Keep Your Sword Bloody

"Cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood."    

                                                                                                                             - Jeremiah 48:10


We are not on this earth to be cheerleaders, we are on this earth to be warriors.  Every Christian holds in his/her hand the sword of the Spirit, and every day some demonic heads should roll.  It's just good practice in the Kingdom.  We are all called to heroism whether it is spiritually or physically.  That meaning the intercessor whose work is only seen in heaven is just as much a warrior, and just as valuable, as the evangelist whose ministry is pulling in millions of souls to the Kingdom.

The important thing is to keep your blade wet.

"If two angels were to receive at the same moment a commission from God, one to go down and rule the earth's grandest empire, the other to go and sweep the streets of its meanest village, it would be a matter of entire indifference to each which service fell to his lot, the post of the ruler of the post of the scavenger; for the joy of the angels lies only in obedience to God's will, and with equal joy they would lift a Lazarus in his rags to Abraham's bosom, or be a chariot of fire to carry an Elijah home."               
                                                                                                                             - John Newton


As strong as my wording is, this is the truth, and the whole purpose of Jesus coming to earth was war, it was to annihilate the enemy of us all. "For this purpose the Son of God was revealed, that He might destroy the works of the devil," (1 John 3:8).  It was the result of that mission that we received salvation, hope, peace, joy, and our weaponry.  If His only goal was for us to get saved and then live high and above the rest of the world the rest of our lives, He would have swept us to heaven the instant we received Him in the beginning.

But that is not His plan for any of us.  It doesn't matter what your social standing is, whether rich or poor, pastor or lawyer, God has you where you are not for a rank or status, but because you are a soldier and that is your post, your battlefield.  Your job is to dominate your work environment with the Kingdom of God and destroy the works of the devil within it.

The normal Christian.

God has equipped you with everything you need to destroy the works of the devil in your own life.  His name is Jesus!  Remember, we are supposed to imitate Him, which means that His mission is our mission.  Obviously we are not saviors, and we can't save anyone of ourselves, but He through us can bring nations to the throne of God.

Be warned however, read this passage:


"But if the watchman sees the sword coming, and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned; if the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity. But I will require his blood at the watchman's hand.  And you, son of man, I have set you a watchman to the house of Israel. Therefore you shall hear the Word from My mouth, and warn them from Me. When I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die; if you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked one shall die in his iniquity; but I will require his blood at your hand.  But, if you warn the wicked of his way, to turn from it; if he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your soul." 

                                                                                                                                  -  Ezekiel 33:6-9


Might I suggest to you that it will be far better for you to stand before the judgement seat of Christ with blood on your sword rather than blood on your head?  I can guarantee you it is better to warn people of their sins and face possible persecution rather than hear God say, "Evil and slothful servant! ... 

throw the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth,

"  (Matthew 25:26,30.)

Notice it doesn't say the man wasn't a servant of the master.  He was a servant, but he was useless, so he was cast out.


"Because if you confess the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses unto salvation." 

                                          - Romans 10:9-10

It is always important to remember that faith without works is dead faith, it is a mere illusion.  You can tell yourself you are going to get married all you want, but unless you walk down the altar you are still single.  In the same way, you can think you are a disciple of Jesus all you want, but unless you are following in His footsteps He isn't going to recognize you when you get to the judgement seat.

This is not salvation based on works, this is works based on salvation.  A person who is born again has the mind of Christ (1 Corithians 2:16), and Christ is thinking about saving the world.  If you don't care about the things Jesus cares about, whose mind do you have, and who do you belong to?

These are serious questions I am raising, but they are valid, because a line needs to be drawn in the sand here and now.  The church has been saturated by the world to the point now that the lines are so blurry nobody knows who or what to fight anymore.  There is a single line drawn by the finger of God in eternal boron nitride.  Decide right now who you will serve.  If God, serve Him completely, if you want the world, you can keep it.

Brothers and sisters, do not go before God with a clean, polished, unused sword.  Make sure it gets some use, and has some chips broken off the blade.  Make sure it's got some scratches from war.  Make sure when you find yourself sitting around one of those heavenly campfires of white and blue flame, eating heaven s'mores, you have your own stories to tell that are just as breathtaking as Moses' and Elijah's.

“All heroes are shadows of Christ” 

― John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life