Like every other person I know, there are bits of myself that I don’t like too much.  I can do with a few less calories every day, a smaller dress size, all the regular “girls stuff” that we ladies torture ourselves with.  But…truth be told, my love handles are not the biggest issue for me.  What has plagued me more than anything else, what had caused me more sleepless nights than calorie counting, is that I am feisty.  There, I have admitted it publicly.  I just love a good fight.  Not that it would come as a surprise to anyone who has spent more than a couple of days with me.

I have prayed, even begged the Lord to make me meek – by myself I’ve not had much success.  If it’s true that the meek shall inherit the earth, I’m getting squat.  I have tried really, really hard to contain myself, to bite my tongue, to be girly, gentle and mild-mannered.  It has been of no use, I still cannot back down from a fight.

Every time I hear a message about God’s plan for our lives, how He made us to be exactly as we are, I wonder if just maybe, He went on vacation when my personality was dished out and let archangel Michael do the honors.  How can I, being such a fighter, be at all useful to the Lord?  I’ve probably done more damage to Jesus’ reputation by being so hotheaded, than I have helped to extend the kingdom.

But that was before Zechariah 10:3b “ For the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has arrived to look after Judah, his flock. He will make them strong and glorious, like a proud warhorse in battle”. This is now officially my new favorite verse.

In the book of Job, the Lord speaks to Job and asks him many questions.  He asks Job ^“Are you the one who gave the horse his prowess and adorned him with a shimmering mane? Did you create him to prance proudly and strike terror with his royal snorts? He paws the ground fiercely, eager and spirited, then charges into the fray. He laughs at danger, fearless, doesn’t shy away from the sword. The banging and clanging of quiver and lance don’t faze him. He quivers with excitement, and at the trumpet blast races off at a gallop. At the sound of the trumpet he neighs mightily, smelling the excitement of battle from a long way off, catching the rolling thunder of the war cries. Job 39:19-25 MSG  All this talk of battle really excites me.  Weird for a girl, I know, but great for the season we are in.  God knew exactly what He was doing after all.

I’ve done some reading up about the warhorse and what I found had been a revelation.  You see, warhorses were identified from young, trained by master trainers, highly valued and invaluable in battle.  Warhorses were classified in different weights, used for different purposes.  Lighter horses were prized for their agility, speed and endurance, ridden over long distances, taking the generals right to the battle front.  The heavier horses were saved for the full-on assault of the enemy.  They were able to carry the weight of their own armour, the rider with his full armour, as well as an array of weapons.  The strongest, heaviest horses we used to pull supplies to the battlefield, working in pairs, united in their duty, as much part of the cavalry as the battle horses.  Warhorses, no matter what their role, had a few things in common.  They were trained to run toward the battle, not away from the fighting, to overcome their natural instinct to flee from noise, the confusion of combat and the smell of blood.

Warhorses learned to react to every sudden, even slight movement of the rider, to avoid weapons and to become one itself, as it kicked, bit and struck at the enemy in close combat.  The horse was trained to be obedient and maneuverable, controlled with limited use of the reigns, responding to the rider’s legs and weight on its back.  The warhorse was spirited, but fully submitted to its rider, trusting the guidance of the rider, fully confident in its own strength in battle.

As darkness closes in around us, as the battle is heating up, now is the time for the warhorses to be revealed.  The battle cry is rising all over the earth and it is time for the warhorses to charge, fearless, well-trained, equipped with full armour and ridden by the General Himself.  I am sure I am not the only one ready for a fight – we have to be.  There are lost, broken and hurting people out there, counting on us to battle for them, over them, until our Rider is revealed, victorious and glorious.  Like me, you have been trained, carefully and diligently, by the Holy Spirit, you have been equipped and now it’s time to engage, to do what we were born and called to do – engage, push forward, gain ground, invade the enemy’s territory and win the battles as they present themselves.

Let me finish with Revelation 19:11 – 16  ^“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice He judges and wages war.  His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but He himself.  He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.  The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.  On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords.