Now, before you think this is going to be a post on women becoming co-equal to men in their roles as physical and spiritual warriors, I'd like to show you what the Holy Spirit is revealing to me. As I listened to the three men with whom I spent precious time with this last week, I gave thanks to God that they had won their battles against the Enemy; that they had defeated the works of the devil to keep them from their victory in Christ. But the Holy Spirit whispered to me that the attacks of Satan have done tremendous damage to men in our society, and that we women need to get in the fight to spiritually protect our men!
I realize that God designed our half of His creation to be the helpmate and nurturer, but He has given us His authority to use His power, too. And when it comes to defeating the spiritual battles that our men face, then we need to put our armor on and battle beside them.
I received that message loud and clear from the Holy Spirit, and then He began downloading all the tactics that Satan has used to remove our men from their God-given place in the Kingdom. Here are just a few that immediately came to mind: Pornography, Radical Feminism, Pedophilia, Sexual Molestation, and the Welfare System. Think about it ... each of these practices has undermined who God made men to be. Each constricts their identity as Godly men and weakens their relationship with God. They are all effective schemes by Satan to remove men from the spiritual battlefield.
Pornography leads to sexual immorality which disgusts God. It becomes an obsession for men, thereby taking their focus off being holy and changing how they see themselves. Whether they see themselves as unworthy of God [or] above His moral laws; either way they aren't interested in getting on the battlefield.
Pedophilia and Sexual Molestation are among the most wicked of the devil's schemes. I believe that both practices are designed to destroy the spirit of both men and women. But Satan uses it most cruelly among men, attacking their sense of power, control, and confidence -- all of which are needed to be effective Kingdom warriors. And I remember well, the singular voice of Dr. Laura Schlessinger, who in the early 1990's waged a media war against NAMBLA (North American Man/Boy Love Association) who lobbied the public on the notion that children (boys) were sexual beings who should be given rights to have consensual sex with adults. My spirit tells me that when Jesus says, "But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea". That is how strongly Jesus hates these works of the devil.
I also believe the Welfare System is the handiwork of our Enemy, too. It's not hard to see how the last 50 years have destroyed the place of men within the family unit. Coupled with radical feminism, the devil has whispered to women that they don't need men. The Government has replaced the husband and father as the Provider of the family; Science has replaced men as the sperm donor; and the Medical field can even help them get rid of the product of an actual sexual liaison. And all you have to is look at advertising to see how men are celebrated in our culture today. They are being feminized; and the rugged, strong, muscular man has been replaced by the thin, skinny-jean wearing, soft, wimpy guy who likes to watch chick flicks.SIDE NOTE: Would it interest you to know that in Matthew 4:23 and 9:35, that the Bible speaks to this very perception? The Bible says, Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
When recently researching all the Scriptures about the healings done by Jesus, I wondered why there were several instances where "sickness" and "disease" were listed as if they were different entities. Weren't they the same, I asked myself? But a quick look at my Strong's Concordance revealed that "sickness" referred to a malady; an infirmity; while "disease" was defined as softness; bodily weakness; and came from a root word which meant effeminate; not simply of a male who practices forms of lewdness, but persons in general, who are guilty of addiction to sins of the flesh; voluptuous. Interesting, isn't it?
But, now that I have laid out all these methods of the devil to deprive a man of his male role and identity (especially those men who are destined to become spiritual warriors), I am inviting us women to wake up and come to the defense of our men! It is their inherent nature to be warriors, not weakened, ineffective men. We wives and mothers must become warriors in our own right; guarding our sons from predators and social temptations, and fighting in the spiritual realm when our husbands are attacked by the Enemy -- when Satan tries to kill that Warrior Spirit by whispering a lie about who he is. Because when men see themselves through these dirty veils, then they don't see the Light of Jesus in themselves.
As the women in their lives, we can go to battle against these lies and break years-old cycles of bondage in our men; we can let our men know that we are not only a spiritual refuge for them, but we know their true identity, and we are willing to put on our armor and go to battle for them. We can be just like Deborah, the only woman Judge of ancient Israel. She was a simple homemaker; a woman of simple faith, and her role was that of a keeper of the tabernacle lamps. When Israel suffered 20 years under evil King Jabin of Canaan, the men were oppressed by weariness and fear. Deborah burned with indignation at the abuse and injustice heaped upon the men of her nation. She refused to concede to King Jabin and through the authority given to her by God, she waged a military campaign that resulted in 40 years of peace for her nation.
And here is what we modern women need to apply from Deborah's example: Like Deborah, we need to recognize that we are in a spiritual battle for our men. We need to trust God and obey the insight He gives us about the exact struggles and bondage that our men may be experiencing. We need to focus on God as our strength; and we need to exercise the authority and power He has given to us to wage this spiritual battle -- Focus on Him; do not give the Enemy any credibility. Do not be intimidated by the Enemy's tactics and do not compromise with him. Declare in a loud voice that you will not cede ground to him ... that your loved one belongs to Jesus Christ and he (the devil) can't have him! Shout that the enemy has no power over your loved one and that they are sealed by the Holy Spirit with the promise of eternal life! Picture yourself in full armor battling the demons that threaten your son, brother, father, or husband. See yourself tearing down the wall, brick-by-brick, that Satan has erected around them to keep them in captivity. And know that the battle is the Lord's; Jesus is beside you and you have nothing to fear! And last, but not least, we need to tell our men that we see them as Jesus sees them, and nothing less than that. We celebrate their Warrior spirit and have full confidence and trust in them; that there is nothing the devil can do to change who they are in Christ, or in our eyes and hearts. In summary, Deborah is not unique in her leadership role in the Bible. We have plenty of examples of women who displayed courage and a willingness to serve the Kingdom of God. From Mary, the mother of Jesus; to Mary Magdalene, who was given the honor of being the first person to see the risen Christ; to Jael; Judith; Phoebe; Priscilla; Junia; Euodia and Syntyche; the Wise Woman of Abel Beth Maacah in 2 Samuel 20; King Lemuel's mother, whose oracle in Proverbs 31 guided her son; the Shunamite woman in 2 Kings 4; the prophetess Hulda in 2 Chronicles 34; and many more named and unnamed women.
I believe that God has made us women extra-sensitive to the spiritual realm, and that He has given us the strength, courage, and endurance to wage the spiritual battles necessary to support our men and help them to reclaim their identities. I know without a doubt, that I have the authority, and God's Power, to go to battle for the men in my life. I pledge to serve them - and God's Kingdom -- believing and trusting that I can partner with Jesus [in the spiritual realm]. And armed with the strength of God, I will be successful in defeating any oppression coming from Satan. Will you join me in the spiritual war before us, and partner with Jesus to deliver our men from evil? All we have to do is be willing and obedient, and Jesus's victory is ours!
Ezra 10:4 "Stand up, for it is your duty, and we will be with you. Be brave and act."
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