Are You Fighting Alone?

I love my children.  I have three sons and one daughter.  She is my princess.

My boys are the embodiment of lions, tigers and bears.  I know exactly where the wild things are: in my home!  And I love it!

Now don’t sleep; my daughter can take charge with the command of a high school gym teacher.  But she doesn’t have the rough and tumble aggression of the boys (thank you Jesus!!!)

Most of us will admit that this is not just socialization but a matter of design. 

This warrior nature comes from God.  We were made in His image.  One of the names of God is Mighty Warrior.  


Boys play hard and play to win.  Whether it’s a snowball fight or a basketball game, boys learn the rules, play the parts and enjoy being part of the team.

This is supposed to continue throughout our lives.  But somewhere along the line we get a different idea.  We start thinking we should fight alone.  That may be nice for Rambo but in real life the Christian man should know better.

Are you fighting alone?  Why?  Let me share two reminders.

First, don’t rely on your own wisdom and strength.  God the Holy Spirit is our battle partner.  He will fight through us and with us.  Our Father enjoys dropping his warriors into fight zones they can’t handle without the Spirit of Power!  Why?  Because He gets to glorify His Name and we get to enjoy the power of God in the thick of battle.

Remember King David who wrote, “Praise the LORD, who is my rock.  He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle.”  When Jesus Christ refers to the Holy Spirit as our helper He was using the Greek word paraclete and this is ancient warrior terminology.  Gordon Dalbey writes, “Greek soldiers went into battle in pairs.  So when the enemy attacked, they could draw together back-to-back, covering each other's blind side.  One's battle partner was the paraclete.

This brings me to my second point.  If God the Holy Spirit is our helper, our Paraclete, shouldn’t we imitate God’s example and help another man?

Real warriors don’t fight alone!  Sure there are times our Father will have us to take a stand by ourselves.  Like Joseph saying no to the sexual advances of Potiphar’s wife, or young David facing down Goliath and even Jesus Christ being tested in the wilderness.  Thank God in these times that we have the Holy Spirit.

You may say, "what about a boxer or UFC fighters?  They fight alone?"  Wrong!  The champions don't train alone or go into a fight without coaches and other fighters in their corner.

But real warriors don’t live in isolation.  Real warriors don’t intentionally keep other men at a distance.  Real warriors don’t put up fronts like they have it all together.

Real warriors recognize the call of God to build alongside other men.  This way we protect each other, hold each other accountable and encourage one another to stay the course.

We need the Holy Spirit and genuine brotherhood because we face three enemies: the negativity of our human nature, the fallen world system and demonic forces.  


But I’ll share more next week about the struggle, the grind, the fight that we are in together as Christian men.

• Are you fighting alone?
• How do you think the Holy Spirit helps you?
• Who is in your corner? Do you have a coach? Do you have spiritual training partners?

I would like to hear from you.  Please post your comments below.

Your brother,

Minister Onorio