Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

Fear

Here’s to Revolution

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The book, “The Hole in our Gospel”, by Richard Stearns, continues to provoke and inspire me. Currently, I’m reading through it for the second time this year, and it’s every bit as good the second time around. This morning I read the following passage in the book (page 244), “The difference between the pre- and post-resurrection disciples was astonishing. Fear became courage; timidity became boldness; uncertainty became confidence as their lives were given over to the revolution that the gospel – the good news – envisioned.” He continues a bit later on page 245, “We won’t really become change agents for Christ just by going to church every Sunday. We will have to make some ‘on purpose’ life choices and then change our priorities and behavior. Only then can God transform us and use us to change the world.” We are called to be part of the revolution that is following Jesus. Let’s break down the words of Richard Stearns as I see them applying to us, God’s revolutionaries.

Fear becomes courage. There is no fear in Jesus. He is capable of deflecting any pain and evil from our life, if He should so choose. Just as He did not call on the angels of Heaven to rescue Him from the cross, He does not guarantee that He will keep us from harm. He does, however, promise to protect us from Satan (John 17:15). We may be hurt or discouraged in this world, but we have the eternal hope of Jesus. No matter what happens to us in this life, if we are His disciples, our eternity is guaranteed to be spent with Christ. Knowing this, what could possibly scare us – Physical pain, emotional trauma, embarrassment, discouragement or simply not fitting in? Every human on this earth is a person just like you and me. No one is intrinsically better than another. If anything can be accomplished, it can be accomplished by you. Jesus was never ashamed of God when He spoke to those around Him; He was never ashamed of those to whom He ministered. Rather, He loved the Father and everyone else with a passionate and unconditional love. He wasn’t afraid to be seen with “sinners” or to touch the sick and dying. He wasn’t afraid to die for our sake. Jesus was courageous in every way. He demonstrated no fear. His power is available for the asking, His courage is available to you.

Timidity becomes boldness. Are you fearful to speak about Jesus to strangers, or even to those whom you know? Perhaps the thought of confrontation makes your stomach turn and firmly ties your tongue. Look at the life Christ lived; he was accused of many things, but timidity was never one of them! Jesus knew His mission well and He refused to be deterred from it. The shortest distance between two points may well be a straight line, but the quickest way to travel between those same two points is with boldness. We haven’t the option to be timid because our time is limited and our days are few. This is why Paul asked the believers in Corinth to pray for him to boldly proclaim the good news of Jesus (Ephesians 6:19). Timidity breeds hesitation, and when we hesitate, the moment is lost. We must never lose another moment. We must make the most of every opportunity that we are given. We can be bold in Christ; if you struggle with timidity, pray and ask Jesus to fill you with urgency and strength of character. Don’t hesitate.

Uncertainty becomes confidence. Left to our own devices, we are never quite sure if we’re doing the right thing or moving in the right direction. We agonize over our many decisions, doing everything we can to minimize the chance of error. Life seems to come at us from all directions and at break-neck speed. We become overwhelmed, lost, and confused. The ultimate GPS (God’s Positioning Service, in our case) is only a prayer away. God never loses His place, and He never loses your place in His plan. Seek wisdom from other followers of Christ, from older folks, and your peers when faced with a decision. Above all else, pray over any decision you must make. Tell Jesus of your desire to serve Him in every way and ask for His wisdom in the situation you face. After this, the next step is easy: choose! Gather what wisdom you can; come clean to God regarding your uncertainty, doubt and confusion. Then make a decision. God knows your heart and He will honor your search for wisdom. Seek Him first, and then relax. Move forward with confidence.

We are the called, we are the chosen; we are the revolutionaries of God. We are to be His agents of change in this world. Let us devote our lives fully to Him. Only then can we follow Him on the path He walks before us. Love God, love people. His power is available to each of us; we must simply ask Him for it. Through His power we can follow Jesus courageously, without fear, with boldness, and with utter confidence. Through His power we can change the world. Here’s to revolution!

How’s Your Reputation?

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What is it about honesty that scares us so much? Why does admitting we are vulnerable strike such terror in even the strongest? Looking at the life of Christ, He was never afraid to put His true self on full display. He ate dinner with those who were despised by the religious leaders of His day; He willingly touched the outcasts of society; He refused to compromise His principles even when it was obviously the easier choice. Still, He wasn’t afraid to show anger by driving the thieves out of the temple; He wasn’t afraid to show His anguish by the tears He shed; and He wasn’t afraid to show His disappointment when men chose to go their own way rather than follow Him. In short, Jesus didn’t care what people thought of His methods or personality; He simply loved them in spite of their opinions. Through it all, He was honest with everyone about who He was, and about His mission.

Why do we find this such a difficult example to follow? We worry over much smaller things in life. We concern ourselves with what we wear, the style of our hair, the kind of car we drive and the places that we frequent. We’re all about building our reputation. Jesus wasn’t afraid of a bad reputation among the elite of His day. I think He reveled in it. After all, He came to seek and to serve the “least of these”, the poor and outcast of society. His reputation was just fine with these folks. There is a great lesson here. Be concerned with the reputation you have with those you serve. The opinions of others don’t matter at all, because they are not part of your mission. Yet our fear and insecurity about being honest with others comes from our fear of losing face (or reputation) with those very people who live outside of our calling. We are called to the poor, the widows, the orphans, the single moms, the homeless and the hungry. How is your reputation with these groups of people?

