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“Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

Acts 4:10–12

If you look at the preaching by the apostles and deacons recorded in the book of Acts, you find a strong emphasis on Jesus Christ. Every message revolved around Jesus, and every message produced results. Sometimes those results were crowds or individuals being saved. Other times those results were rejection and persecution, or even martyrdom. But a message that clearly presents the Jesus of the Bible is going to have an impact. The early Christians were ordinary men and women filled with the power of an extraordinary God—and they preached Christ.

Jesus is the center of everything for us: He is our hope of salvation and our source of grace. John wrote, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Our world is in desperate need. People are trying all sorts of crazy beliefs and practices in an effort to find the hope that only comes through Jesus. As long as we are faithful to preach Him, we have something real and meaningful to offer those with hungry hearts. There is no substitute for Jesus. Encouraging people to reform their lives or to feel better about themselves just as they are will not help. Only through the transforming power of God’s grace can people find true hope.

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

Romans 6:1–4

People have been struggling with understanding grace for a long time. The arguments made today that people can live any way they want because of grace are not new. In fact, they go all the way back to the early church. One of the primary reasons that Paul left Titus behind to pastor in Crete was the false teaching about grace that had infected the believers there. Paul wrote that Titus was to “set in order the things that are wanting” (Titus 1:5). The new Christians on Crete needed grace not just for salvation, but for daily living according to God’s Word.

Then as now, there are some who would turn grace into license, teaching that Christians can live in sin since they are no longer under Law. Of course, the believer is not under Law but under grace. Grace, however, brings an even greater responsibility: how can the Christian deliberately sin against the grace and kindness of God?

Paul told Titus by inspiration that God’s grace does not teach license, but restraint. The lesson of grace is that “denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:12). There is a great need today for Christians who will allow God’s grace to transform their lives from the inside out.

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”

1 John 3:1–3

When his expedition to Antarctica was stranded by ice, Sir Ernest Shackleton took a few of his men on a risky voyage across open ocean on a tiny boat. The rest of the crew stayed behind awaiting their rescue. When Shackleton finally reached inhabited land, he quickly returned with a rescue boat. But moving ice threatened to cut off the rescue. Finally an avenue in the ice opened up, and the ship rushed in. The stranded crew rushed aboard and they made it back to open water just in time. The story goes that once they were safely away, Shackleton said, “It was fortunate you were all packed and ready to go!” They replied, “We never gave up hope. Whenever the sea was clear of ice, we rolled up our sleeping bags and reminded each other, ‘The boss may come today.’”

The fact that Jesus could return at any moment is a powerful motivation for us to purify our lives. That is not something we can do through strength of will or determination. The process of sanctification is just as dependent on God’s grace as our justification is. Paul asked, “Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3). When we are focused on the return of the Lord, we seek God’s grace to live in such a way that we will not be ashamed when we see Him.

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.”

1 Thessalonians 4:13–14

Evangelist John R. Rice’s mother died when he was just six years old after she gave birth to another child who also died. Many years later in a sermon called “What Will Happen When Jesus Comes?” Dr. Rice described that day: “I remember the November day when we laid her body away….The rain beat down upon us and a friendly neighbor held an umbrella over our heads. O death! death! DEATH! All the years my lonely heart has known the reality of death.” Despite the pain of that great loss at such a young age, the grace of God brought him comfort. Later in the sermon, he talked about the wonderful hope of seeing his mother again.

One of the wonderful and amazing things about grace is the way that God increases it for us when we need it most. On a “normal” day when everybody is pretty healthy, there’s a little money in the bank, and things are going well, we need God’s grace. (And it’s important that we not forget that fact on the good days—if we do, we will likely become ungrateful.) But on the days when the wheels come off and there is trouble on every side, we need even more grace. And even in the great pain of the loss of a close friend, a family member, or a loved one, we will still find that God’s grace is sufficient. The Bible does not tell us that we will not sorrow in those days, but that our sorrow is different because of the hope that we find through grace.

“And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Mark 2:16–17

D. L. Moody described preaching on grace during the cold winter after the great Chicago fire. Though he preached with passion and conviction, there was little interest in his message. When he asked for people to stay who were interested in salvation, only one man remained behind. Moody wrote, “I saw a poor fellow at the back of the furnace crying. ‘I want to hear about the grace of God,’ said he. ‘You’re the man I want, then,’ said I. ‘Yes,’ the poor fellow said, ‘you said in your sermon that it was free, and I want you to tell me something about it.’

