In the movie Braveheart, Sir William Wallace was right. “Men don’t follow titles – they follow COURAGE!” As believers, the faithful messengers of Hope – it’s time to rise up and LEAD with COURAGE!
The battle-weary are counting on us! The lost are still waiting for us to cross their paths. Christ Himself has empowered us, called us actually, to live a BOLD, CONFIDENT and OVERCOMING LIFE. We were not “set apart” to continually live under the thumb of fear mongering or bullying. We WERE NOT called to live a daily life of anxiety – BUT OF DESTINY!
Because of Christ – fear, worry and uncertainty should be beneath our feet. We need to learn how to REBUKE the voices of darkness that come in the night to torment us! When storm clouds rise, we need to call up the promises of God and REMIND OURSELVES WHO WE ARE IN Christ – that we are INDEED children of the most high God and that we are OVERCOMERS – DESTINE to be DIFFERENCE MAKERS; that all voices to the contrary - are minions of the enemy – whose destiny guarantees them an eternal “swim pass” in the lake of fire!
LISTEN! IT’S TIME for the body of Christ to “cowboy up” and pull-up our big boy and big girl pants and declare that we are the righteousness of Christ, that WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS! It’s time we understand fully - WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST.
It’s time we summon up the courage to BELIEVE, ACT and LIVE OUT what HE HAS DECLARED ABOUT EACH OF US. It’s time we RESOLVE to make a STAND – BOLD as a LION, to encourage those around us who have lost their way. It’s time to fight for this nation we call home - and fight for the Christian values she was founded on!
This great nation of ours is under siege! Regardless of party affiliation, we should all be able to agree – America – this place we call home - is in a pickle!
Those “in charge” can’t seem to make any progress of note on anything that needs to be fixed. The shell game on the hill is so obvious to those still capable of discernment – and to be completely honest - it’s no longer comical to watch.
Leaders from both parties espouse great rhetoric – yet collectively they produce NO FRUIT. In a blog post a few months back and in the words of John F. Kennedy I asked todays bureaucrats, “ask not what your country can do for you, but WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR THIS COUNTRY.”
I think it’s time we all ask ourselves – WHAT CAN I DO TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE for the Glory of God - at work, at home, at Church, in my neighborhood – and FOR THIS COUNTRY!
While God may be a-bit disappointed with how we’ve let this country slip from Grace, we simply can’t afford to become complacent or discouraged. Instead, we need to get ANGRY – YET SIN NOT!
Now WE - the defenders of the FAITH – the moral BACKBONE of a nation, need to become all-trusting, all-in, and all-over those that are acting counter to Godly counsel – and FIND THE COURAGE TO SPEAK UP and AGAINST the forces of darkness, expose the corruption and call them to account.
IF there was ever a time for the BODY OF CHRIST to RISE UP and SPEAK COURAGEOUSLY and BOLDLY – IT IS NOW!
Who doesn’t recall David the Giant Slayers famous line - spoken with great authority in the valley of Elah: “For WHO IS THE UNCIRCUMSIZED PHILISTINE – THAT HE SHOULD TAUGHT THE ARMIES OF THE LIVING GOD”!
Prior to this noble day, David was nothing more than a shepherd boy on an errand, with a backpack full of cheese, who had obviously spent much time conversing with God.
But on THIS DAY, everything he had learned and experienced, everything that defined who he was and what he believed in – was stirred into a HOLY BOLDNESS of COURAGE WITHOUT MEASURE - that when acted upon – PRODUCED GIANT-SLAYING RESULTS!
In 1 Chronicles 12:1-8, we learn about the men of valor that came to support David in a place called Ziklag. “…there came over to David in the stronghold in the wilderness, MIGHT MEN OF VALOR, TRAINED in war, who could HANDLE shield and spear, and whose FACES were like the FACES OF LIONS, and they were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains.” [1 Chron. 12:8]
Now, fast-forward 2,500 years and let’s see if we can apply 21st century vernacular and interpretation to this verse and gain deeper meaning and application:
“So those mighty men and women of PRAYER and VALOR gathered together – mighty warriors of faith - who have TRAINED their SENSES to KNOW GOD’S WILL, who have PRACTICED and EXERCISED their FAITH, who have HIDDEN God’s Word in their Hearts, who have SHARPENED their tongues to be effective teachers, whose faces are seasoned with wisdom like the lion’s, THESE ARE THE WARRIORS that are WELL ABLE - to DISCERN GOD’s VOICE - ASSESS a NEED and QUICKLY RESPOND to the CALL.”
Let each of us walk away from reading this post, be encouraged to practice harder, wax stronger and mature in Christ – well able to summon the courage to take a stand and MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
[Like what your reading? There’s more where this came from – deeper studies of scriptural stories in my book, Legacies of Valor – Traits of Character: The Noble & The Notable. Support this blog ministry by ordering a copy of Legacies of Valor today]
Friends, it’s great to get feedback and confirmation that I’m not just writing to a black hole – so please - before you leave – take a moment to “like” and “share” these posts with your social network. Together, we can encourage many – one post at a time.
