One of my favorite Bible characters is David. This was a man who had an adulterous affair with Bath-Sheba which he tried to cover up with murder. A man with critical flaws and weaknesses; a man whose firstborn son raped his half-sister, no punishment or restitution was demanded.

David’s camp was invaded, his wives and soldiers were taken captive, and his wealth and possessions …plundered. The Bible clearly portrays David as a serious sinner who was continually pursued by enemy troops his entire life.

You may wonder why a seemingly sinful, unworthy man would be my favorite Bible character.  I can answer in three words: His Warrior Spirit. He had a fighting spirit that rose up during times of trouble.  He didn’t wait for God to conveniently rescue and comfort him; quite the contrary. Instead David approached God knowing any victory in conquering his enemy and reclaiming his joy meant putting his faith in action.

“So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?”  And He (God) answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all. (1 Sam 30:8)”In scripture, God refers to David as ‘a man after His own heart’. I believe God gave David favor because he sought forgiveness and willing sought redemption. Even then, he wasn’t exempt from weaknesses or enemy attacks.

There were times when God told David to “pursue”, and he hesitated, times when God said “run”, and he would hide. Not unlike us, when called to action, his warrior spirit didn’t always surface. But one thing is certain; David was keenly aware that every victory over his enemy was due to God’s enduring mercy.

Like David, we all experience brokenness, hurt and loss. Indifference can keep us chained to our past. It’s easy to develop an attitude of, “I guess this is what I deserve” or embrace a ‘woe is me’ attitude. But God has called us to fight to the victory and He has equips us with the weapons needed for our (spiritual) warfare. God is more than willing, more than able, to help us in our battles if we are obedient to his Word and move forward in faith.

Don’t expect God to bring victory when your focus is on defeat.  He expects ours prayers to be aligned with action. As he puts us in a strategic position for victory and change, he expects us to exercise faith.

“…let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:12)”

Is there a warrior spirit that stirs within you? Do you have a spirit like David that cries out in times of trouble and seeks the mercies and forgiveness of God? Or, do you lack resolve and hope God will magically rescue you from the consequences of your choices?

It is when we admit we are weak and powerless to help ourselves that God incites a warrior spirit within us. David’s moments of weakness were followed with humble repentance. When we are honest with God, we experience restoration and our soul is delivered from the misery of sin and are empowered to overtake the enemy.

“If Lord Jehovah had not been a helper to me, before a little while my soul would have dwelt in misery!” (Psalm 94:17)