“Well, I got to talking to him, and he told me a pitiful story. He had drank away twenty thousand dollars, his home had been broken up, and his wife and children had left him. I spoke to him, and it was not long before we were down together praying. I got him a night’s lodging, and next day we got him on his feet, and when I went to Europe he was one of the most earnest workers we had. He was just a partaker of grace—believed that the peace of God was sufficient for him, and he took God at his word and He was a saved man.”

The temptation we face after being saved for a while is to forget how desperately we needed God’s grace. But there is no grace for the proud and self-righteous—only for those who humbly seek the Lord.

“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.”

Hebrews 12:14–16

A minister friend of D. L. Moody named Dr. Anton used a sermon illustration about a dog to powerfully demonstrate how we fail to take advantage of the grace God freely offers to us. He said, “You have been sometimes out at dinner with a friend, and you have seen the faithful household dog standing watching every mouthful his master takes. All the crumbs that fall on the floor he picks up and seems eager for them, but when his master takes a plate of beef and puts it on the floor and says, ‘Rover, here’s something for you,’ he comes up and smells of it, looks at his master, and goes away to a corner of the room. He was willing to eat the crumbs, but he wouldn’t touch the roast beef—thought it was too good for him.”

He went on to say, “That is the way with a good many Christians. They are not willing to take all God wants. Come boldly to the throne of grace and get the help we need; there is an abundance for every man, woman and child in the assemblage.”

While grace never fails, there are times when we do not allow it to produce its full impact on our lives. It is a tragedy when this happens because grace means so much in our lives. The writer of Hebrews warns us to be careful because there is a very real danger of destruction—we cannot live the Christian life apart from God’s grace applied on a daily basis.

“John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”

John 1:15–18

In 2005 former professional boxer Mike Tyson talked about his life and future in an interview with USA Today. Tyson said, “I’ll never be happy. I believe I’ll die alone. I would want it that way. I’ve been a loner all my life with my secrets and my pain. I’m really lost, but I’m trying to find myself. I just want to escape. I’m really embarrassed with myself and my life. I want to be a missionary. I think I could do that while keeping my dignity. I’m not going to be a Jesus freak. But that’s what I’m going to give my life to. I love Jesus, and I believe in Jesus, too—and I’m a Muslim. Listen, I got a imam, I got a rabbi, I got a priest, I got a reverend—I got ‘em all.”

This approach to religion and salvation is far from unique in our day. Often we hear people talk about there being many roads to God or saying that they are more spiritual than religious. Many people are “hedging their bets” and trying to add some form of Christianity to their other beliefs. Yet the Bible is very clear—the only source of salvation and grace is Jesus Christ. This is a truth that we must hold clearly in our increasingly pluralistic society—both in our own thinking as well as in our public witness.

“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.”

Acts 4:31–33

The first church in Jerusalem had a dramatic and powerful ministry. The disciples and those who were converted through their preaching lived their faith on a daily basis. First the threat, and then the reality of persecution did not deter them from witnessing to everyone they met. Both publicly in sermons and privately in one-on-one conversations, “they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ” (Acts 5:42). The members of the church were filled with the Holy Spirit, giving them boldness to stand firm in the face of opposition.

One of the wonderful characteristics of the members of this group was their care for each other. The needs of one were felt by all, and the members of the church were willing to sacrificially give what they had to help others. Barnabas is a great illustration of this generosity. He was from Cyprus, some 250 miles away from Jerusalem, and went to the effort of finding someone to purchase the land that he owned so that he could give the money to the church. The reason the members of the church in Jerusalem were so generous and compassionate is that they had “great grace” on their lives—not just the leaders, but the members as well. Such grace within the church will inevitably reach outside the walls and strengthen our witness to the world.

“Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”

Colossians 4:3–6

Nathaniel Hawthorne is widely considered one of America’s greatest authors. Yet early in his career his work was not widely accepted, and he had to find additional ways to support his family. He received a job in the customs house in Salem, but a change in political administration meant that he was fired along with all those who had supported the losing side in the election. It is said that when Hawthorne returned home to give his wife the bad news, she simply said, “Now you can write your book.” Hawthorne immediately began work on The Scarlet Letter, the book that established his place in literary circles—because of a few words of encouragement from his wife.

It’s not hard to find people that will point out all of the problems and difficulties you face and the things others are doing wrong to you. One author referred to them as the “Discouragement Fraternity.” But how refreshing and wonderful it is to hear encouragement from a friend or family member when things are tough! The power of our words cannot be overstated.

