Developing the Heart of a Warrior Psalms 27:1-14
We started this series the week before Mother’s day and I want to pick up where I left off by saying, the heart determines everything that you and I really are.
As believer’s we have not been called to be problem starters but problem solvers.
We’ve been called to be intercessors, gap-standers, conquerors, warriors of faith.
That’s why Paul constantly reminds us that our daily walk, as believer’s, is through a battleground.
LISTEN what I’m about to say, you can take to the bank.
If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, the enemy will be waging war against you.
He desires to bring you/me down. He wants nothing more than to destroy our faith and confidence, and to shatter our hopes and dreams and ultimately to defeat us.
I know this happens because, when God began to move in EBC a couple months ago, the enemy began attacking me physically, attacking my family and even sending others to attack my testimony.
This is where the heart of a warrior comes into play.
If, in the very depths of your soul, beats the heart of a warrior, you will be prepared for whatever may come your way.
King David was a veteran of many physical wars, as well as many spiritual wars.
David knew how to engage the enemy and was determined to be victorious.
Turn your Bibles to our text, for today, Psalm 27.
I believe, David is a prime example of developing the heart of a warrior and there are a number of lessons we can learn from this Psalm.
The first thing I want you to see is, developing the heart of a warrior begins by:
1. Placing our focus on our God, Not on our Fear.
A. David begins with a strong declaration: READ verse 1, with me.
Max Lucado shares the story of a parakeet named Chippie, who has had a very bad day.
Here’s how it all began.
Chippie’s owner decided to clean his cage… with a vacuum cleaner. She was almost finished when the phone rang, so she turned around to answer it. Before she knew it, Chippie was gone.
In a panic she ripped open the vacuum bag and there was Chippie, covered in all manner of things one would find in a vacuum cleaner bag, and poor Chippie was gasping for air.
She rushed him to the bathroom, shoved him under the faucet and washed the dirt away. Suddenly she realizes that Chippie is cold and wet so she reached for the hair dryer!
Poor Chippie never knew what hit him.
His owner was asked a few days later how he was recovering.
"Well", she replied, "Chippie doesn’t sing much anymore. He just sits and stares."
Have you ever felt like that? One minute you’re singing praises, and the next you’re caught up in a whirlwind of stress. Life sucks you up into its vortex and just when you think you’ve recovered from one storm another storm begins to blows in.
What should you do? Well you can do 1of 2 things.
1. You can be like Chippie the parakeet and let your fear steal your song/joy.
2. You can develop the heart of a warrior, refusing to let your song die.
This can only be accomplished when we focus on… who God is… how great He is, and what He means to us.
He is our light… He is our salvation and because of Him, NO enemy can take God’s salvation from us!
B. Look at verses 2, 3, David says that spiritual warfare requires confidence.
Confidence not in our own strength and abilities but in God, in His strength, HIS abilities and His power.
When we focus on God the enemy will always stumble and fall BUT when we lose our focus and the enemy to cause us to fear, we lose precious ground in our spiritual battle. Because fear causes us to back away instead of standing strong or moving forward…
BUT David, the veteran warrior for God, knew the secret to winning the fear game was to focus completely on his God and not on his fear. We need to be confident in God’s strength and not our own.
Next, a warrior’s heart is strengthened as we learn to:
2. Practice Unbroken Fellowship with God.
A. Look at verse 4: When David says "all the days of my life" he is talking about having a constant and intimate relationship with God.
He is not talking about coming to God only when we’re in trouble but staying in constant, unbroken, fellowship with Him!
B. Look at verse 5. Why did David have assurance in times of trouble?
Because before trouble ever got to him, he had been training to be a confident warrior of Almighty God and he knew that he was safe in the arms of his God.
Take good look at me. My friend, Frankie Humphrey, has set up “Tiger Trot 5k run” at Wilson High School. What do you think would happen if I showed up on May 21st to participate in a 5k RUN? [Approx. 3miles]
I mean can’t I just show and do my training during the race?
One of the greatest mistakes you can make in spiritual warfare is to wait until you’re in the battle to train for the fight.
My father always told me, “Son, you better not throw the first punch. BUT you BETTER throw the last one.” How many of you heard that, growing up?
Ladies, gentlemen, boys and girls…If you let the devil throw the first punch, he will knock you out! You and I MUST train BEFORE the battle ever begins and we must throw the first punch!
C. Look at verses 6-7: David didn’t just show up when he felt like it. A major part of his life was worshiping in God’s house! David was an excellent warrior for God because he was faithful to the house of God. He was not a fair-weather follower but dedicated to God and to His temple. Not only that, he brought his needs before God on regular basis not just when he was in trouble
The 21st Century believer is losing the battle in this area.
D. Look at verses 8-10: When David cried out to God - God answered him.
Notice what God’s answer was "Seek my face" and David immediately replied, "That’s exactly what I will do then.”
God never asks us to seek the things of this world. He asks us to seek His face. He wants more than anything to have a real and personal relationship with you.
God desires closeness and even when those closest to you reject you God desires to spend time with you.
The key to victory in spiritual battle is a consistent, unbroken, relationship.
Do you walk with God face to face, or is your relationship with God "on and off"?
I want to challenge you to strive for consistency and make worship a priority.
The 3rd thing I want to show is the defining step of a true warrior is:
3. Learning to travel on a straight path.
A. Look at verse 11: Very little is said today about the value of morality. It is not even politically correct to say that one way of life is "good" and another is not, that one action is "moral" and another is not.
Traditional values in society have been torn down in the name of fairness and tolerance.
This has also led to weakness in spiritual warfare as the enemy tries to convince us that our values are outdated or "intolerant". As Christians, our desire must be the straight path.
B. Look at verse 12: When you live a morally upright life, people will be cruel to you.
They will falsely accuse you of being "holier than thou" BUT you trust in the Lord for patience and protection. You want to get famous on social media, at school or work? Try living for Jesus and do or say something that makes someone mad and watch how they will attack your Christianity…We see it every day, as men/women are viciously attacked and accused of being imposters. What amazes me is the very things they accuse you of being are the very things they do on a daily basis. But see they aren’t trying to live for the Lord…
C. Look at verse 13: “I would have lost heart, if it had not been for seeing the goodness of God all around me.”
God is a good and loving God who will reveal to you His goodness in your time of need.
There is a "good" and "right" way to live and there is a "wrong" way to live.
Those who teach moral relativism may try to erase the lines between right and wrong but we as believers know there is a difference between right and wrong.
D. Look at verse 14: The only way we can overcome society’s demand to compromise is to follow David’s advice here in verse 14.
We must look to the LORD, not to society around us for our guidelines for what is right and wrong. If we wait to see which way the moral winds are blowing we will be lost at sea.
Can I ask you something? Do you have that warrior’s heart? Are you winning life’s battles? Take some solid advice from the veteran warrior, David.
Make the adjustments the Word of God calls for and you WILL be victorious.
Disclaimer: Not necessarily all original material. Some material contained in my sermons may be gleaned from other sermons, such as this one from Dan Anderson.