Because of Christ – fear, worry and uncertainty should be beneath our feet. We need to learn how to REBUKE the voices of darkness that come in the night to torment us! When storm clouds rise, we need to call up the promises of God and REMIND OURSELVES WHO WE ARE IN Christ – that we are INDEED children of the most high God and that we are OVERCOMERS – DESTINE to be DIFFERENCE MAKERS; that all voices to the contrary - are minions of the enemy – whose destiny guarantees them an eternal “swim pass” in the lake of fire!
LISTEN! IT’S TIME for the body of Christ to “cowboy up” and pull-up our big boy and big girl pants and declare that we are the righteousness of Christ, that WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS! It’s time we understand fully - WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST.
It’s time we summon up the courage to BELIEVE, ACT and LIVE OUT what HE HAS DECLARED ABOUT EACH OF US. It’s time we RESOLVE to make a STAND – BOLD as a LION, to encourage those around us who have lost their way. It’s time to fight for this nation we call home - and fight for the Christian values she was founded on!
This great nation of ours is under siege! Regardless of party affiliation, we should all be able to agree – America – this place we call home - is in a pickle!
Those “in charge” can’t seem to make any progress of note on anything that needs to be fixed. The shell game on the hill is so obvious to those still capable of discernment – and to be completely honest - it’s no longer comical to watch.
Leaders from both parties espouse great rhetoric – yet collectively they produce NO FRUIT. In a blog post a few months back and in the words of John F. Kennedy I asked todays bureaucrats, “ask not what your country can do for you, but WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR THIS COUNTRY.”
I think it’s time we all ask ourselves – WHAT CAN I DO TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE for the Glory of God - at work, at home, at Church, in my neighborhood – and FOR THIS COUNTRY!
While God may be a-bit disappointed with how we’ve let this country slip from Grace, we simply can’t afford to become complacent or discouraged. Instead, we need to get ANGRY – YET SIN NOT!
Now WE - the defenders of the FAITH – the moral BACKBONE of a nation, need to become all-trusting, all-in, and all-over those that are acting counter to Godly counsel – and FIND THE COURAGE TO SPEAK UP and AGAINST the forces of darkness, expose the corruption and call them to account.
IF there was ever a time for the BODY OF CHRIST to RISE UP and SPEAK COURAGEOUSLY and BOLDLY – IT IS NOW!
Who doesn’t recall David the Giant Slayers famous line - spoken with great authority in the valley of Elah: “For WHO IS THE UNCIRCUMSIZED PHILISTINE – THAT HE SHOULD TAUGHT THE ARMIES OF THE LIVING GOD”!
Prior to this noble day, David was nothing more than a shepherd boy on an errand, with a backpack full of cheese, who had obviously spent much time conversing with God.
But on THIS DAY, everything he had learned and experienced, everything that defined who he was and what he believed in – was stirred into a HOLY BOLDNESS of COURAGE WITHOUT MEASURE - that when acted upon – PRODUCED GIANT-SLAYING RESULTS!
In 1 Chronicles 12:1-8, we learn about the men of valor that came to support David in a place called Ziklag. “…there came over to David in the stronghold in the wilderness, MIGHT MEN OF VALOR, TRAINED in war, who could HANDLE shield and spear, and whose FACES were like the FACES OF LIONS, and they were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains.” [1 Chron. 12:8]
Now, fast-forward 2,500 years and let’s see if we can apply 21st century vernacular and interpretation to this verse and gain deeper meaning and application:
“So those mighty men and women of PRAYER and VALOR gathered together – mighty warriors of faith - who have TRAINED their SENSES to KNOW GOD’S WILL, who have PRACTICED and EXERCISED their FAITH, who have HIDDEN God’s Word in their Hearts, who have SHARPENED their tongues to be effective teachers, whose faces are seasoned with wisdom like the lion’s, THESE ARE THE WARRIORS that are WELL ABLE - to DISCERN GOD’s VOICE - ASSESS a NEED and QUICKLY RESPOND to the CALL.”
Let each of us walk away from reading this post, be encouraged to practice harder, wax stronger and mature in Christ – well able to summon the courage to take a stand and MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
[Like what your reading? There’s more where this came from – deeper studies of scriptural stories in my book, Legacies of Valor – Traits of Character: The Noble & The Notable. Support this blog ministry by ordering a copy of Legacies of Valor today]
Friends, it’s great to get feedback and confirmation that I’m not just writing to a black hole – so please - before you leave – take a moment to “like” and “share” these posts with your social network. Together, we can encourage many – one post at a time.
