Transformed to transform

Change must first begin within a person. A warrior knows that before he can change the world, he must first be changed. He must first be broken into little pieces and be made whole again from the inside out--a restructuring that is non-negotiable so that only what is essential will remain.

A warrior is transformed to transform.

Two things

Bravery and Courage. 

These two are a warrior's code of living. A true warrior never ceases to be brave even when circumstances are against him. He goes beyond his fear or timidity for he knows that he is made with sterner stuff.

He takes courage even in the face of great difficulty because he knows that the battle is the Lord's, not his. He believes that even a great army cannot trample on his mission because the mission has already been accomplished long before when the King said "it is finished"--a warrior only needs to act upon this victory.

We are an army marching to the battlefield on behalf of the Great King's victory.

No way but up!

A true warrior believes that growing up and going up is the only place to go. A warrior is not content with what he has, but he uses what he has to go further, to soar higher, and to dive deeper. Courage, dear warriors!

Faith is a verb!

Have you ever wondered why it's so hard to progress from faith to actually living by it? You see, when faith is just a concept in the head and not a practice of the hand, we tend to discredit the fact that faith should move a person into action. 

And when we don't realize that faith is actually a matter of action and not just of intuition, that it's a matter of practice and not just a hypothesis, that it is doctrine converting itself into discipline--when faith is not like this, then we will remain to be what other people label Christians as apathetic, or worse, delusional. 

We don't want that. So it's now time to walk the talk. And though it couldn't be more true that what it already is, the Gospel gets more real when it gets into people being transformed in real life. When theology meets real life and the message is passed clearly that it's all about hope and the possibility of being new, that's when faith brings impact.

Faith is a verb. And in the Christian language, there's no such thing as passive verb.

A Warrior And His Defeats

It's never going to be easy. A warrior's commitment is not just to win one battle--it is a series of battles that will be fought in many different battlefields. There will be battles that require less attention than necessary, and there will be those that require everything that is necessary for victory. There will be those battles that will confront us when we are most unprepared--but the warrior's task is to embrace it with courage and dignity no matter the cost.

And battles will cost something. It's always been that way. Defeats will cost hope, confidence, strength, and testimony. Defeats will intimidate us, shake us, and slow us down. But it will also give important lessons, valuable experiences, and big opportunities for growth. To a warrior, defeats are meant to strengthen his resolve and enrich his spirit. Defeats of different scope and magnitude will always push a warrior to seek for truth and clarity, they will lead him to innovate, recreate all for the sake of redemption. Defeats make him a better warrior. 

Defeats are never the end. They are the beginning of something you can do again this time better. Fight!