Be couragous – The Arrow Preacher

Don’t Be a Coward

It’s not easy following God’s plan, or the path in front of you. I have spent a long time trying to fit in with the crowd yet no matter how much I’ve tried I never quite did. Recently however, I found my place in a new crowd, and let go of some of my outer defenses. By the end of the week I was nicknamed preacher, and by the end of the weak I’d realized one thing, I became courageous. We are soldiers, every last one of us. We were made to be courageous, and we were made to fight a war. Every day the Devil wins a new soul, yet our fight doesn’t end with our own personal salvation. I would say the day we are saved is when the real fight begins. It’s time we stand up, and we get out of the shadows we’ve been hiding in for far too long. It’s time to realize who the true enemy is, and take the fight to him. Step out of your comfort zone and know that in all things God will make you strong, God will give you the courage, the strength to do whatever he, The Great I AM, wishes of you. I stayed in the shadows afraid to make my faith known for fear of being rebuked. I now realize that the thing that was missing in my life was the thing I had all along. Accepting my place in this world wasn’t being accepted by the people I was surrounded by, but accepting that I am not sheep, but a Shepard. God has called upon me to speak and preach his Holy Word. It’s me that he has called to stand tall, stand proud, and proclaim the word of God. I am humbled by the opportunities He has given to me to expand my voice as I proclaim the truth in ways others enjoy reading. When I finally accepted my roll, finally allowed myself to hear what God’s been saying all along, I had an overwhelming sense of peace. My own Odyssey wasn’t to find or make friends even though I did along the way, it was to find me, it was to find who I am meant to be. When I say I was transformed I cannot overstate the pure raw power I found within that single week.

Months ago I found a song that rang truth in my ears, and I sang it over and over again. I couldn’t hear the words I was singing. I couldn’t see the message that God had sent to me. I was blogging, and I was telling the word, and yet, I felt alone, lost and afraid. I couldn’t see that it wasn’t the world that was holding me back, it was me that couldn’t see how I fit into the world. I was holding back from God afraid to go into the deep end. I was afraid that if I let go of my fear and doubts, I would be mocked, ridiculed, and hated for my stance. In the years I’ve been a Christian I am finding now, it is I, myself that’s been my own worst enemy. The Devil’s lies would be strong, and I would be to weak to stand against them. I believed the lie and even more then believing the lie, I began years ago to live in that lie. I knew I didn’t fit it with my friends, my family, even the women I would love. I would know I was worthless, and a fraud, a poser, a coward. I believed the lies so much that in every aspect of my life I lived the lie. The old saying is true, that when you lie to yourself long enough you begin to believe it. It was no different with me, I believed I was a waist of flesh, and I didn’t deserve anything. I was a nobody lost in the waves, tossed around lost in my own pain. I wasn’t fit to wear the filthy rags of a beggar on the street. The truth was I am no one, without God we are nothing. The God who created the Heavens and the Earth says I am someone, I am his child. The King of all creation, and I was made for a purpose. I was created with love, and I live to serve, to not be a slave to this world, but the Shepard to leave the comforts of home to find lost sheep. I was not created to be a pastor, but I was created to spread and share the great news of Jesus Christ. I know where I belong and it’s to be in Heaven one day with the Father, but until that day comes, it’s my place to reach as many people as I can as often as possible.

The Devil wants me to fail; he wants me to loose hope, to distract me from the mission. For so long I was afraid to step out from that boat, and now when the Devil whispers in my ear I’m not strong enough to withstand the storm, I now whisper back ‘I am the storm.’ I challenge you all to find your courage to stand up and be loud and proud. We all have our gifts, and every last one of us can be a soldier for Christ. Do not be afraid of the Devil because he can’t do anything to remove your salvation. Do not be afraid of death for we all must meet our maker someday so even if the Devil puts me on the fast path to death, that just means I get to go home sooner. The voice of truth says do not be afraid, do not be dismayed for the Lord is with you. The voice of truth says the war is won, the Devil just doesn’t know it yet. Allow your pain and suffering to fuel your faith, to stand taller, to yell as loud as you can that the living waters of the Holy Spirit have washed you creating a new creation. Don’t just say what people want to hear, say what they need to hear. Don’t be a yes man, do what’s right. Sometimes doing what’s right is to say no. The Lord has seen fit to wash away the doubt I held in my heart, and the transformation within me has been nothing short of a miracle.

I’m not a perfect man, but I strive to have my Father be proud of me. I strive for God to be pleased in what I say and what I do. I’ve seen the way I was, and the way I am, and that feeling of not fitting in was washed away. I know I will fail, and I know I will fall, but I know God will forgive my shortcomings, and I know that God will love me enough to scold me when I’m wrong, reward me when I’m good, and will over a hand when I need it. God is always with me, and I know now that sometimes being a believer in Christ may make me an outsider with man, but I will fit right in when I go home. When I expire I will leave this world, and leave this broken body for a life of beauty and perfection. I will be given a new perfect body where I will be beautiful and accepted for me. My journey didn’t end at my Odyssey, no, it was just the beginning, it was my beginning. I hope to stand tall, and stand proud proclaiming the one truth anyone will ever need. I will be attacked in the coming days, weeks, and years, by the Devil who will try to break me. I know the battle was won, but the war for me is far from over. Like so many greats before me, I could only dream of standing as tall as them. David, Esther, Moses, Paul, any of them I would gladly set as my inspiration to become more like. Each struggled with their own failings, but God has made ordinary people into legends. While I have no belief I will be remembered as a legend, I know that I can at the very least offer to leave this world a better place then where I found it. With every breath I take I now know my true place in this world. Hallelujah to the one above who helped me cut the last tie to a scared boy.

