The Warrior’s Zone

By Dr. Malcolm W. Hill

What special mindset enabled an average looking seventeen-year-old shepherd boy to hasten toward a nine-foot tall killing machine whose name alone struck fear in Israel’s elite ranks? It was the warrior’s zone.

What special mindset enabled a longhaired Nazirite to wade into a thousand Philistine soldiers without regard for life or limb, and with the jawbone of an ass, slay all of them? It was the warrior’s zone.

What special mindset enabled one lone apostle to take his stand in humanism’s greatest stronghold and wax valiant for truth in spite of the searing logic and intimidating reasoning of some of the ancient world’s greatest philosophical minds? And what enabled this same warrior to deal boldly with powerful sorcerers, diviners and religious antagonists wherever he traveled? It was the warrior’s zone.

I often use this phrase to describe a special place a person must go to in order carry out some difficult responsibility. Let me better define it for you.

The warrior’s zone is a psychological state of mind that one enters where intense, often crippling emotions are temporarily suspended so that a particularly difficult job or assignment can be completed. Emotions like fear, reckless anger, overmuch pity, or paralyzing despair must be laid aside when it is time to operate in the warrior’s zone.

Rescue workers know how to enter this zone when facing tragic and overwhelming situations. If they do not, they will not be able to function properly or professionally.

A good combat soldier knows how to enter this zone at the time of battle. This keeps him from freezing under fire or hightailing it when things get dangerous.  Skilled boxers, wrestlers and ultimate fighters know how to enter this zone before facing worthy opponents on the mat or in the ring. I used to enjoy watching my sons prepare themselves psychologically for wrestling matches. A good athlete will often go through certain physical and mental steps to prepare for the coming contest. Like war painted Indians gyrating through war dances, my sons would pace back and forth in some obscure corner of the gym, hop and down from foot to foot, jiggling their hands at their sides, or stare blankly into the face of some invisible opponent, all in an attempt to psych themselves for the fight. When finally the time came to wrestle, they would jog out on the mat with the fearless determination to win.

When undertaking a daunting task without entering the warrior’s zone mindset, the tendency to hesitate, second-guess oneself, or emotionally fall to pieces is hard to resist.  To be a good warrior requires a violent resolve to do what must be done in order to see an assignment through to the end.

In the movie First Blood, Sylvester Stallone plays an ex-combat vet named John Rambo who gets pushed into the warrior’s zone by a bullying sheriff in a small Oregon town. Once in the zone, Rambo becomes the lethal, all-business warrior he was in Viet Nam, and wreaks havoc on the policemen and national guardsmen who are sent into the mountains to get him.  In the sequel to First Blood, Rambo’s former Green Beret commander, Col. Troutman, asks him if he is interested in participating in a covert military operation gearing up in Far East. Before agreeing to take part, the special ops warrior asks, “Do we get to win this time?”  Troutman responds, answering, “That’s up to you.”  Once in Viet Nam, the stoic Rambo mentally enters the warrior’s zone and, without expression or much emotion, carries out a mission that is above and beyond the call of duty. The usually peaceful, mind-his-own-business combat vet becomes a proactive liberator and ruthless killing machine until his mission is completed. When the mission is over, he retires to a Thai village and resets himself to normal operational levels, which is the sign of an excellent warrior.

The ability to reset ones mind after a “warrior zone assignment” is crucial to ongoing success. Warriors like David and Samson were very good at this. David could whack the foreskins off a hundred Philistines and then come home and have a party with his friends. Samson could slay a gaggle of Philistine warriors with his bare hands, and then retreat back into a life of rest and relaxation.  David’s great general, Joab, wasn’t so good at exiting the warrior’s zone. Although he was a tremendous leader and was highly devoted to the king, he remained in the zone long after he was supposed to get out of it. He even went so far as to murder a former enemy named Abner, shedding the blood of war in a time of peace, and was cursed because of it.

Joab had two brothers who were just like him. One was Asahel and the other was Abishai. No doubt they were awesome soldiers who knew how to pop into the warrior’s zone and do great fetes under the anointing; but like their older brother, their inability to get out of the zone when it was time to do so got them into trouble, even costing Ahazel his life. 

