NOTE: I am human. Any discrepancies between what I have written and the Word of God are a direct result of my humanness. God is perfect; I am not.
So, why must we be warriors of God? Certainly, this is a complex question, one that requires much thought and prayer. The first point of critical importance is how to define a warrior of God.
A warrior of God is one who enters into a state of complete submission to the authority and will of the Lord God Almighty. Essentially, a warrior of God is to be an instrument through which God can carry out His will on Earth. God is capable of defending Himself, this is true--but God uses His people to do so. If a warrior of God is compelled to defend the Lord, it is only because the Holy Spirit which dwells in him has led him to do so.
It is important, then, that we become warriors of God because the Spirit of God can work powerfully through those in whom it resides.
The next question that arises with regard to becoming a warrior of God is also complex, but much simpler to answer: what are the duties of a warrior of God?
Now, of course, no one is perfect; we will all fail from time to time. However, as a warrior of God, one must strive to emulate Christ in all that he or she does. To be a warrior, one must be disciplined, focused, and dedicated to the Lord. He or she must have a heart for God and a desire, ultimately, to serve Him. Warriors of God must submit to the authority of Christ and seek to obey, as closely as possible, the laws which He has set before us. Most importantly, though, a warrior must be in constant communication with the Lord and must study tirelessly the Word of God, the warrior's greatest weapon.
The next item of consequence is that which pertains to the title of this post--the Warrior's Creed (Remember that, even as my intentions are good, I am still a man, and as this is not directly from the mouth of God, it can never be perfect.):
I am a warrior of God.
My purpose is to serve God,
to submit to His authority,
and to be used by Him
as an instrument of His will.
I believe, first and foremost,
that it is only through
the death and resurrection
of Jesus Christ, my Lord,
that I can be saved.
Therefore, because of His love and mercy,
because He made the ultimate sacrifice,
I am permanently indebted to Him.
I am bound to serve Him
because He first saved me.
A warrior is nothing without armor.
Therefore, I must put on the full armor of God
each and every day--the belt of Truth, the shoes of peace,
the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith,
the sword of the Spirit, which is His Word, and the helmet of salvation.
As a warrior of God, I dedicate myself
to the Lord and to His will.
In dedication to His will,
I strive to obey Him at all costs
and to emulate His Son, Jesus, in all I do.
I seek to pray without ceasing
that His will might always be made clear.
Most importantly, I commit myself
to the study of His Word
so that I may draw closer to Him.
Lord, let Your will, not mine, be done.
I leave you with one final thought. While as warriors of God, we are fighting against everything evil, both Satan and sin, in order to emulate Christ, we must approach sinners with a different attitude. As the common Christian saying goes, "We must hate the sin, but love the sinner." This does not mean we allow the sinner to continue in sin; it simply means that we treat the sinner with love, just as Jesus would have done. Everyone sins. Even warriors can be caught with their armor off. So why should we judge a person by their actions? Yes, we must hate the sin, but it is critical that all people feel God's love. We must condemn ONLY the sin.
Bible Verses/Passages That Influenced "The Warrior's Creed":
Eph. 6:10-18
1Th. 5:17
Rom. 5:6-11
Luke 22:42
