Way of The Warrior- A Daily Devotional

But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. – Galatians 1:15-17 ESV

Warrior;
The battle being waged, by BLM, is not about Black lives, it is not about equality for all, it is not about white vs black it is about VALIDATION and AFFIRMATION. We are in this battle of whose Lives Matter…. Black lives matter, Blue Lives matter, all lives Matter…don’t you hear it? The need for Validation, for Affirmation- and to know WE MATTER! Abraham Maslow created the Hierarchy of Needs in 1943. This theory is a classical depiction of human motivation, the needs of ALL human beings, no matter race, creed or language. The premise is that there is a hierarchy of five needs within each individual. These five needs are as follows: Physiological needs- the needs for basic amenities of life. Safety needs- including physical, environmental, and emotional safety and protection. Social needs- the need for love, affection, care, belongingness, and friendship. Esteem needs- two types: internal esteem needs (self- respect, confidence, competence, achievement, and freedom) and external esteem needs (recognition, power, status, attention, and admiration). Self-actualization needs- This includes the urge to become what you are capable of becoming / what you have the potential to become. Validation and Affirmation are the 3rd and 4th levels; Social and Esteem.

Leader. Paul- like every other human being, needed VALIDATION and AFFIRMATION. He wasn’t part of the original 12 apostles, He started out on the other side of the apostles; abusing, arresting, and accosting believers of THE WAY- until God had a WORD with Saul and it changed him forever and He became Paul and went to Arabia for three years to learn about and from Jesus Christ. If you read many of Paul’s letters he feels the need to defend his position and to defend His VALUE before the other apostles and believers. Generally, those to be considered for the awesome responsibility of an apostle had to have been personally called by Christ, taught by him directly for several years (as Paul would be), and seen him alive after his resurrection (Acts 1:17, 22, 25). Because Paul’s path was different from the other 11 and Judas He was in need of VALIDATION and AFFIRMATION like many of us. Affirmation is defined as saying positively; declare firmly; assert to be true; to make valid: confirm, uphold. Validation is defined as having legal efficacy or force especially executed with the proper legal authority and formalities; well-grounded or justifiable: being at once relevant and meaningful. This is what every human being NEEDS and HAS available through a loving, saving, graceful, merciful relationship with God the Son, Jesus the Christ!

Conduit, everything a HUMAN does is a search for validation. The question is not “if” a man\woman is seeking validation. The question is “where is he\she seeking validation from?” The 2 sources of validation; Our Heavenly Father, and\or our Earthly Father. MEN YOU MATTER! The problem is we mistaken affirmation for validation and go after it, thinking this is what we need- but it is empty apart from God. To validate something is to “give official sanction, confirmation, or approval to it.” What makes you feel like you have value and worth? We are designed to want validation, the feeling of significance. The problem is that we work to get validation from the world and the world system. We seek validation from people, work, friends, accomplishments, our marriage, or our family. They become the barometer of our feelings and worth. The treadmill of acceptance can wear us out. We don’t believe that we have value or significance in our world- so we constantly are seeking it from the world- doing worldly things. God’s love and acceptance is the key to value and significance. The journey of believing brings freedom and renewed energy. God validates us in HIS WORD, but we must READ it and BELIEVE IT: God made you in his image and delights in you- see Genesis 1:26-27, Zephaniah 3:17. God stubbornly loves you even when you are unlovable- Romans 5:8, John 3:16. God is for you not against you, has plans for you and prepared in advance for you- Romans 8:31, Jeremiah 29:11, Ephesians 2:10….The only true Validation and Affirmation comes from God, and you find it in HIS WORD and it is espoused from HIS FOLLOWERS! Seek those things and you will see your VALUE and YOUR REASON WHY!