Time to be a Hero!

“The world can no longer be left to mere diplomats, politicians and business leaders. They have done the best they could, no doubt. But this is an age for spiritual heroes - a time for men and women to be heroic in faith and in spiritual character and power”

Dallas Willard

I love that quote, it inspires me everytime I read it. 

I don’t know how you may see yourself today? 

I don’t know how you might feel about your life? 

But if you have lived long enough on this planet a whole host of things will have been fired your way. You will have faced many battles, your character will have been tested, you will have made mistakes and you will have faced struggles. You will probably not believe me when I say this but I’ll say it anyway… 

If you are still walking with God, you my friend are a Hero of faith!

You may not feel like a hero but continuing to follow Jesus daily takes faith! Faith is the super power that makes the greatest heroes! Hebrews 11 gives details of the heroes of faith. It names them; Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah all were known as heroes because of their unrelenting faith. They never stopped believing and that is why God could use them to be a hero to others! If you are keeping the faith then all of heaven will be cheering you on; they will be calling you a  spiritual hero!

It is true that whilst living as a Christian in these challenging and unsettling times it can be really hard to be open and honest about our faith. Maybe you have tried to have conversations with friends, family or colleagues and it resulted in extreme reactions from unbelievers. Maybe you have had questions thrown at you such as ‘Thought you were a Christian?’ Or perhaps ‘Tell me why your God would let that happen?’ It reminds me of how often in Superhero films/tv plots there is the ‘misunderstanding’; the superhero is judged unfairly for something they didn’t do! Have you found people can judge you based on their experiences or views which means there is nothing really you can do apart from be humble, be loving and be honest. 

In today's climate you will have had to overcome obstacles, you will have had to show courage and you will have had to answer questions probably on ‘what you believe’ and ‘why’! 

Being heroic in faith and in spiritual character and power seems to be quite a daunting set of words to live up to, however the older we get the more we should  realise that our superpower isn’t found in some freak radioactive accident, that a spider might have bitten you like Spiderman or that you have an impressive suit that gives you abilities like Ironman!

Your superpower is in fact found in two things, neither of which involve ‘freak’ accidents or an impressive suit!

The first is your own story! 

Nobody can dispute or deny your own experiences! People may try to belittle you at first but ultimately no one can argue against your own journey with God; the miracles you have seen, the incredible intricacy in which God weaves his will in and through your life. So don’t try to have a clever answer, or try to think too heavily just be you, speak about your experiences and speak about your journey with God. It is one of the most powerful ways that people see Jesus through you!

The second is the Holy Spirit! 

We often don’t understand the significance of a moment, of a conversation or even a disagreement but the Holy Spirit does. We need to be ready to do things differently than the world will tell us to do things. We have to be willing to act on the ‘quiet voice’ of the Holy Spirit especially when it comes to stepping out in faith! 

As heroes we aren’t designed to shrink back; if anything this makes us more uncomfortable than when we are stepping out which is probably why we feel so dishevelled when we have missed an opportunity. We have to remember that we are not on our own; we have nothing to fear! 

Joshua 1 v 9 says…

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Let’s all have more faith so that more power can be released!

by Simon Rushton