Fear? Crosscheck it!

I have to constantly remind myself that I am not home yet. This world is my temporary residence. We go through so many things in our short time here and it’s so easy to forget that it’s all prep. It’s training. The enemy wants you to believe there is nothing beyond what you see but the Father has promised much, much, more beyond. Plus Ultra. This Latin phrase echoed in my head. It means, "Further beyond". Don't let anyone tell you there's nothing more ahead for you. There's so much more!

What are you facing today, this month, this year? There are mountains I'm climbing that are so high, so jagged, the air gets so thin I feel like I can’t breathe. I wake up sweating but remind myself of Jesus’ words, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled..” (John 14:1). The fight or flight instinct in us so often makes us want to run when we are supposed to stand and fight. I’m finding more and more the areas I want to run from are the ones He’s calling me into.

When you look at a pride of lions, the male lion looks more intimidating than the lioness. His roar can be heard 5 miles away. But, the lionesses wait, hidden in the grass ready to make the kill. The lion sits further away and releases that piercing roar. The prey, by instinct, runs away from it. But in running from what they are most fearful of they run into the trap that’s been set. 

I am now training my ears to hear that roar. I am training my natural instinct and will no longer follow what my senses are telling me to do. (1 Cor. 9:26-27) To run away and run into the trap the enemy wants to send me into.  I will be on guard, I will be alert as Peter wrote, “the devil, he prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8) 

Now I am focused on the roar. The roar I should be running toward instead of away from. The roar that comes from The Lion of Judah. He’s calling us to face-off and triumph! The enemy wants to get us off track of the purpose we were created for. He wants us to believe we weren’t created for anything special. That’s his job!!! He wants to take as many people down as he can. He doesn’t want you to know God is waiting for you to run to Him so He can be triumphant. He is The almighty God. We forget the fullness of what it means. We think He can do all things but when it comes to our own “stuff" we don’t believe. He wants us to press into Him fully, unconditionally, surrender all that we are so He can take over and show us what He can do. He wants us to show the world that despite our “stuff", God is faithful. If you won’t show them, who will? 

Rich and I are being called to do some things that others will look down on us for. It looks different, undignified. There may be talk, whispers, jabs, etc. Whatever! My Jesus was known for that too. We will not sit back idly by and let our purpose here slip away. We know what He has called us to and we’re going to run to the One who has called us forward. It’s not going to be easy but it’s going to be worth it.

Let’s run towards the roar and as Jesus said, “do what the Father requires of me, so the world will know that I love the Father.” (John 14:31). I love how Jesus starts and ends this chapter. It’s not by accident. Let’s believe He can do all that He promised and let’s get on with all that the Father has for us to do. As one friend said at dinner, “if you can look up, you can get up.” As Jesus said, “Come, let’s be going”. 

There’s much to be done. Crosscheck Fear!