BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS 

PART TWO

It has always been necessary for true followers of Jesus Christ, who from the early beginnings of the church have been called Christians, to be people of courage.

No more has this been so, than when facing the possibility of persecution for the faith. The Apostle Paul, who is credited with writing thirteen, or possibly fourteen books of the New Testament, if the Book of Hebrews is included - stated in 2 Timothy 3:12 that all who desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. I have heard on Vision Christian Radio in a news bulletin the sobering statistic that around the world in recent decades, something in the order of 100,000 Christians have been martyred for their faith each year. The vast majority of these have been in non-Western countries.

    True Bible-believing disciples of Christ have to be willing to lay down their lives for Him every day, not  always physically obviously, but we all have to boldly rise to the challenge of living out our lives for the glory of our Creator God in the midst of a broken and hostile world.

    The much parodied church ministers in films and on television, often shown as weak, wimpy looking individuals with their sheepish and mindless congregation members, is not a picture of the church as God intended and intends it to be. Christianity is not a religion for wimps. It requires total commitment and the self discipline of soldiers in an army, prepared for battle, or that of elite athletes training for the most prestigious sporting events, to live the life that God has called each of His disciples to live - with boldness, strength of character and true courage for the times.

    If you have read my previous blog post, the first part of this current topic, you would have read about my experience in the taxi with a young Christian woman who was very bold in her witness for Jesus - and the personal challenge that brought to me to be more bold and courageous in my stand for the Lord. Interestingly, a number of years ago, I received a prophetic word from a respected pastor, who was known for his accurate prophetic ministry - concerning an aspect of ministry the Lord was preparing me for, that I would lift up my voice with boldness, and in so doing, would get behind people's guards, and bring the healing anointing of Jesus to situations. I am believing for that to be increasingly fulfilled in my life, as I draw closer to Him, build myself up in His Word, and through prayer become stronger in faith, strength of character, and the courage to face any challenge God places in front of me.

Proverbs 28:1 says: The wicked man flees though no one pursues,

                                  but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

It would be fair to say that a lion is afraid of no one, and that is how we, as Christians are meant to be, if we are walking closely with the Lord.

In Isaiah 8:11-14, the prophet says:     

                                                The Lord spoke to me with His strong hand upon me,

                                          warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said:

                                         Do not call conspiracy

                                         everything that these people call conspiracy;

                                         do not fear what they fear,

                                         and do not dread it.

                                         the Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,

                                         he is the one you are to fear, 

                                         he is the one you are to dread,

                                         and he will be a sanctuary;

Regarding these just quoted verses, Rick Joyner says in his book, "The Harvest,"

If we have the true and holy fear of the Lord, we will not fear anything else. Then He becomes our sanctuary! Then our work will be untainted by human motives or self promotion.

The apostolic commission of Paul was destined to arouse the rage and opposition of not only the religious establishment, but the whole Roman Empire. This frail human vessel charged unrelentingly into the face of the most powerful principalities and powers of his age with so little compromise or consideration for his own life that he shook those powers to their very foundations. Freedom from the fear of man and demon is a prerequisite for true ministry.

Christians, those true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, who are seeking them with their whole being, and seeking to be more like Him, will be disciples who will display strength in these dangerous times, and who step out boldly with real courage as they stand for uncompromising truth and righteousness in the spirit of Love!