I know not many deep thoughts come from the young lady we all know as Brittany Kate Owens, but with the help of the Lord, I'm gonna try to relay what He has laid on my heart!!!!
I wonder if the United States treated thier wounded the way the church did, if we would even be the United States???
In the United States Army, if a camrade falls beside a partner, in most cases, they will be picked up and carried to safety. Why? Because those warriors understand they are all fighting for the same purpose... my ? is, why is this concept so often forgotten in the church?
Why when we see someone fall spiritually, we assume they are dead?? If I'm not mistaken, the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in dispair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down but not destroyed;" It also says WE not they, not I, but WE which means WE are in this thing together! When it says "cast down but not destoryed;" it is still refering to WE, which tells me, We are all going to fall at some point but it's the grace of God that allows us to get back up or God that allows someone to reach us!
In so many instances, when someone slips out of church, we get so caught up in the battle, we don't even realize our fallen comrade, or if we do, we simply move on. Our brothers and sisters are fighting the same battle we are, so why do we constantly leave them if/when they fall behind and in some instances, we are the ones who stick a foot out in front them and trip them up??? The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 9:11 "I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all." Time and chance happen to us all, but we have to be willing to get back and help up our fallen warriors and keep going so that we may finish this race. A great friend of mine wrote this concerning the people we see, "Do we see a hungry soul, or do we see a person with old clothes and a dingy smell? Do we see a terrified mind seeking refuge, or do we see a tattooed youth with a troubling facade?" This can be anyone, and in either case, whether it be a sinner that has never heard of God or a fallen brother or sister that is looking for someone to reach out a hand.
I have several friends who have backslid or are not where they need to be in God, and God is still looking for someone to reach out a hand, pick them up, dust them off, put the sword back in their hand and continue to fight by thier side!!! We can not afford to leave our fallen brothers and sisters!!!!!! We also cannot be the ones who kick them when they're down (gossiping about them, pointing out their faults [btw, we're not perfect either], ignoring them, walking away from them), but we need to pick them up and yes, sumtimes, we will have to carry them. Yes, I'm just as guilty as the next person, but it's time for us to WAKE UP... there is a real world out there that is dying and we want to go reach them, and leave our own warriors (some that can probably reach the ppl you cant) on the battlefield wounded. This is just a thought, but what's going to happen to the new souls we reach if they fall and we wouldn't even go back to pick up the ones who have been fighting before them?!?
It's time to wake up guys!!!!!!!!!!!
Those same brothers and sisters that are laying on the ground are waiting for someone to help them!!! They may be the very ones who have to pick you up and carry you when you fall down yourself. If you don't pick them up, whose going to pick you up??? We're all fighting the same enemy, he just uses different tactics on all of us.
1 Chronicles says 16:22 "Saying, Touch not mine anointed and do my prophets no harm." So let me be quick to say this, just because a fellow comrade falls, be careful how quick you rise up against them, because if they are anointed, you may be the one who is danger.
God has commanded each and every one of us and is preparing us to fight. Psalm18:34 says "He teacheth my hands to war, so that the bow of steal is broken in my arms." Psalm 144:1 "Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:"
2 Corinthians 10:4 "(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;)" So many times our comrades are fighting spiritual battles with carnal minds, and they dont understand the difference. This is where intercessory comes into play. If we are going to effectively intercede for our fellow warriors, we can't be the ones to turn a blind eye and act like we didn't see them fall. (That's just was the enemy wants) The intercessors must also know the difference- for spiritual battles can not be fought in the carnal mind and we as warriors have got to get into the spiritual mindset in order to pray the way we need to for our fallen borthers and sisters so that strongholds over them may be broken.
Psalm 18:39"For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me." God has already promised victory in the battle. Sometimes in my own life I have told friends that I feel like God is giving me just enough strength to take one more step. I have no right to use that strength to pass by one of my fallen brothers and sisters. God has promised strength in the battle. Psalm 140:7 "O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle." We, as children of the most high God, will recieve strength but also posses a covering over us. We are all equal which means that same covering and strength you have over you, your fellow warrior beside you has as well. Who knows if that extra bit of strength we get, was just enough to pick up the fallen one beside us and carry them for a ways.
Prov 21:31 "The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord." Psalm 127:4-5 "As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." This gives us power. The enemy may come and knock us and our fellow warrios to our knees, but God has given us power over the enemy... not just over them but to power to act like nothing is wrong even when they are at our doorsteps.
Micah 7:8 says, "Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me."
In closing, we are all going to fall sometimes, because we are all fighting the same enemy, it's what we do when we fall, and what we do when our brothers and sisters fall. We can't pretend like nothing happen, because they have souls to reach just like we do!