What about you, beloved? Do you enter the warrior’s zone for certain assignments, but then fail to get out when you should? Although there are jobs that will not get done if you do not enter the zone, to stay in it when it is time to return into normalcy can produce a lot of bad fruit. The CEO of a major company may run his business out of the warrior’s zone, but if he tries to run his family from the same state of mind or with the same intensity, he will either lose or destroy them.

In the motion picture, Gods and Generals, we see a man who is no-nonsense and lethal on the battlefield. His attitude is revealed in a pre-war statement he made to J.E.B. Stuart. Thomas Jackson tells the dashing young cavalry general that when dealing with the enemy on the field of battle there can be “nothing but the black flag!”His men often called Jackson “Old Blue Lights” because of the way his blue eyes flashed when in battle. Both northern and southern armies talked about his intensity and the effectiveness of his presence on the battlefield. When he took his host against that of a northern general in The War Between the States, it was like the clash of the Titans. Things would quickly turn ugly…for the enemy! Old Blue Light’s fearlessness and violent resolve were unmatched by anyone fighting for north or south, and the members of his staff were often stuck with the unpleasant task of trying to keep him out of harm’s way. An otherworldly anointing for battle seemed to come upon Stonewall Jackson whenever he approached the field that made him ruthless and invincible, but when he was off the battlefield, Jackson was one of the most courteous men on earth. To watch him interact with his wife, his daughter, or with a friend, servant or staff member was to see a grand example of composure and kindness.

The Christian should be like this. When dealing with a demon that is dominating someone’s life with sickness or mental torment, the minister must be like “Old Blue Lights” in his determination to free the individual. But once the job is done, the gentle, loving nature of Jesus should come quickly back into view.

When plying one’s energies to a task at hand, the completion of the task in a timely and orderly fashion ought to be the main goal, with no special consideration being given to whiners, shirkers or detractors. 

A Closer Look at the Warrior’s Zone

In the movie Open Range, Kevin Costner plays a gunfighter turned cattleman named Charlie Waite. As the plot unfolds, a domineering cattle baron and his thugs begin pushing Charlie and his partner “Boss” Spearman, played by Robert Duvall, into a dangerous corner. From the start, “Boss” is ready to fight them, but Charlie wants to avoid it. Why is this? It is because he knows what kind of transformation takes place in his psyche once he pulls his guns on other men—particularly bad men—and He is certain he doesn’t want to go there. But as the story unfolds, duty calls, and Charlie soon enters the warrior’s zone. What follows is violent and thorough. 

The same scenario presents itself in The Patriot. Mel Gibson plays an ex-warrior from the French and Indian War who does everything in his power to keep both himself and his sons out of the impending Revolutionary War. This is because he knows that war is hell, often turning good men into monsters. His own actions in the past had proven that, and he did not want to go there again. However, as the movie progresses, a British dragoon officer pushes him to the point of violent action. As a detachment of British soldiers hauls his oldest son away to be hanged, the father enters the warrior’s zone, and what follows is shockingly brutal and thorough. By the time his son is rescued, a dozen of the king’s infantrymen lay mutilated on the forest floor.

Beloved, a great spiritual battle is raging for the souls of men. God is presently looking for men and women who will enter a different kind of warrior’s zone than the ones portrayed in the movies. He is looking for men and women who will enter a “spiritual” warrior’s zone so that they might address trying situations in perilous times.

War is an ugly part of life, but like Charlie Waite in Open Range, or Mel Gibson’s character in The Patriot, those who know how to enter the zone of the warrior will win the day. The world is dying to hear the song we sing, dying to hear the message we proclaim, dying to experience the liberating power we wield. Stop running from what God has called you to and join the battle!

George Orwell wrote, “People sleep peacefully in their beds at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.”  In this war of the ages, I believe you and I can be those rough people who will grapple with Satan’s kingdom so that many beleaguered people might find the peace God offers them.

How to Ready Oneself for the Warrior’s Zone

David readied himself for the zone by “strengthening himself in the Lord his God.” He was a man of deep prayer and praise, and obviously valued the reading, meditation and confession of Scripture more than most.  When he graciously left Jerusalem, escaping the wrath of his traitorous son, Absalom, David would not stay with everybody else. Instead, he went to stay in a pit or cave. The great warrior king wasn’t showing signs of fear by doing this, but rather the value of the secret place. In the pit or cave, David gathered wisdom, strength and comfort from his God, so that the peace that surpasses understanding might reside in his heart.

