Day 16: The Warrior Bride
Week 3: Identity, Unity & Glory
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”
The Church is called many things in Scripture: a body, a temple, an army, a family. Here she is called a Bride. Christ loves the Church. He proved His love by giving Himself up for her. He is not indifferent or easily bored with His people; He is deeply committed, tender, and jealous over us.
His goal is to make us holy and radiant. He is washing us "by the water through the word." Every time we sit under the Word of God with a soft heart, Jesus is cleansing and beautifying His Bride. He is removing the stains of shame, the wrinkles of compromise, and the blemishes of wrong thinking. He is preparing us for Himself.
Cherished and Commissioned
Yet this Bride is not weak or passive. In other passages, we see the people of God as an army. In the book of Joel, God calls His people to battle. In Revelation, we see the Bride making herself ready and the Lamb conquering. We are both cherished and commissioned. We are loved deeply and enlisted in a real war.
In books on spiritual warfare and deliverance, like those of John Ramirez or Frank Hammond, a recurring theme is identity. People remain bound when they see themselves only as victims or distant sinners. Freedom begins when they see themselves as forgiven, loved, and seated with Christ, yet also called to stand in His authority.
Fighting From Acceptance
ANCC, I want us to see ourselves as the Warrior Bride. We are not a crushed, defeated people barely hanging on. We are a deeply loved, Spirit-filled, battle-ready church.
We do not fight for acceptance; we fight from acceptance. We are not trying to win the love of Jesus; we are responding to it.
Let Us Pray
Lord Jesus, thank You that You loved the Church and gave Yourself up for us. Thank You that You are washing us with Your Word and making us radiant. I receive Your love again today.
Help me to live as both loved and enlisted, as part of Your Warrior Bride. Remove shame, fear, and passivity from my life. Clothe me in Your armour and fill me with Your Spirit. Let ANCC shine as a holy, courageous, and radiant church that stands for You in this generation. In Your precious name, Amen.