Battle Maiden

Lesson one: know who you are. Lesson two: know who you want to become.

Sir Quinlan and the Knights of Valor

BattleMaiden.

This was a name by which many of my writer friends knew me, and even those who didn’t would probably have used it to describe me when I was growing up.

Recently I was reminded why I chose this name, and just how far I had fallen from it in recent times.

A battle maiden: one who stands against the forces of evil, fights for truth, strives to live valiantly and be a light that stands out in the darkness. A warrior for Christ.

For most of my life I strove to exhibit this. My imagination would come alive with images of myself fighting these battles and living the adventures that would come. But there were times I didn’t even need to escape into a story or imagine myself in them. I was really LIVING through the adventures and battles, though they looked quite different than in the pages of the storybooks and hold a lot less glory than we read.

The truth is: being a battle maiden is exhausting. Unlike books, the story is not over after the showdown and we turn that last page and close the book. Evil will never be fully defeated in this world and our job done until that glorious day when Christ returns in all His glory and defeats the evil one once and for all. As we wait for that day, we have to face battle after battle (all shapes and sizes), always persevering and getting back up to face the next thing…yet some just seem too great.

The enemy knows our weaknesses, and if we do not know our own or become slack in strengthening them…he will break through. He doesn’t want us to succeed. He doesn’t want us to get stronger through each battle we fight.

I knew my weaknesses. I knew where my defense was the most vulnerable…yet I left it unguarded. The Lord brought me to a new chapter in my story…and I HATED the title. This was not what I wanted at all, this was not the way my story was supposed to go! I was tired of all the trials, I was tired of the battles I faced, I was tired of my life’s path; I wanted something different. Yet the start of this chapter held pain, heartbreak, loss…and a bigger battle than I had ever faced before.

I knew what to do. I knew where to go and to Whom I should turn for this one… but I was wounded. I had neglected my training and had not fortified my mind to keep out the tactics of the evil one. I was weakened and didn’t care anymore. So I dropped my sword. And when the enemy appeared…he found me defenseless.

I had reached a point where I had forgotten who I was, in whose army I fought… and who the real enemy was. I lost focus; and when the enemy’s attacks came in a way I was not looking for, I could not hold out. I believed I had to fight on my own. My biggest mistake. No one can fight this battle in their own strength. It will fail…Every. Time.

The enemy would have destroyed me but for the grace of God, His mighty warriors and the many prayer warriors who fought for me!

I chose the name BattleMaiden, not because it sounded cool, to give off a fierce vibe, or to sound tough and warn people not to mess with me (though none of those reasons are truly falsehoods)…I ultimately chose that name because it was a reminder to me of who I was and who I wanted to be. I was a daughter and warrior of the King, armed and ready for battle against the evil one. Ready for whatever may come, prepared for any fight, courageous in the face of danger or the unknown…for my Leader was not unknown. It was also a warning: not to be an easy target for the evil one. He should be prepared for a strong defense anytime he came after me.

What about you? Who are you, and who do you want to be?

The pieces are being moved about the board. A great battle is coming. One as we have never seen before, and many of our fellow warriors will be deceived and not see it until it is too late. We need more valiant Knights and BattleMaidens, ready to take up the call. That name is for anyone who will take up the sword of King Jesus and join the battle against the evil one. It is for those who, though having been knocked down again and again, rise up each time and overcome.

But the name is not the key. It is just a name. A reminder. The key lies in the armor and weapons you take into battle. That is what you will use to deflect the blows of the evil one and equip you for battle each and every day…and night.

Are you ready for the challenge?

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” -Ephesians 6:12-13