No One Ever Taught Me This!

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Via The Joshua Commission

“And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭37‬-‭38‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“No one has ever taught me this!” It was surprising when I heard this from a man I considered a pillar of the church. I spent most of my life in or around church, and while I had a lot to learn I also thought I knew a lot.  Now this older man who was way more faithful than me was saying he had missed something. So what was it?

The morning I heard these words my friend and I were with a small group of men testing out what we thought was just a new Bible study.  It was pretty basic stuff.  We were learning what felt like a middle schoolers quiet time method.  After a few weeks of practicing these daily times of getting in God's word for 15 minutes or so several times a week my friend says these words.  What was happening? 

We asked him and this is what he said.  “For 50 years I have had a morning time with God.  I read a daily devotional, I look up the scripture referenced, I pray for my family, church and country.  All this a good time with God, right?  But what I’ve realized doing these simple “quiet times” where it is just me, God and the scripture, is that all these years I have been reading the devotional writers “quiet time” but nobody taught me how to have my own.”  This was a turning point for me and eventually for many of us who write these Battle Orders. The God of the universe, our commander, wants a deep, abiding, personal relationship with us.  He wants to give us our daily marching orders and provisions personally (sometimes we call it “daily bread”).  If we want to operate in His image we have to learn to go to him personally.  

We hope and pray that our Daily Battle Orders point you to the King but they are not enough. We pray that the times we gather on battlefields draw into relationships with other men who want to be Kingdom men. But, you need to learn to go to the King personally, one on one.  Learn to listen to Him through his Word and to take your praise, questions and confessions to Him daily.  Ask Him for your personal direction in your roles as Warrior, lover, teacher and king.  Then get to work.

Check out EveryManAWarrior.com if you want a simple but challenging tool to help you learn the skills to meet the King in this personal way.

THE KINGDOM MAN’S CREED

I am a Kingdom Man. I am created by God to bear His image. I am a son and viceroy for my Fathers work. I am a warrior, lover, teacher and king.

I am a Kingdom Man. Like Joshua, I will be strong and courageous. I will train my mind and body for the battles to come. I will discipline my heart, eyes and tongue to be steadfast and faithful to the calling on my life.

I am a Kingdom Man. If a husband, I love and serve my wife, if a father, a loving father to my children. I will love and lead them as Christ loves the Church. If a brother, uncle, guardian, mentor or friend, I will give honor in all of my relationships. I will lead, teach, correct and train in the spirit of righteousness.

I am a Kingdom Man. I am called to break down barriers and free others from strongholds. I am a Peace Maker. My armor is Truth, Righteousness, Grace and Humility. I will stand in the gap for my neighbor to defend gospel justice for the marginalized. 

I am a Kingdom Man. God is my provider. He has given me gifts and talents to exemplify Him with the work of my hands. I will work with diligence and excellence. My labor will be honest and its fruits purposeful.

I am a Kingdom Man with a Kingdom vision. Commissioned by Christ. My life is the Father’s. I am intentional. I will grow in my faith, be consistent in my actions and leave a legacy worthy of the race I have run.

I AM a Kingdom Man!