Zephaniah 3:17 “17 The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” The Lord created you, gave you life, and in that life inlaid gifts, talents, and a soul to love. God loved us so much that in an act of love sacrificed his only son, to spare us the pain of total separation from the Father. Romans 5:8 “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” It’s this love we see the true sacrifice made. We are not saved by works, but through God alone. Matthew 19:26 “But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” We are to live like Christ, and in that we are told to share and preach the Gospel. To gather followers, and baptize the world in the Holy Spirit, so we must be willing to follow as Christ walked. John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Do not just stand by and watch, get out there and get ready for the long road. We cannot stay in the shallow ends if we are to be the Shepard in Christ. Ready yourselves with the armor of God Ephesians 6:10-18. Stand tall, and find your courage. The world may hate you, friends may turn their backs on you, but God, God will never forsake you. I want to be remembered when I die for being a Godly man, who fought the good fight. I want to leave behind a legacy of Godly children who follow in dad’s footsteps. But if I’m a coward and I run from danger, I run away with fear in my heart, I’ll never achieve greatness. If I am to achieve any real measure of success it must be before the Lord all mighty, not the standards of man. Stand tall, and be courageous in your walk with the Lord. Do not be afraid if you stray a little along the way, God will help you back on course. The promise made by God is a tab that’s already been paid. The Blood of Christ spilt so our sins may be forgiven and that relationship with God no longer divided. Believe in yourself because God believes in you.

Stand Up For Something

What does our flag mean to you? Men and women have fought and died for it for over two hundred years. It’s flown over countless countries and even on the moon. It represents the best of what his country is and how we’ve persevered through all manner of hardships. This country has endured war and poverty, racial divide and unprovoked attack that left thousands grieving. The struggles we’ve faced and overcome we’ve done it together. We trust in our nation to pull through the toughest of times, and we know that when the going gets tough we band together to achieve any goal because we stronger together.

Now in this country as the flag flies people from all over protest the national anthem because of personal reasons. The sad part is, although we aren’t perfect, and we have a long way to go, are we really do bold as to say so disrespectfully that we sit or kneel to try and prove a point? What do the leaders show the rest of the country when they choose to divide instead of illicit togetherness? The powerful are who the average look to and when so much hate and discourse is thrown around the rest of us are forced to watch and see this every single day. When the flag goes by I’ve seen old Veterans barely able to walk and in wheel chairs muster the strength to stand not because they have to, but as a sign of respect for those who’ve fought and have been buried under the Stars and Stripes. Racial divide, police brutality, political disagreement has nothing to do with the representation of our flag and nation. Our constitution, our bill of rights, and all the people who’ve served, died, and fought to protect those liberties, and the attempt to give those basic human rights to others is what the anthem stands for. If you cannot in good conscious stand for what this country stands for then why are you still here? There are plenty of other countries out there and if you won’t stand and recite the pledge, hold honors to the colors, then really its not your micro protests, it’s this nation you’re disrespecting. If you hate it so much look at what this nation has given to you. Success, wealth, fame, and so much more, yet instead of using that wealth and fame to raise awareness, blatant disrespect and a lack of loyalty are the rallying cry. How irresponsible to teach the young people of today that honoring and respecting the great nation you live in is such a major disrespect. Once upon a time to call yourself an American was said with pride. Now people do nothing but gripe and complain. I hate to break it to most people but I’ve lived a great many places in this world and even with our faults our rights and privileges are still second to none.

I’ve buried friends under the flag, and I’ve seen the way other nations talk about us, and I’ve seen the hell of war fighting for a people that largely hated us from the start. The fact is using Iraq as an example, I watch the first election take place in Ar- Ramadi as women could vote for the first times in their life. We have grown as a country, and we stand for those who cannot stand for themselves. When God gives us power He expects for us to use that power to glorify Him. Now however we can’t even publicly say His name in a growing number of institutions. We were founded on the beliefs that God was sovereign and Gods grace allowed for us to have what many did not. Now God is used as a simple platitude of old and for many no longer holds any societal importance. Walk in the shadows long enough and God will either watch as we destroy ourselves, watch as someone else does it, or like Sodom and Gamora before us we shall watch as the flag burns and the nation crumbles around us. You can still show respect for this country even when you disagree with a few things. Disrespecting the entire notion of this country on national television, or in public view is a horribly way to get your point across, because honestly, if you loose the respect of your followers, or people you’re supposed to be a roll model too, what good are we if we can’t find a constructive way to express ourselves.

We must learn to hold ourselves as a higher standard. Its not just here in this country we must worry about what others think, we are now being viewed world wide, and we must remain a united front. Our enemies are constantly planning, working to destroy us, and here we are trying to destroy our own selves. To the outside world, we look like a country of ignorant fools, obsessed with the sound of our own voice, and our problems seem so petty to them, and yet, we argue and one day, that divided nature will be a problem, one I hope we can fix before it’s too late. So in closing if you’re going to stand for something, stand for something, and make it count. If you are going to protest something do it in a respectful way. If you’re going to disagree with someone enough of the screaming, enough of the rioting, the looting, talk it over, sit down and have a dialog about it. Enough of the want and destruction that has plagued our nation for too long now. As I’ve stated in the past, put a little love in your heart!