Be Fearless!
I’d like to talk today about being fearless. Romans 14:8 reads: “For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord; whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.”
Sean Patrick Tario wrote in a Substack column in 2022: “The evil in this world is powerless against those operating unafraid wearing the armor of God…and this world needs more fearless warriors.”
That thought hit me square between the eyes. And Sean is not the only one saying this. I find it rather sobering to be seeing a similar message in several places all at once. I’m hearing a rallying call to action from several places. They’re telling us:
- Get ready. The fight is just beginning.
- Don’t be afraid.
- Fight righteously, fight well.
- Be ready. Be on call for whatever Christ calls us to do.
- Don’t be surprised, don’t be afraid, take the high road. Don’t be offended and take things personally.
- Protect the innocent.
- Fight for justice.
All good calls to action, coming from many voices at once.
And as we become poised for action, remember, our foe might be formidable, but evil remains powerless in the face of righteousness!
Christ said (as recorded in Luke 10:18-20): “I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Look, I have given you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; nothing at all will harm you. However, don’t rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
A few verses later, he continues, saying: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself….Do this and you will live.”
You see, we can’t do only what we love; we gotta do the dirty work too—the stuff we don’t want to do. I have a couple of thoughts for you today about this subject.
First, when it comes time to do the stuff we don’t want to do, it can help to find joy in the mundane. Find reasons to be happy doing boring or distasteful chores.
I have chickens and once or twice a week, I need to clean out their coop. I could grumble about it and turn my nose up at the smell and the yuck. Or I could quickly get rid of the yucky stuff and take joy in making it fresh and clean, happy that God’s creatures who have been entrusted to me will benefit from my efforts. I layer in the fresh pine shavings, a little straw and fresh or dried herbs, knowing that they will greatly enjoy picking through it all to find little edible treasures. A clean coop means healthy, happy chickens.
My second thought regarding the tendency to do only what we love is that we need to guard against selfishness posing as humility. Whenever we make a statement that involves “I” we run the risk of letting selfishness take over. For example, you might say:
- “I hate public speaking.” If that’s the case, I challenge you to stop and ask whether your message is all about you or do people need to hear what you have to say?
- Here’s another example. Perhaps in providing for your family, your job might involve sales and your reply is: “But I hate sales.” Let me ask you, what is more important: your comfort or providing for your family? God’s warriors need to be funding our own families and righteous causes. The church is called to support widows and orphans who can’t provide for themselves. We are called to support justice and righteous causes. You can’t do that when you’re broke! Is God maybe calling you deeper into business so you can do His work better?
- Here’s another good one: “But I’m an introvert.” Guess what? So am I! We introverts run the risk of being so introverted into self that we become ineffectual to help anyone else. That can be paralyzing. Don’t be selfish with your gifts and talents. The only good that comes from knowing you are an introvert is being able to know that to truly find rest, you need to get away by yourself once in a while. And that’s ok. Knowing you are an introvert is not a license to selfishly retreat from life.
Everyone has a superpower. What is yours? Whatever it is, God gave you some special talent—and He didn’t give to you so you could hoard it. He gave it to you so you could benefit others.
This is a bit of a challenging word today but I share it with you because it’s one that I’m challenging myself with.
The time for being selfish is over. There are no more free rides. It’s time to step up and contribute to society before we become overtaken by that which we despise. Be fearless. Be unafraid. And let’s live the life God has called us to lead in our local communities.
