Boldly Press On Christian

We had our pastor's daughter over last Wednesday. She's 9. She's so incredibly sweet and bright and cheery. She's a very social person and kind of reminds me of myself (in the respect that she's outgoing. I'm no where NEAR as sweet a person as she is. She has such a tender heart towards God and people. (Duh-like father like daughter..I'm tellin ya!)) Very outgoing-more so then your average 9 yo..maybe even then your average teen. Something to be proud of for sure! (I can't understand typical teens who refuse to talk and socialize with all ages-besides themselves.. (actually I CAN understand. But that would be a whole other post.))

Point being we had so much fun with her. She was a blessing to have. She already adopted us (My sister and I) as older sisters and I love her for that. You see I adopt people I love too. It's almost like I love them so much being friend's just isn't good enough. So I'll consider them an aunt, uncle, cousin, sister, brother-whatever. (I've never found an adult I'd love so much to adopt them as a godfather/mother. Except for two people. Once that spot is reserved no one else can take it. So the rest are aunts and uncles. Not because I love them less. But just because they aren't so close as to call them second parents. (godparents that is..) I still love them just as much but the only difference is they're in the aunt and uncle spot-not the godparents spot.)

She encouraged me in the faith. She was telling me how her siblings and their LDS neighbors went to see how to train your dragon with them. And she said it was a fun time and a great opportunity to share Jesus' love to them. What a courageous, faithful soldier of Christ this child is!

My Lola came out recently with her boyfriend Larry. Apparently we found out from Jonah (once they had already left) that Jonah was trying to tell Larry about God. And Larry was trying to poison his mind with doubts. He told Jonah, "Well what about fairies? Fairies are a made up story and you can't see them. What about Santa Clause and Rudolph? They aren't real. They're just a made up story. You can't see them. They don't exist. They're fake. It's the same thing with God. You can't see God. How do you know He's real?" *I'll refrain from saying all the dirty rotten things I'm thinking right now..*

Little Jonah held his ground and BOLDLY continued (mind you he's SIX. He has faith like a mustard seed, truly.) pressing on, "Well God is EVERYWHERE. But, we can't see Him. He's still there, though. And if you keep sinning and not believing in God, you're going to go to hell. You don't want that."

And Larry *insert form of unwholesome talk..HERE* says, "I don't know what hell is."

Haha. You WILL. Continue down this path and you sure as HELL will no what the HELL hell is.

These little ones are examples to us. They do not ask questions. They say SEND ME GOD. And wherever God sends them they go, asking no questions. They cheerfully submit and with a skip go out and boldly press on, Christian soldiers for Christ; sharing Jesus' love to the unsaved.

So what must be done? Ha. We must get into the boat. Get into the boat and go to the other side. (See Mark 4:35-41) What must be done, I ask again? First, we must get IN the boat. That's the first step. Once we're in the boat that's where we prepare for what awaits us on the other side. That's where the testing of our faith begins. What happens on the other side? We are reaching out to the lost, the unsaved on the other side.

We ate at Christ's table. It is time for us to go out and invite OTHERS to eat and be satisfied, to be full. We are called to boldly press on. To boldly live our lives as if Jesus was curiously looking over our shoulders. To live as if in everything we do we wanted THOSE PEOPLE OUT THERE, OUTSIDE of your social bubble-to know the love of Christ, the grace and mercy and restoration of Christ.

That doesn't mean we aren't going to be scared. That doesn't mean fear won't be felt. But it SHOULDN'T mean that we are ruled BY fear. That is when our faith is really tested. When you go out there and proclaim the name of Christ boldly-it is scary. We don't know what might happen. But we do know that whatever DOES happen Christ is and has endured it for us and with us already. NO matter what happens man can do nothing to the soul! What's the worst that can happen? You end up dying proclaiming CHRIST'S name! That's scary but then you'll end up seeing Christ face to face, you'll end up..at home. And remember dying proclaiming Christ's name whether you were burnt at the stake for your faith or whether you died naturally but proclaiming His name until your last day--you're showing others that this guy, this Jesus is to DIE for.

Christian, no matter what you cannot call yourself a Christian and not be willing to die for what you believe. You cannot represent Christ's name and not be willing to die for Him.

In what areas of your life are you being ruled by fear? In what areas of your life are you not willing to die for Christ. Whatever areas those are-cut them off. Leave them. If it's your leg, cut if off. Isn't it better to be without a limb and proclaim Christ's name all the way-unto the death? Or is it better to have all limbs intact and proclaim His name half way? You choose. Judas had all his limbs intact and he proclaimed Christ's name half way-look how he ended up. The apostles (take Paul for example) were choppy. They had left pieces-limbs behind because they were causing them to only go so far in the work of the Kingdom.

Overall Christian, you have to be able to say both as Paul was able: Wretched man I am, Praise be to God that I am saved. You have to be able to say JESUS IS NOT YET LORD OVER THIS AREA IN MY LIFE-but thanks be to God, for saving me. Both must be said. Not one or the other. (And this is a quote from my pastor.)

ALL OF THIS POST, by the way is me listening to the sermons and talking to my Pastor..and all of it has really been on my heart lately. And I speak for myself and myself only. But if in someway I have struck a spark in your heart, I pray and thank God. A fire starts with a spark first, before a flame can form. It is little sparks that is changing the way I am thinking, that is opening my eyes to see these dark areas in my life that Jesus is not yet Lord over. It is sparks that are leaving me begging God to change me, change my heart, work in me, humble me, make me a DOER of the word not JUST a hearer. (Read the first chapter of the book of James the last bit..) It is seeing how holy my God is that has left me as Isaiah was-realizing I am unclean. I am begging God to press that coal to my lips (read Isaiah 25..I believe is what it is..). Make me holy. Make me a real disciple for you. For now I feel like Peter did who said, "Though they all fall away, because of you I will never fall away." Jesus said to him, "Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." Peter said to him, "Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!" And all the disciples said the same. (Matt. 26:30-35)

As you might have guessed, I am struggling right now. But, I do feel encouraged. Very encouraged. A friend let me vomit my insides out onto him. And he was there and kind of just let me muddle through my own mud. Wrestle through it. But I wasn't alone. He was there the whole time I was wrestling through it trying to explain how I was doing. Which reminded me. Christ hasn't left me, He's there. Helping me wrestle through it. One of my biggest fears..in life, ever since I was little was that God would take His Spirit from me. If you've read Romans 1 you know what I'm talking about. When you're struggling, when you're naked and exposed you fear you'll never see the light-Romans 1 dangles before your eyes and all you can do is beg God PLEASE don't leave me. I know I'm struggling, Father. But I need your help. I don't want that to happen to me. I'm going to keep fighting even though I FEEL like I'm capable of it.

Pray for me. And boldly press on Christians.

Elisabeth Darcy