“I not fixed yet, but I’m waaayyyy more dangerous.”
This was one of the most memorable testimonials from one of our Band of Brothers Boot Camps. This particular man had a profound experience during the weekend, but knew that he was on a journey of increasing restoration, healing and freedom.
He hadn’t arrived yet. In fact, he knew he would never “arrive” this side of heaven. However, he knew that in the midst of his brokenness and imperfection he could still do some damage to the forces of evil in the spirit realm.
We seem to sometimes think that we have to be perfect in order to be effective warriors in the battle to see God’s Kingdom come and His will be done in us and through us. Or perhaps more accurately, we think that we have to at least be better men than we are currently in order to fight well against the enemy.
I remember years ago commenting to a close friend that I didn’t feel like I could step into a certain area of ministry until I knew my motives were pure. He very quickly indicated that my motives would never be pure this side of heaven, and God knew that full well. He can refine my motives in the midst of my service. The penny dropped and I realized that the Lord delights in working with broken and flawed people. In fact, that is all He has to work with.
We have an enemy who is very effective at convincing us that we cannot effectively fight him unless we are better men than we are. It’s quite ingenious really: convince the army that has the authority to live in the victory that Jesus has won on our behalf that we can’t really fight against our enemy to get hold of that victory until we are better men.
And so we don’t. We stay imprisoned by guilt and shame.
Crazy.
The Truth is, we are weak, foolish, broken, sinful men who Jesus has called to embrace the strength, wisdom, healing, forgiveness and freedom He has for us. And, in doing so, we fight against the enemy of our soul who would convince us of anything other than that. We are called to fight against the strategy of the enemy in our lives, and on behalf of those in our sphere of influence and authority, to pull down the lies of the enemy and see the Truth of God’s Kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy become increasingly evident in our lives.
Yes you are broken. Yes you are weak. Yes you are a sinner. Big deal – that’s who Jesus came for. That’s who Jesus came to transform – over the course of your lifetime. You will never arrive this side of heaven. You will always be in process.
You can get in the game. you can get in the fight. You are not disqualified.
Here is what qualifies you to be in the army of God:
Your sin doesn’t disqualify you, it actually qualifies you to get in the fight. Jesus came for sinners, not the healthy.
There is only one thing that will disqualify you:
Pride.
Pride will isolate you, stop you from opening up to others who can fight alongside you, and stop you from repenting and experiencing the life of Christ. Pride will keep you alone and in the dark with your sin, which leads to guilt and shame, which leads to timidity, apathy, complacency, hopelessness and defeat.
Pride will kill you if you let it, but the reality is you don’t have to let it. You can choose to open up to other men. You can choose to walk in the light. You can choose to repent. You can choose to believe that Jesus came for the broken, weak, foolish sinners – you qualify!
We will never be fixed this side of heaven, but we can be way more dangerous if we step into the Truth in the midst of our brokenness.
Fight.
Matthew 9:13
“…for I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
I Corinthians 1:27
“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
I Peter 5:5, 6
“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”
Acts 3:19
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”
Mark 1:15
“The time has come,” He said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”