Yet too often we fall back on the excuse that we are speaking the truth, forgetting the admonition to season our words with grace. While we should always tell the truth, not everything that is true needs to be said in every circumstance. Sometimes people who are carrying a heavy load just need a kind word of hope and encouragement to keep going. Those who encourage others truly have a great ministry.

“And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

Hebrews 7:23–25

Robinson Crusoe, written by Daniel Defoe and published in 1719, is considered to be one of the first novels written in the English language. The story of a sailor stranded for years on a deserted island may have been based, at least in part, on the true life story of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish sailor marooned on a Pacific island. Defoe’s deep religious convictions are very evident in the story, most notably in his account of the conversion of Robinson Crusoe.

“JULY 4. - In the morning I took the Bible; and beginning at the New Testament, I began seriously to read it. It was not long after I set seriously to this work till I found my heart more deeply and sincerely affected with the wickedness of my past life. I was earnestly begging of God to give me repentance, when it happened providentially, the very day, that, reading the Scripture, I came to these words: ‘He is exalted a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and to give remission.’ I threw down the book; and with my heart as well as my hands lifted up to heaven, in a kind of ecstasy of joy, I cried out aloud, ‘Jesus, thou son of David! Jesus, thou exalted Prince and Saviour! give me repentance!’”

No matter how long we have been saved, we must keep our gratitude for God giving us the gift of salvation through His grace. His grace should always remain at the center of our lives, and it is a message we must take to those around us.

“I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”

2 Corinthians 2:8–9

I read a story that on the evening before the battle of Waterloo, Napoleon had ordered sentries to be posted to watch for signs that the German and British forces were trying to unite against him. On the cold and rainy night a corporal of the Old Guard was posted near a corn field. Through the long night he marched back and forth, seeing nothing. Finally the exhausted man laid down on a corn sheaf to rest. That night, Napoleon, unable to sleep, decided to check the sentries. When he came to cornfield, he found the guard sleeping.

Without a word, Napoleon picked up the man’s gun and stood at his post. After a while the soldier awoke. Startled, he found the emperor standing guard. Realizing that his life would be forfeited because of his dereliction of duty, he knelt to receive his punishment. According to the story, Napoleon looked at him and said, “I have stood your watch. Your life is spared. Resume your post.” There was a reason Napoleon’s men were so loyal to him!

All of us were under a completely justified sentence of death. We had no hope of escape until Jesus came as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. His death, burial, and resurrection in our place purchased our salvation at great cost. We have no excuse for not living a life that is filled with gratitude and service in light of the great gift we have received. It is an insult to the grace of God for us to live thankless lives.

“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Hebrews 4:14–16

The grace that God gives us to face the pressures of life arrives on His schedule rather than on ours. In commenting on this passage in Hebrews, Dr. G. Campbell Morgan wrote, “I am never tired of pointing out that the Greek phrase translated ‘in time of need’ is a colloquialism, of which ‘in the nick of time’ is the exact equivalent. Grace just when and where I need it. You are attacked by temptation, and at the moment of assault you look to Him, and the grace is there to help.”

This is such a wonderful promise for us to hold tightly when we are in difficulty. While we tend to think that it would be better to have everything settled in advance and know exactly how things will work out, God knows that we need to trust Him. So often we are placed in situations and circumstances where it is easy for us to feel that God has forgotten His promises to us. Yet, in truth, that never happens.

The mistaken idea that bad things only happen to bad people is an old one—that is what Job’s friends told him after he lost everything in Satan’s attack. What we have is not a guarantee that things will turn out as we think they should, but rather that in the perfect timing of God...in the “nick of time”...His grace will be there when we need it most.

“Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.”

Joshua 1:6–7

In a sermon on Joshua, Charles Spurgeon said, “Obedience is the highest practical courage. The highest exploit of the Christian life is to obey Christ. This is such an exploit, my brethren, as shall never be performed by any man, except he has learned the rule of faith, has been led to rest upon Christ, and to advance upon the path of obedience in a strength which is not his own, but which he has received from the work of the indwelling Holy Ghost. The world counts obedience to be a mean-spirited thing, and speaks of rebellion as freedom. Yet if the world could but have sense enough to convict itself of folly, upon indisputable proof being afforded it, it were not difficult to prove that a reviler of the obedient is a fool.”

During my lifetime and ministry, I have had the privilege of serving God in a place where persecution rarely consists of anything more than having nasty things said about you or doors slammed in your face. But throughout history and even today, many have been called to serve Christ in the face of suffering and even death. If we were forced to face such a challenge, it would be our duty to obey and to faithfully proclaim the truth regardless of the consequences. The best way to ensure we would pass such a test in the future is to display the courage of obedience today. Let us live today in the fear of God rather than the fear of man and obey His Word.

