Welcome to Guest Post month at The MOB Society! Today’s post come from Alissa Goble, Army wife, mother of two and currently in process to adopt. Please welcome her!
I remember the days we first brought our boys home from the hospital. They were so little, sweet and innocent. In the years between those first days and today, I have spent a lot of time striving to ensure their best and have spent countless hours trying to preserve their childlike kindness and keep their tender hearts at the forefront. I am beginning to realize, however, that while those are worthy pursuits for my sons and protection of their hearts is one of my job duties, the great reality is that I need to be raising warriors.
That’s right, warriors. I must choose to live in the certainty that even at their tender ages of four and five years old, the Lord is calling them to battle and He needs them to be ready. Am I ready and more importantly, am I willing to raise them up as soldiers for the Kingdom of heaven?
War is not new or foreign to God. Just read a bit of the Old Testament and watch how intimately He was involved in the planning and execution of battles. His need for warriors is nothing new and clashes on His behalf are as old as the days of Adam and Eve. The Bible speaks of numerous battles where the Lord showed up, guided, directed and uniquely planned the attacks. In fact in Zephaniah 3:17, God Himself is described as a warrior, “The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior.” To raise Godly men in the image of the Creator, I must prepare them for battle. They must be ready.
Here’s the reality: we need men who will fight for healthy, forever marriages, for life-giving parenting, for genuine, authentic relationships and for the Lord and His values. All of these things are under attack; are we training up our little boys to be men of strength in adversity, men of character, men of love and honor, men who are warriors unafraid to fight for what is right and true?
I have spent many a day wondering where my boys get their love for swords, wrestling, crashing and smashing from. I now think it is the beginning of God preparing them for battle; to not be afraid of the clashes in life.
Living a life for Christ is not easy and we must prepare our children to stand strong in the midst of the battle. We must teach them to stand up for the Lord in the face of challenge and possibly ridicule. We must teach them to be strong enough to confidently live a life that goes against the flow.
We must teach our sons to put on the armor of God and we must teach them why they need it (Eph. 6:10-18). It is our job to help them understand the reality of the enemy (1 Peter 5:8). There is a battle and we/they must stand trained and ready.
These are scary words to my protective Mama’s heart. I want them to stay cute and cuddly and innocent, but the Lord is calling them to boldness; He is calling them to service in His army. Our job is to prepare them and to trust that the Lord will be their rearguard protecting them and their pillar of fire leading them. We must also be confident that we know the Victor of this battle, “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him…Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come” (Rev. 12:9-10).
Hallelujah, God wins! I am so glad that as we send our boys out into the world, to their own battles on behalf of the Lord, that we know who comes out on top. But, we must do all we can to train our boys up to be ready to face the enemy with the armor and character of God and we, as their moms must try to be unafraid and battle on our knees in prayer on their behalf.
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Alissa Goble is a daughter of the King, humbled by His love every single day. She’s a mom to two boys, and has the privilege to stay home with them full-time.Alissa is also an Army wife and she and her husband are in the process of adopting a child or children in need of a loving, forever family!
Throughout the month of November, we want to thank you, our faithful readers, for sticking by us as we worked through the rebuild of our site. In addition to giveaways, we are also thankful to our contributor, Franchesca Cox of Small Bird Studios, for providing free printables that we can share with you. Enjoy, and thank you for your support!
“To not be afraid of the clashes in life.” I love that thought! Thank you for your thoughtful post-I see the warrior spirit in my sons and I know that God will use that for good!