Confront and Conquer: The Warrior’s Hidden Strength

Kim Crabill: Hello everyone and welcome back to Strengthen Your Walk. I’m Kim Crabill.

Watch Confront and Conquer with Kim Crabill

CASEY GOMES: And I’m Casey Gomes.

Kim: Thanking you for joining us in this new series “Confront and Conquer,” providing biblical principles to reveal, revive, and restore the warrior inside every man. Well, Casey, I loved last time when you talked about that armored briefcase that men carry around and store all hurts and pains. Remind us briefly of what that was.

Casey: It’s where we store our pains and hurts. It looks like every other briefcase, only it’s armored and protects them so that no one can see them that we don’t want to.

Kim: This is one of the large concepts of this study — being able to see what is hidden and being able to bring it out so that God can do something about it. Now, Casey, you’ve personally witnessed — many times we’ve done this study together — men beginning to pry open their armored suitcases, which is what I hope that you did last time, from the last time that you’ve been able to open up that briefcase a little bit.

But in our times of watching men find the courage — and it does take a lot of courage to begin to open up those things that have been stuffed inside for so long — when you saw that, what were some of the things that were brought out of those briefcases?

Casey: Very real things. Very real fears. Abusive parents. Alcohol abuse. Gambling addictions. You name it, everything under the sun. And initial trepidation … I mean like beyond fear. Like, “If I open this thing up, it has been in this suitcase for so long, what is going to happen?” Immediately followed by relief and joy because the other men in the room supported that man and made him feel comfortable and welcomed, and we were all closer as a result of it.

Kim: But that’s not what we expect.

Casey: No.

Kim: You know even as women, it makes no difference man, woman, teen, it’s almost like you have listened to this inside voice that says, “Just don’t say anything because you’re gonna be judged or what else?” Accepted …

Casey: Or someone will decide to end the relationship or friendship with you or they’ll think of you differently and they won’t be your friend anymore. There are so many different ways it can manifest itself.

Kim: Absolutely. So we stay silent, but once these hurts and these pains are actually articulated, you feel such an emotional change in the atmosphere with men. I mean we’ve seen tears! And what else?

Casey: Tears, laughter, and everything under the sun. And I think you know we talk a lot about the need — and I mentioned it previously — of vulnerability and authenticity.

Kim: Yes.

Casey: Those are two really important words. First of all, we’re taught that vulnerability is a sign of weakness. I’d like to say that not only is it not a sign of weakness, it’s actually the opposite. It’s a sign of strength. And then authenticity that once we’re willing to be vulnerable with someone, we can build authentic relationships with them that transcend the norm. And we’ve seen this with men over and over again in the sessions that we’ve done that when we’re willing to be vulnerable, we can be authentic. And that’s when things really start to take a turn in a different direction.

Kim: Absolutely! As a warrior, you have a strength that will only be utilized through vulnerability and authenticity. I know that because a warrior’s true strength is found by exposing the hidden sin. Anybody can hide. Anybody can run from it. But to be a warrior and to stand up and to be able to say, “I wanna change me. There’s something better. God has something better for me.” And to really believe God’s Word and to go into it and say, “God has something. His word is true. I’m gonna believe it. I’m going to step out.” That takes a warrior! That takes a warrior.

There are five habitual issues that men are secretly dealing with today. Maybe you might see this and relate to some of the things that Casey has talked about. I say this because I don’t want you to feel alone.

The top is anger. You know the violence. There’s so much domestic violence going on right now. Sexual immorality. Pornography is just going out the roof. Greed, laziness, pride.

Those are issues that have been after these reportings, they are seeing that these are the hidden things that we’re dealing with. And so again I just say that because no condemnation those are opportunities for God to really use different people to heal them so that they can become a voice to other people who are dealing with these issues. We don’t need to be dealing with this because God has conquered all this, just like with Gideon — as you had mentioned before — when God called him out.

It wasn’t that he felt like at that moment that he was a warrior. Gideon was not living like a warrior like maybe all of us are right now. There are always areas that we can work in. But what did happen was when God called out Gideon — as He is calling out you and I today — He was calling him from a place within Gideon’s heart. He was calling out Gideon’s potential like He is for each and every one of us today and like He is for you.

Gideon had issues that needed to be confronted. We all do. Gideon had work to do. We all do. He had things in his armored briefcase. But here’s the question to you: are you living as God’s mighty warrior? And if not, then what’s in your briefcase? I can assure you of one thing: as long as it’s a secret, you will be also carrying around in that briefcase shame, guilt, and regret.

God made a promise to Gideon that I want to leave with you today. It’s found in Judges 6:12. It says, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” God is saying to you and I today, “I know you’re not there yet. I see your shortcomings. I see your mistakes. I see those secrets. I see how you’ve been abused and I see how you have abused. I see your secret addictions. I see it all, but I want you to know I’m with you.” The very same things He said to Gideon: “I am with you.”

Warrior, God is with you. Maybe others have abandoned you, but not God. This week I’m asking you to open that briefcase. Write down what you find. I know it hurts now. But with God, hope is always there. And next time we will talk more about what’s in that briefcase and a big promise that comes along with it.

Now I want you to remember, as always, that we can’t conquer what we don’t confront. But as we confront, Romans 8:37 assures us that God has already made you and I more than conquerors through Him.

Thank you for joining us today. And we pray that this “Confront and Conquer” series truly is strengthening your walk.

Watch Now!