“The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.”

Psalm 33:10–12

In his farewell letter to the Continental Army when he resigned his commission in 1783, George Washington wrote: “I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in His holy protection, that He would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the field, and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy nation.”

America has a long and rich heritage of Christian faith and principles. We have never been a country where everyone was a believer, but the truths of Scripture were once held in high regard even by most of those who were not Christians. Today that is no longer the case. As we face a culture that glorifies evil and condemns good, we must respond. While we exercise our rights as citizens, we must never lose sight of the fact that our most important contribution to our nation is found in our obedience to Christ and our daily Christian walk.

“And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die. And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were. And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also.”

2 Samuel 11:15–17

David’s plot to eliminate Uriah the Hittite and cover his sin with Bathsheba hinged on the knowledge that the bravest warriors would be found in the forefront of the battle. Though this is a tragic story that shows so much about the consequences of sin, it also holds a lesson about courage for us. When things are difficult and the “going gets tough,” the correct response is not to bail out, but rather to face the fight head on.

Francis Scott Key watched the battle for Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland from the deck of a British warship that was shelling the fort. He had gone on board to ask for the release of prisoners, and the British would not allow him to leave because they were afraid he would give warning of the impending attack. Through the night the battle raged—the battle commemorated in Key’s poem that became our national anthem.

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

“Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?”

Psalm 50:14–16

On July 18, 1965, Jeremiah Denton was shot down over North Vietnam. For almost eight years, he was held in captivity under extremely harsh conditions. During a television interview by his captors, he sent out a message by repeatedly blinking in Morse code to reveal that he and his fellow captives were being tortured. But his time in prison took a severe toll on him. At one point he felt he was about to break. Denton wrote the following in his memoir: “I broke down and cried and since that time I’ve learned that if you do that, turn yourself over to God and say, ‘Look, You be the origin of the stimuli for my thoughts, for my actions and make it be in accordance with Your will,’ it’s amazing how that will work.”

Like an individual, a nation in trouble needs to seek God as its source of strength and help. Those who recognize the problems of our culture are often uncertain as to the best way to solve them. The reality is that there are no lasting political, economic or legal solutions to moral problems. What we need is a revival of faith in the hearts of Christians so that we will live as God directs regardless of what those around us do, and faith to seek God’s help, not so that our lives will be easy but so that we will do right. If God’s people act in His power, His help will be their strength.

“Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

1 Peter 2:7–9

One of the leaders of the early church, Tertullian, told a story from the days of the Emperor Severus to illustrate the willingness to take a stand under pressure. After a great victory over the Parthians, Severus held a grand review of the army. The soldiers were commanded to march past the imperial reviewing stand with crowns of laurel on their heads. Believers who felt that only Jesus deserved the crown often refused such adornments, thinking it showed disloyalty to God.

Tertullian wrote: “One of them, more a soldier of God, more steadfast than the rest of his brethren, who had imagined that they could serve two masters, his head alone uncovered, the useless crown in his hand—already even by that peculiarity known to every one as a Christian—was nobly conspicuous. Accordingly, all began to mark him out, jeering him at a distance, gnashing on him near at hand. The murmur is wafted to the tribune, when the person had just left the ranks. The tribune at once puts the question to him, ‘Why are you so different in your attire?’ He declared that he had no liberty to wear the crown with the rest. Being urgently asked for his reasons, he answered, ‘I am a Christian!’”

One of the great needs of our day is for men and women to take a clear and uncompromising stand for the faith. While we should always be kind and courteous, we should never try to blend in with the crowd for personal expediency, serving two masters instead of just one—our Lord and our God.

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”

Daniel 3:16–18

One of the greatest victories in British military history was Admiral Horatio Nelson’s triumph at the Battle of Trafalgar. Before the battle began, Nelson dressed in his full regalia with all of his medals and decorations showing. When some of his aides suggested that Nelson remove or at least cover his medals to avoid becoming a target, the gallant admiral refused. “I won these distinctions in the face of the enemy,” Nelson replied, “and I shall wear them in the face of the enemy.”

When the British ships were in position, Nelson had signal flags hoisted on the HMS Victory that read “England expects that every man will do his duty” and the conflict began. Nelson was struck by a bullet during the fighting and died shortly after the battle, but his courage inspired his men, and they triumphed over the enemy. The outnumbered British fleet sank or captured twenty-two French and Spanish ships without losing a single one of their own, and British naval superiority was established.