Living honestly and in total transparency is a necessity if we are to reach those who are down and out in our cities, those who have lost hope. These individuals have been abused by others and by society at large. They have been spit on and ignored. They are the strangers in the ditch and we are to be their “good Samaritan”; we are to be their neighbor. After being hurt by so many, they will see through any pretense. They don’t care where you come from or what you’ve done; they do, however, care if you are honest with them. Your reputation with them is only as good as your honesty. Throw out any self doubt and simply love somebody. Fulfill your mission by being the very hands and feet of God.

We give too much attention to our reputation among the well to do, the movers and the shakers, of our world. We want to be seen with the elite and recognized by the socially relevant. But this is the antithesis of our mission. We are called to serve the have-nots, the hungry and the hurting. It’s time for a little soul searching and some self analysis. To whom are you catering with your attitudes and concerns? Care nothing for what the high and proud of this world may think of you. Consider how those in need perceive you. Let your defenses down, give of yourself to someone in need. Instead of worrying about what others may think of you, concern yourself instead with the opinions of those whom you are called to serve. Do they see you as being honest? Do they see you as being real and sincere in your love for them? What’s your reputation?

Your True Identity

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Are you living with a case of mistaken identity? Many, if not most, of us go through life with a misconception of who they really are. Satan loves nothing better than to plant seeds of doubt and disillusion within our minds. He works to create images of ourselves in our mind that are inconsistent with whom we are in Christ. He seeks to convince us that we are not strong enough, not attractive enough or not talented enough to accomplish the things in life we are created to do. We become accustomed to seeing ourselves as the person Satan paints us to be, to the point that we forget who we are in Christ.

In Christ, we have the strength to overcome any obstacle that is placed in our path. Christ tells us that through Him we have overcome everything in this world. We simply must have the faith to believe it. But Satan plants images in our mind that cause us to see ourselves as too weak to handle certain situations; he deceives us to be afraid. Fear has no place in the Kingdom of God. There is no force that does not tremble at the name of Jesus. If we are devoted to following and serving Him, that same Spirit of courage and confidence resides within each of us. We have nothing to fear when we walk with Christ. We have been conditioned to fear for so long, that we are now paralyzed and unable to move at all. As the hands and feet of Jesus, to not be able to move is the worst situation in which we can find ourselves. Take courage, realize that Christ is with you and His power is available to you. We need simply to ask and to believe.

One of the great tragedies of modern society is the way that advertising projects those who are purported to be the ideal men and women. Many teens, as well as those younger and older, see themselves as falling short of that ideal and become both obsessed and depressed concerning their appearance. We live in an age where nearly any body feature can be altered if one is not satisfied with the way God created them. God loves us exactly as we are; nothing we change about our appearance will make Him love us any more than He already does. Who are we trying to impress anyway? For whom are we living? Besides, who are we to presume that we can improve on what God designed? Outside of a legitimate birth defect or an accident, both results of our fallen world, it seems a bit arrogant and dangerous to proclaim that we can create something more beautiful than God. This is simply one of Satan’s oldest ploys. If he can get you focused on your appearance, he knows he can neutralize any effectiveness you might have for Christ. That’s his whole goal; if he can get your focus off of God, he considers it a victory. Don’t let him convince you of this lie. See yourself as Jesus sees you: a beautiful and absolutely stunning representation of His creation.

God has given each of us talents with which to serve Him. Satan does what he can to discourage us in hopes of getting us to avoid using our gifts. If he can convince us we are not good enough or talented enough to make use of our gifts, he knows far fewer people will be reached with the good news of Jesus Christ. Don’t believe the lies that he feeds you. God gave the gifts you have within you for the purpose of telling others about Him. It’s through the use of our gifts that we are able to serve others. Regardless of what your gifts may be, use them to their fullest. If God gave you the gift, and He did, then He also made you more than able to adequately make use of that gift. The next time you doubt your ability to use your talent, remember that those thoughts come from Satan. You scare him to death, so he will do whatever he can to render your gifts useless. Recognize the doubt for what it is: a clever ruse of the devil. Don’t bite; rather, be encouraged that he is terrified of what you will accomplish with your God-given talents.

Don’t believe the lies Satan has placed in your mind. Study the Bible to remind yourself who you are in Christ. We are fearless conquerors designed to bring justice to the poor, the widows and the orphans. We are a beautiful creation, our lives a fragrant sacrifice to God. We have been given talents that will invade the very depths of Hell and win back those who have turned away from Jesus. Don’t buy the deception that Satan tries to sell you. Be strong, take courage, and reject the lies; you are beautiful and talented beyond words.

