus 15:3

• The Lord your God is going ahead of you. He will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt. Deu 1:30. Also Exo 14:14,1Chr 20:17, 32:7-8, Isa 42:13, Jer 20:1, Zep 3:17

• He is recognized as a hero. The Lord will march forth like a mighty hero; he will come out like a warrior, full of fury. He will shout his battle cry and crush all his enemies. Isaiah 42:13

• In your majesty, ride out to victory, defending truth, humility, and justice. Go forth to perform awe-inspiring deeds! Psa 45:4

• But the LORD stands beside me like a great warrior. Before him my persecutors will stumble. They cannot defeat me.They will fail and be thoroughly humiliated... Je. 20:11

• In the Old Testament God regularly fought for His people, winning impossible battles (Gideon and Hezekiah), sending hornets (Exo 23:28), hail (Exo 9), confusion (Josh 10:10) Usually, the people just had to show up to the battle, trust God, do whatever He asked them to do, then they would see victory.

• Jesus is our warrior King. His zeal was evident as he cleansed the temple (Mar 11:15-17). He warred against Satan’s mission to “kill, steal and destroy”(Joh10:10) with LIFE, healed, freed & raised people from the dead. He protected his mother while He hung on the cross (Joh19:26-7)

• Jesus is a victorious conqueror over the enemy & death, enabling us to live in victory.

• ...Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. John 16:33

• “Death has been swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? ... But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1Corinthians 15:55,57 (Hos 13:14, Rom 8:35-37, Isa 25:8)

• Meditate on what this victory will be like! Philippians 3:21, 1 Co 15:51-52

• Jesus will return as a warrior king, His eyes like blazing fire, with crowns on his head and his word like a sharp sword. He will be riding a white horse, ready for battle, with all the armies of heaven following him, unstoppable and unable to be defeated! (Rev 19:11-16) This return will not be a secret event, it will be the most amazing, incredible, powerful, overwhelming, startling, remarkable, astonishing, marvellous, wonderful and astounding event in human history! Believers marvel at His return. (2Thessalonians 1:10)

• Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. Rev 19:11

The enemy

• Paul identifies the enemy as evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, .... mighty powers in this dark world, ... evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

• God “is at war against, and will be victorious over, all that is evil and harmful to his creation”. Greg Wiley Beholding the Beauty of God. (Revelation 12:7-11)

• The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 1 John 3:8b

His people are warriors.

• There is an inbuilt desire to defend loved ones, protect property and territory, and destroy that which is evil, harmful and threatening(especially in men). We may not fight physical battles but all fight/wrestle against temptations, the flesh, the world and unseen forces of darkness.

• As Jesus’ followers we are to understand that we are a part of bringing His kingdom on earth now, and will be a part of establishing His kingdom on earth after His return- battles that we are to be trained, equipped and ready for.

• Praise the Lord, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle. He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my rescuer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in him. He makes the nations submit to me. Psa 144:1-2

• May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10 (Also Matthew 11:12)

• Together they will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because he is Lord of all lords and King of all kings. And his called and chosen and faithful ones will be with him. Revelation 17:14

• Ephesians 6:14-18 describes the armor (belt of truth,breastplate of righteousness, shoes of readiness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation) and weapons(sword of His word, prayer) that God gives us for the battles.

• keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. 2Peter 1:11b

• God’s prophetic words help Timothy fight well, and he is told to cling to [his] faith in Christ, and keep [his] conscience clear. 1Ti 1:18-19. Faithfulness and integrity wins.

• I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, & I have remained faithful. 2Ti 4:7

• God wants us to recognize our need to rely on HIM as the One who fights for us.

• Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. Ephesians 6:10-11

• The best-equipped army cannot save a king, nor is great strength enough to save a warrior. Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—for all its strength, it cannot save you. But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love. ... We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. Psalm 33:16-18, 20 (Also Psalm 9:9; 28:7; 35:1-3; 37:39-40; 62:6)

• In the Old Testament God’s people were commanded to war against and destroy peoples and nations who would not accept God’s truth, living evil, harmful lives. However in the New Testament God’s people are instructed to fight the ideas, rather than the persons.

• God’s people use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons,(2Co 10:4a), following God’s strategy to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning .. to destroy false arguments & to capture their rebellious thoughts (2Co 10:4-5)

• God’s people are to communicate with God-given wisdom, dependent on Christ’s mighty empowering. (Colossians 1:28-29)

• Education is often the arena where the war is most fiercely waged for the hearts and minds of the emerging generation. In this light we need to head carefully Paul’s words: “We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.

Memory/Meditation verses

Lower Grades: We put our hope in the LORD. He is our help and our shield. Psalm 33:20 (NLT)

The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise him—my father’s God, and I will exalt him! The Lord is a warrior; Yahweh is his name!   Exodus 15:2-3 (NLT)

Middle Grades: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. Ephesians 6:10-11 (NLT)

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12  (NLT)

Upper Grades: Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns.  Revelation 19:11-12a  (NLT)

We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.  2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NLT)