Courage is contagious. While we should be willing to do what is right even if we must do it alone, it is far easier to stand with others in the battle. Our courage is not just for our own sakes—it also helps others do what they should. We need to be firmly committed to our principles, and be willing to stand for them regardless of the consequences.

“And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands. And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.”

1 Samuel 17:47–48

Someone once said, “Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage which a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave people to win them.”

There were many reasons for David not to fight Goliath. He was a young man, not old enough for military service. Better equipped and better trained warriors quaked in terror at the thought of facing the giant, but David had no doubt that he would be victorious. The circumstances did not deter him from taking on a massive challenge. And when the moment of truth came, David did not hesitate—he ran toward Goliath.

David was able to look back on previous times in his life when God had strengthened him and given him victory. He had defeated a lion and a bear that sought to take lambs from his flock, and he viewed the giant Philistine as just one more foe who would fall before the God whom David loved and served. If our view is on our problems, we may be overtaken by fear. But if our view is fixed on God, then we realize that victory is certain, and that we have every reason to be confident and courageous. The church today urgently needs men and women of courage who will not shrink from facing the battles.

“At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

2 Timothy 4:16–18

In the early 1500s, Pope Leo X launched a fund-raising effort to build the massive St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome by selling indulgences. The people were told that by buying these they could obtain forgiveness for their own sins or for the sins of others. A special emphasis on freeing the departed from purgatory was promoted by John Tetzel who proclaimed: “As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, The soul from purgatory springs.”

When Martin Luther, one of the Reformers who was not Baptist, but nonetheless stood against some of the heresies of the Roman Catholic Church, began writing and speaking against both purgatory and indulgences, it raised the ire of Rome. When he refused to recant, the pope issued a decree—a papal bull—excommunicating Luther. Convinced of the Scriptural basis for his position, Luther stood firm. He wrote, “It is better that I should die a thousand times than that I should retract one syllable of the condemned articles. And as they excommunicated me for the sacrilege of heresy, so I excommunicate them in the name of the sacred truth of God. Christ will judge whose excommunication will stand.”

We need more people today who will not bow to popular opinion or to pressure from others to retract their commitment to what God has declared in His Word. The devil has learned that through intimidation he can silence many. We must, instead, trust God to deal with any consequences that follow taking a clear and public stand for what is right, summon our courage, and refuse to recant.

“And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”

Numbers 13:32–33

All of the twelve spies that Moses sent into the Promised Land were leaders. God told him to select one man from each tribe, “every one a ruler among them” (Numbers 13:2). But though they had leadership positions, most of them were not men of faith and courage. When they returned, the majority opinion was that though the land offered great bounty, the task of taking it would be too great. They focused on the giants in the land and on the obstacles rather than on the God who had already miraculously delivered them from Egypt and provided for their every need.

Despite the efforts of Caleb and Joshua, the people refused to even attempt to do what God had told them to do; and as a result, that entire generation except for the two courageous leaders, perished in the wilderness. Hudson Taylor said, “Many missionaries estimate difficulty in light of their own resources, and thus they attempt very little, and they always fail. All who have done great things for God first reckon on His presence and power to guide them.”

If we rely on our own strength and ability, what we can do is limited, and we are subject to being crippled by fear. But if we rest in the promises of God and claim what He has offered, we will find the courage to overcome obstacles and to win great victories for Him.

“Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place: For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.”

Proverbs 24:15–16

During World War II the British forces in Burma (modern day Myanmar) were routed by the invading Japanese troops. The British commanding general, William Slim, later reflected on the impact of defeat on a leader. He wrote, “ The commander has failed in his duty if he has not won victory—for that is his duty. He will remember the soldiers whom he sent into the attack that failed and who did not come back. ‘I have failed them,’ he will say to himself, ‘and failed my country!’ In a dark hour he will turn on himself and question the very foundations of his leadership and his manhood. And then he must stop! For, if he is ever to command in battle again, he must shake off these regrets and stamp on them, as they claw at his will and his self-confidence. He must beat off these attacks he delivers against himself, and cast out the doubts born of failure. Forget them, and remember only the lessons to be learned from defeat—they are more than from victory.”

