An Uncommon Courage

Dear Church,

Christ’s resurrection powerfully demonstrated His love for the lost. Yet, I believe the Lord also has tears of compassion for His Body today. In the spiritual war raging against the saints, many of us have taken blows. We have lost loved ones. We have been hurt by fellow believers and some of us have lost hope that His promises are for the land of the living. Many have resigned to live an ordinary life in the aftermath of loss.

Sadly, our accuser often comes at the most painful points of life – a loved one’s passing for example – telling us that God was the one that tortured them. Satan comes after horrible moral defeats and scandals, to mock and shame the very Christians he tempted to sin. Our enemy is wicked and hates God, taking his rage on God’s children.

In the guise of God’s voice and in the wake of such devastation, our enemy has sown lies to put a wedge between our hearts and God. Satan attempts to leverage our pain to paint a dark tint on God’s character so that we will no longer boldly approach God’s throne.

Personally, I had the rare upbringing to believe in the power and healing of God as a child. Yet, my failure to see that reality come to fruition left me feeling like an utter failure – a disappointment. Eventually, I stopped praying prayers of faith. I felt I was too broken to be used by God. My head knew He was Healer (Ex 15:26), but my heart thought otherwise.

If Satan can affect our view of our Father, he can influence our trust in Him. Our faith is what overcomes the world and Satan is terrified that you will trust Him (1 John 5:4). Satan’s lies exalt themselves against the knowledge of the true God (2 Corinthians 10:4-6).

The Kingdom is wonderfully simple, yet takes courage to believe its truths. “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5) None of us believe this perfectly, or else our lives would look like Christ who knew the Father perfectly. However, one young shepherd boy grasped a glimpse of what it meant to have courage:

“You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book? When I cry out to You, then my enemies will turn back; this I know, because God is for me.” (Psalm 56:8-9)

David penned these words in the hands of his enemies. An uncommon courage was found in David – to seek the heart of God despite what his natural eyes perceived. Of course, he doubted at times speaking honestly in his psalms, but his heart always gravitated to the adventure of knowing the goodness of God. We should learn from David’s honesty.

Personally, I have found great freedom by confessing my doubts to God. Recently, my prayer has been, “God, I see in Your Word that You are Healer, yet I must not believe it. Change me! Reveal Yourself to me as Healer so I never doubt Your goodness again.” After praying this prayer, I have been obeying God to lay hands on the sick when He speaks to me. Despite over 20 years of hopelessness and despair, God’s power has begun flowing through me and people are becoming healed. My faith is now in His goodness and no longer in my works. Now, I’m pressing deeper to see God as my personal Healer.

Let David’s words ring from the rooftops of our souls, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.” (Psalm 27:13) The promises of God are yes and amen.

Put on the courage of David! Confront your worst inner fears about God – you read that correctly, your fears about Him. All of us are facing a stained view of Him and need deeper revelation of His love. Eagerly seek to have the veils in your heart removed so that you can see the God of Your salvation. He fights for you, not against you. Raise your sword again and get back on the battlefield!

May the wounds of His Bride be healed so she rises from the ashes and fights again.

For the heart of our King!

-Missionary #007

Romans 8:31–35, 37-39

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?... No, in all these things we are more than y conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

P.S. If you have been hurt by the church for their perception of a lack of faith on your part in a moment of crisis, I pray that your heart would receive the comfort of the Lord and the courage to see His deep love for You. He truly is pure Love and He can redeem what was lost.