On Becoming a Spiritual Warrior...

Our conscious motivations, ideas, and beliefs are a blend of false information, biases, irrational passions, rationalizations, prejudices, in which morsels of truth swim around and give the reassurance albeit false, that the whole mixture is real and true. The thinking processes attempt to organize this whole cesspool of illusions according to the laws of plausibility. This level of consciousness is supposed to reflect reality; it is the map we use for organizing our life.  - Erich Fromm

Becoming a Warrior

So much of what we believe is false.  In fact, I like to think of FEAR as False Evidence Appears Real.  When we travel this road of life, we run into countless experiences that create fear; but the good news is there is an anti dote to fear.  It's called FAITH - Future Abundance is Intended by Thinking Healthy.  According to the Law of Polarity, fear is the absence of faith and faith is the absence of fear; however, these two opposites exist on the same pole and we will always find ourselves closer to one or the other by varying degrees.  The beauty is that within this law is the secret that within our greatest moment of fear also exists our greatest moment of faith.  It is all about degrees on the spectrum, and we choose how we travel the rod.

Beware of Poisons

Among the poisonous mushrooms is one called the "Jack-O-Lantern."  When ingested, the body reacts immediately with severe nausea and vomiting.  Because of this immediate reaction, the mushroom is not fatal.  There is another mushroom called the "Destroying Angel."  Just one or two in a batch of a few dozen can poison an entire family.  Because it tastes like an edible mushroom and has no immediate effect, the victim keeps eating.  Then, six to fifteen hours later, when it has been digested and the poisons enter the bloodstream, the victim experiences severe nausea, cramps, and an unquenchable thirst.  Eventually it destroys the liver.  There is no known antidote and the fatality rate is about ninety percent.

This is called being poisoned by degrees and is how we find ourselves moving steadily down the rod until we become paralyzed with a fear that could prove fatal in the course we choose for our lives.  Notice I said that we choose the course of our lives.  That was not an accident.  Within the Laws of the Universe, are the keys to understanding and engaging our minds in our quest for everything we could ever hope to have or be.  When we understand who we are and the great power that exists within us, we are better able to harness this power to fight the poisons that are toxic in our lives.  And prevention is the greatest cure!

Sound Your Battle Cry!

Do you know what battle you are fighting?  I can clear that up for you.  You are fighting the battle of good over evil.  You are fighting for what is right.  And you are fighting for your life.  The kicker is that this battle is a spiritual battle, and the traditional methods of fighting will not serve you.  In fact, it is the other end of the spectrum that will actually bring you the greatest results.  As discussed in the Law of Polarity, everything has its opposite; good and evil, virtue and vice, pleasure and pain, sickness and health - and the opposite of war is peace.  As figures such as Mohandas Gandhi and Mother Theresa have demonstrated, peace is the only sure antidote to war.  It is the Law of Attraction that states that like attracts like; therefore, fighting brings more reasons to fight.  But peace comes at a price - it requires the heart and a willing mind.  Success can only be bought through discipline.  The power of your spirit, the energy that you command can only work through your body, which includes your mind.  In a worldly battle, it is through the thirst for power, vindication, rage, jealousy, and blood-thirsty battle.  When the spirit fights a war, it is through the need for peace and harmony, a desire to resolve conflict for the greatest good. The fundamental difference is the intent that is implied.  Once you know who you are and what you believe in, and know that you are loved - then, and only then, can you successfully determine your motives and intended outcome of battle.  You are a warrior and have been sent to fight; but the power to choose your motive and your outcome is your God-given right. 

As we learn in Matthew chapter 6, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."  The term mammon recognizes the tendencies of the natural man to seek after idols, treasure, and worldliness.  Not only do we have to choose what side of the battle we are on, we also have to determine where we are holding the rod.  Are we further down toward the war end or higher up on the peace side?  Are we closer to God or to mammon? 

Strategic Success

Becoming a spiritual warrior does not mean we are giving up the comforts or securities of this world.  It does not mean that we will live without the things of the world.  Remember, God has told us that men are that they might have joy.  In Ecclesiastes chapter 5 we are told, "Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God."  The strategy is knowing that when you serve God, all things will be added unto you.  He is your Father in Heaven, and He loves you.  It goes without saying that He desires for you to have all of the righteous desires of your heart.  Additionally, how much more good can you do in the world when you have riches?  It serves no one to have spiritual warriors who are poor as church mice.  Trust in God, lay down your weapons of war, and take up your weapons of peace to become all that you were intended to be.  You have the power and the agency to choose your path.  Accept it willingly, boldly, and in great faith; and as we learn in the book of John, all that the Father hath shall be given unto you.
 
Building Your Army

What are the weapons of peace?  In a world so filled with evil, how can we fight with instruments of peace and even hope to survive, let alone return victorious?  Remember, with God, all things are possible.  Once you have accepted your calling to become a spiritual warrior, you must turn to God to gather your army.  He will deliver people, events, guidance and support; but you must step forward to lead.  God will be with you, as spoken in the Doctrine and Covenants section 49, "Behold, I will go before you and be your rearward; and I will be in your midst, and you shall not be confounded."  This is a great promise; however, you will notice that the promise is for protection and strength - you must still lead the fight.  Instead of focusing on methods to wage the war; contemplate how you can strengthen your own spirituality - this one action is all that is required to step forward victorious.

Faith is the ability to control your mind; to focus on an express purpose to draw on the powers of Heaven.  It is only when we become distracted or lose this focus that we are unable to command the power that lies within us.  When we remember who we truly are, and are clear in our intention - we become warriors!

May you recognize the power of the spiritual warrior - and may this path lead you to the ultimate victory - the path of peace.

Have a blessed day!

Michelle Niederer

http://www.thesecretgratituderock.com