The “secret” of success is no secret at all. Victory is not found in never failing. Rather it is found in never quitting. The temptation to give up grows when we face struggles and difficulties, and it is our response in those critical moments that determines whether we succeed or fail. It takes a great deal of courage to get up the first time we are knocked down. But victory requires getting up not just once, but again and again until we triumph. The voice of discouragement counsels defeat, but the voice of courage counsels persistence. In the end, the outcome of each individual struggle and of our lives will be determined by which of those voices we follow.

“And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.”

Acts 4:29–31

After both of his sons enlisted in the Army to fight in World War II, Henry Gerecke, the pastor of a small church in Missouri, volunteered to join the Army as a chaplain. In addition to his skill with the Word of God, Gerecke spoke fluent German. He was often called on to work with German prisoners as the Army moved forward. When the war ended, the Army asked him to serve as chaplain to the members of the German high command facing trial at Nuremberg.

Some people opposed the idea, believing that war criminals like Herman Goering and Alfred Jodl did not deserve spiritual comfort. But Gerecke answered the call, even though doing so meant another year away from his wife and home. Eleven of the twenty-one tried at Nuremberg were sentenced to death. Gerecke continued to witness and minister to them up to the day of execution. He later wrote that four of them “died as penitent sinners trusting God’s mercy for forgiveness. They believed in Jesus who shed His blood for their sins.”

Most of us do not face the challenge of sharing the gospel with hardened criminals who have the blood of multiplied thousands on their hands. Yet, in truth, every sinner, whether his sins are small or great in our eyes, stands condemned to death and eternity in Hell apart from God’s grace. Let us never fail to witness to anyone because of fear.

“When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.”

Acts 7:54–56

When things are going well, there are no real tests of our courage. It is easy to go to church on Sunday when there are no secret police taking names and no one is burning cars in the parking lot. But God does not promise us an easy life. I am thankful that preaching doesn’t carry a death sentence in America, but the reality is that we should be willing to do right no matter what the consequences are. One of the sources of courage in the face of difficulty is our hope of Heaven.

I read that Dwight Moody was once traveling by boat on one of the Great Lakes when a really bad storm developed. The other passengers on the boat cowered in fear. They even started an impromptu prayer meeting asking God to deliver them from the storm. Moody didn’t join in this prayer meeting. When asked why not, he answered with these words, “I have a sister in Chicago and one in Heaven and I don’t care which I see tonight.”

Just before He went to the cross, Jesus made an unshakeable and certain promise about the future. “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3). The worst that can happen to Christians from a standpoint of what people can do to us is that we die and go to Heaven.

“But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.”

Luke 8:23–24

The human nature of Jesus is clearly on display in this story of the storm that came as the disciples sailed across the sea. He was tired, and He went to sleep. Even when a serious storm came, so much so that the disciples feared for their lives, He continued to sleep. He had no fear, unlike the disciples. Henry Drummond said, “Christ’s life outwardly was one of the most troubled lives that was ever lived: tempest and tumult, tumult and tempest, the waves breaking over it all the time. But the inner life was a sea of glass. The great calm was always there.”

The question that Jesus asked the disciples after He calmed the storm reveals clearly the source of the problem. “And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him” (Luke 8:25). They had no courage because they had no faith.

In every crisis we are faced with a choice: will we believe what God says even though we do not see how things will work out, or will we give in to our fears and abandon our course? The Lord has not promised us smooth sailings. Things will go wrong and storms will come. Instead He has promised us His presence. Nothing happens to the child of God that is not part of His purpose and plan for our lives.

“That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land; And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.”

Judges 6:8–10

The Children of Israel failed in their assigned task to drive out all of the inhabitants of the Promised Land. They made progress during the days of Joshua and those who knew him, but once that generation was gone, they settled into an uneasy coexistence with the Canaanites. When God rebuked them for their failure, He revealed that Israel had a misplaced fear. Rather than fearing God and trusting Him, they were fearing the gods worshiped by their neighbors. As a result, they refused to obey God and claim the victory that He had promised to deliver into their hands. When we fear the wrong thing, wrong actions are certain to follow.

It may seem counter-intuitive, but fearing God actually makes us more courageous. “In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge” (Proverbs 14:26). That is because the fear of God places us in a position of obedience that leads to a place of safety and blessing. When we fear men or circumstances more than we fear God, we are on a path of trouble. However, if our faith is strong, our courage will be as well, and our obedience will place us on the path to victory.

“And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed. And the LORD shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you. Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

Deuteronomy 31:4–6

In Moses’ last words to the Children of Israel, he reminded them of all that God that had done for them over the years. The people were going to face many challenges and battles in the days ahead. They would need their faith to keep their courage. When they first came to the border of Canaan, years before, the ten spies gave a bad report; and as a result, the people refused to even enter the land because of their fears. Now they were going to do what their fathers had failed to do, and they would need courage to overcome their fears—God’s presence would give them that no matter what they faced.