Nothing strengthens a person’s mind for battle with the host of hell, or a person’s resolve to complete a task, like the crucial disciplines involved in worship. If the heart is prepared through time spent in fellowship with the Lord, then when certain situations arise that require a warrior’s zone mentality, the worshipper will be able to move into it and win the day.

Often, I steal away to my barn, or to a slope on Jawbone Heights, for the purpose of praising God and laying my concerns before Him in prayer.  It is the only way I can prepare myself for service in the warrior’s zone. When facing immediate or upcoming problems or tasks that tempt me to run the other way, I know that if I can only get into my secret place of prayer, I will come out strong. In prayer, praise and the Word of God, the Holy Spirit supernaturally hardens my courage, strengthens my love, ignites my zeal, and hones my faith, thus giving me the confidence and edge I need for coming jobs or battles.

Learn to Recognize the Zone

The world will sometimes confuse our confidence for arrogance, our zeal for pushiness, and our faith for foolishness, but that is okay: a man or woman operating in the warrior’s zone never looks normal to carnal-minded people. We must recognize it on ourselves or on others. 

When David ran toward Goliath, shouting, “This day I will take your heathen head from your shoulders!” he must have looked recklessly foolish to those watching from the hill, but he was in the zone, and they were not. 

When Jonathan took only one armor-bearer with him, and attacked a Philistine garrison, he must have seemed the fool, but he was in the zone, and they were not. 

When Elijah single-handedly confronted a nation of rebellious idolaters, along with 850 false prophets who had led them astray, and then threw the gauntlet down before them, he surely looked the fool, but he was in the zone, and they were not. 

When Jehu rode into town and ordered her servants to throw Queen Jezebel from the wall, he must have looked overbearing, but he was in the zone, and they were not. 

When Eleazar stood with David against an overwhelming number of Philistines in a field of barley, they must have looked ridiculous, but they were in the zone, and the others were not. 

When on a cold, snowy day, Benaiah went down into a pit to fight a lion, he must have seemed like an idiot, but he was in the zone, and others were not. 

When Jesus descended the mountain to expel a strong demon that the others could not, He was in the zone, and they were not. 

When Paul told Elymas the sorcerer that the hand of the Lord was against him, and that he would be blind for a time, he must have looked self-assured and arrogant, but he was in the zone, and the sorcerer was not.

When this same Paul stood onboard a sinking ship and cried, “Be of good cheer, we will not lose our lives!” he must have looked pretty foolish, but he was in the zone, and they were not.

When Jesus told His disciples, “Lazarus is not dead, he is only sleeping.” He must have sounded foolish, but He was in the zone, and they were not.

When He stood before Lazarus’ tomb and cried, “Lazarus, come forth!” He must have sounded foolishly presumptuous, but He was in the zone, and they were not.

When He excoriated the religious leaders in the temple, He must have looked dangerously foolish, but He was in the zone, and they were not.

When standing before His accusers and those with power to condemn Him, Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up!” He surely looked like a raving maniac, but He was in the zone, and they were not.

When Peter stood to address the same crowd that had cried for the death of Jesus, it seemed he had a death wish, but he was in the zone, and they were not.

When John and Peter told the Sanhedrin that they would rather die than stop preaching the name of Jesus, they surely looked like fools, but they were in the zone, and the others were not.

I have stood back and watched as certain prophetic ministers have worked the prayer lines in churches and conferences. Those who were effective had entered the warrior’s zone, and could speak accurate words over peoples’ lives, minister healing and deliverance with a strong anointing, or call glory down on whole sections of people. They were in the warrior’s zone.

Brother or sister: the end of the age has come. It behooves us to learn how to pop in and out of the warrior’s zone so that in these days of trial and tribulation, we can do exploits in Jesus’ name, winning the lost, healing the sick, liberating the demonized, and establishing truth where the lie has reigned. The ability to concentrate, remain focused, and avoid the faith-sapping emotions of fear, despair and confusion will be what the hurting of the world turns to, and why they’ll turn to you. Ready yourself for the warrior’s zone.