Live Each Day with Passion

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What drives you? What gives you the fuel to get up each morning? Hopefully as followers of Christ, a desire to serve Him and to learn more about Him is enough to get us sufficiently jazzed each day. But too many people, even those of us pursuing Christ, are content to live their lives on cruise control. Life is not an adventure, but rather more of a treadmill. I do not believe this is what God had in mind. Our God is passionate and creative; He is daring and adventurous. Study the Bible and watch how He interjects Himself into the lives of His creation. God has many attributes, but boredom surely is not one of them!

I came across an old blog post by Kevin Kelly last week (see “My Life Countdown”) that really made me think. In the post, Kevin talks about how he consulted a couple of web sites that estimate how long you will live, based on statistical trends. He then used a program to calculate how long he (in theory) had left to live. Taking it a step further, he now has a clock on his computer counting down his remaining time on earth. Now, at first blush this might strike one as a bit macabre or morbid. Upon thinking it through further, I found it to be inspiring. What if we were to constantly live with a keen sense of how much time we had remaining? I think it would cause us to more seriously evaluate each decision we make.

We often do not seize opportunities before us because we’re either too afraid or we assume there will be time later to engage in the activity. We do not live with a conscious awareness of how fleeting our time on earth really is. If you knew you had 72 hours to live, would you not make different choices today than you would otherwise? If you knew you had only a year to live, would you not be more willing to try new things and experience more adventure before you died? For the vast majority of us, the answer is an unequivocal “Yes!” So why wait? Why not live each day with such urgency and passion as to truly know what it means to be alive? What are we afraid of? Again, God is passionate and creative; He has instilled these same traits within each of us. Why not put such creativity and passion to use and begin today to live each day as if you are running out of time?

It is important to remember why you have been given the gifts that you have. Our purpose on earth is to serve others, tell them about Jesus, and do all that we can to bring a measure of God’s kingdom down here to earth. It is for these things that we are to use our passion and creativity. As we seize new opportunities and put away fear, we must always keep the end goal in mind. Be kind and compassionate at all times, and be forgiving of each other. This will develop a winsome personality in each of us and we’ll be people that others want to associate with and even emulate; then we can point them to Christ. As you live your life with urgency, concentrate on performing acts of service. Jesus is our example as always. He lived a life of passion and creativity, He lived it with urgency, and He lived it in service to others. As we attack each day with purpose and without fear, we will exhibit a new vitality. This is how we were meant to live, and God will be glorified by our fulfilling the purpose for which He created us.

Perhaps you should get your own countdown clock; perhaps you are ready to live life at fast forward to the glory of God. Or maybe the countdown clock is a bit much for you; maybe you are simply ready to begin living life with more passion and less fear. I don’t know where you are today, but I do know this: time is ticking down for each of us. With every breath, precious seconds are removed from our stint on earth. What will you do with the time you have left? Seize the urgency of the finiteness of time. Put away your fear and launch yourself into the great adventure that God has laid before you. Live a life bursting with passionate creativity. Do all these things to the glory of God and in service to others. The clock is ticking…

Life is Not a Bus Stop

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Do you find yourself waiting for something to happen in your life? Are you certain that you were created to do great things, and are simply waiting for the right opportunity to arrive? Day after day you stand in the same spot, looking to the horizon to see if your moment is on its way. Perhaps you can even see it far off in the distance but it simply never comes near enough to pick you up and carry you off into the life you were meant to live. Life is not a bus stop; nothing was ever accomplished by waiting for opportunities to sweep you away and give you the life you always dreamed of. When we plan for what we intend to do, when we prayerfully consider whether our plans are in alignment with the character of God, and when we take action on those plans, then and only then will we begin to experience the life He has created us to live.

Many of us desire to follow Christ by living a life of greatness through the use of the gifts He has given us. We become so convinced that this is our calling that we sabotage ourselves by sitting around and waiting for the stars to align or a shout from Heaven to signal the beginning of our work. There is no Scriptural basis for any of this, so I am deeply puzzled how we ever got to this point. There is plenty of Scriptural support for planning your projects and your future. A plan, however, is useless if we don’t ever start to actively follow through. No plan is accomplished without action. You cannot wait your way to success, but you can certainly wait your way to failure. If you never take a step you aren’t actually walking. If you never start walking, you can’t follow Jesus. If you aren’t following Jesus, then you will never become who He created you to be.

To become all you were meant to be starts with following Jesus. Following Jesus starts by actively engaging in that pursuit. We must devote our entire lives to him. Every area of our life must be surrendered to Him for His use. We must surrender our thoughts, our deeds, our pleasures and our pain. From this point forward, all things must be done for Him. We no longer exist in and of ourselves, but instead exist only for Him. This must be our single focus, our definite chief aim. Let nothing persuade you from remaining steadfastly focused on Jesus. Keep your eyes on Him and do not stray from the path on which He is walking. Boldly move forward without fear of any man or circumstance. Embrace the freedom that is found in a life of following Christ, a life without fear. You will then be free to pursue the passions and dreams He has planted within you and to make use of the gifts with which He has equipped you.

Life is not meant to be a bus stop, it is meant to be a full throttle joyride rocketing down the road Christ has laid before you. Follow Him with certainty and without fear. Give up everything you have to experience the joy of true freedom. It all starts with us boldly taking action and pursuing Him with all that we are. Don’t get left behind; be bold, take action, and move!