There is an amazing contrast between the first group of spies and the second. The ten spies said the giants of the land viewed them as grasshoppers. Yet Rahab told the two spies Joshua sent, “Your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you” (Joshua 2:9). Charles Spurgeon said, “The worst evils of life are those which do not exist except in our imagination. If we had no troubles but real troubles, we should not have a tenth part of our present sorrows. We feel a thousand deaths in fearing one.” We should not let anything deter us from doing right, especially fears that we create where no reason for them exists.

“And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.”

Judges 7:6–7

God gave Gideon a challenge like few others have faced. The vast host of the Midianite army numbered far more than one hundred thousand. Yet God sent Gideon into battle with three hundred unarmed men. One commentator describes it this way: “It is scarcely possible to conceive a severer trial than the command to attack the overwhelming forces of the enemy, with such a handful of followers. But Gideon’s faith in the divine assurance of victory was steadfast; and it is for this he is so highly commended.”

The devil tells us that the things God wants us to do are impossible. He tries to defeat us before the battle even begins by using fear and discouragement to weaken our hearts and undermine our faith. Gideon certainly did not have perfect faith—he repeated the test with the fleece on the ground twice and then wanted still further confirmation before fighting the battle. But when the moment of truth came, he was willing to put his life on the line and do what God had told him to do.

This is true courage. It is not the complete absence of fear or a perfect faith. Instead, it is the willingness to walk ahead into an unseen future and face every challenge that comes with our trust in the promises of God. The devil is a liar, and if we believe him we will lose out on the victories that God has in store for us.

“Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.”

1 Samuel 30:4–6

There is no way to avoid criticism in this life. Everything we do has some element with which someone can find fault; and if we do nothing, someone may critique us for that. While there are sometimes valuable lessons to be learned from our critics, often those people who condemn the loudest do not have our best interests at heart. Jacques Plante, a successful professional hockey goalie with the Montreal Canadians described his job this way: “How would you like it in your job if every time you made a small mistake, a red light went on over your desk and fifteen thousand people stood up and yelled at you?”

The question we face is not how to avoid criticism, but rather how to respond to it when it comes. We can allow it to steal our courage and drive us to quit, or we can allow the criticism to drive us closer to God and draw strength from Him. The situation that David faced was extreme, but it holds a wonderful lesson for us. The village where he and his men lived was raided while they were away fighting, and their goods were stolen and their families taken. David’s men were so distraught that they even talked about killing him! Yet in that darkness, David turned to God and found the strength and courage to win back all that was taken away.

“I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”

Revelation 3:8–10

I read about a little boy whose mother asked him to go down to the cellar and get a jar of tomato sauce. As he looked into the dark cellar, his little heart was afraid of what might be lurking unseen below. His mother said, “Don’t be afraid. Jesus will be with you in the basement.” The boy looked at her for a second, then yelled down the stairs, “Jesus, would You please hand me the can of tomato sauce?”

There are many challenges that we face where we must look into the darkness, not immediately seeing how God will resolve the problem. In those moments, we need a strong and real sense of His presence. We need to remember that He is the one who opens and shuts doors and guides our steps. The Israelites were guided through the wilderness by a visible sign of God’s presence—the pillar of cloud during the day and the pillar of fire at night. We have something even better available to us in the person of the Holy Spirit and the written Word of God. If we use these wonderful resources rightly, we will never need to be afraid; for they will reassure us of His presence.

“And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few. And his armourbearer said unto him, Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart.”

1 Samuel 4:6–7

Paul Harvey enjoyed telling stories with a twist at the end that changed the way you viewed what you had just heard. Here is one such story as he told it: “One summer morning as Ray Blankenship was preparing his breakfast, he saw a small girl being swept along in the rain-flooded drainage ditch beside his Andover, Ohio, home. Blankenship knew that farther downstream, the ditch disappeared with a roar underneath a road and then emptied into the main culvert. Ray dashed out the door and raced along the ditch, trying to get ahead of the floundering child. Then he hurled himself into the deep, churning water.

“Blankenship surfaced and was able to grab the child’s arm. Within about three feet of the yawning culvert, Ray’s free hand felt something—possibly a rock—protruding from one bank. ‘If I can just hang on until help comes,’ he thought. He did better than that. By the time fire-department rescuers arrived, Blankenship had pulled the girl to safety. Ray Blankenship was awarded the Coast Guard’s Silver Lifesaving Medal. The award is fitting, for this selfless person was at even greater risk to himself than most people knew—Ray Blankenship can’t swim!”

Many people are failures, not because their efforts do not succeed, but because they never try. We need the courage to be willing to do what God says regardless of the circumstances we face, and to trust that He will work through and bless our efforts.

“But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.”

Jeremiah 1:7–9

I read about a man who was going around bragging that he had come upon a vicious, man-eating lion and cut off its tail with just a pocket knife. When someone asked him why he had cut of the tail instead of the head, he replied that someone else had cut off the head first. I think the original intent of that story was to make fun of the guy, but there’s a pretty powerful truth found in there as well: There is nothing to fear from an opponent who has already been defeated.

The Bible describes Satan as a lion. He is attempting day after day to destroy us. That is his entire purpose. Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). While Satan is a dangerous adversary, we do not have to face him on our own. Jesus has already confronted and defeated him. The victory is ours, not through our strength or merit, but through Christ’s.

In his vision of Heaven John heard a great voice cry out, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Revelation 12:11). Satan often uses fear to gain victories to which he has no right, but when we realize that God is with us, we can have complete confidence in victory.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;”

Ephesians 6:12–14

In the 1950s, a professor named Solomon Asch conducted a series of experiments to measure the influence of peer pressure on an individual. In the experiments a group of college students was brought in and told that they were undergoing a perception exercise. After being shown a line, the students were asked to correctly match it to another line of the same length. All of the students except for one in each group had already been told what answer to give.

The test was designed so that the correct answer would be obvious. The true subject of the experiment would be seated last in the group so that everyone else would answer first. After a few trial runs during which everyone gave the correct answer, the real experiment would begin. On some questions, all of the other students would deliberately give the same wrong answer. In many cases, the test subject would go along with the group—in fact 75% of the subjects gave at least one wrong answer during the tests.

There is enormous power in peer pressure, and often that pressure is put on us to go along with something which we know to be wrong. The truth is under assault in our day and many people are abandoning it in order to be better accepted or to avoid being criticized or persecuted. What we need instead are Christians who have firm beliefs and convictions and will not be swayed by anyone.

“And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.”

Acts 5:27–29

A prominent corporate attorney, Frank Loesch of Chicago became known as a man who would take on any case. He frequently served as a special prosecutor for politically sensitive or dangerous cases. Late in his life, as gang violence spilled into the streets and Al Capone ruled the city, Loesch was elected head of the Chicago Crime Commission. He fearlessly declared that Capone was “public enemy number one” and set out to break his control of the corrupt city government.

Loesch was often threatened. At age seventy-nine, he one night heard three knocks on the door, and then a note was slipped inside that said, “One false move and you die.” It was dramatically signed “The Black Spot.” Instead of cowering in fear, Loesch took the threatening letter to the newspaper and had it published. In his interview with the Chicago Tribune he said, “I can’t be scared. They must be joking.” Al Capone was arrested, tried and jailed just eighteen months after Loesch set out to bring him down.

There is going to be opposition any time we set out to do something for God. Though most of us do not face threats of death or prison for our faith (though that time may come) we still need the courage and fortitude to stand boldly for the truth. When efforts are made to blur the lines and render that which is wicked acceptable, someone needs to stand and declare that God never changes and neither does the truth.

“And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.”

Hebrews 11:36–38

Among the many notables buried at Westminster Abbey in London is the body of John Laird Mair Lawrence, the first Lord Lawrence. The son of an Army officer, Lawrence devoted his life to serving his country. Nearby his grave is a marble bust of Lawrence with an inscription detailing his many years of service to the British crown as Viceroy of India and the love of his family. Included are these powerful words: “His devotion to public duty was ennobled by the simplicity and purity of his private life. ‘He feared Man so little, because he feared God so much.’“

God does not promise us an easy life of comfort and calm. There are times when doing what is right is exactly what leads to persecution and trouble. In those moments we are tempted to lower our sails—to take a quieter stand, to stop doing the things that are causing us problems. Of course, in cases where the trouble is a result of something we have done wrong, we should change. But when we are suffering for righteousness’ sake, we should remain steadfast and unmovable.

The early disciples faced great persecution because they would not stop preaching about Jesus. Yet even when they were beaten and threatened, they remained faithful. The Bible says, “And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name” (Acts 5:41). We should never let anything deter us from doing what we know is right.

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”

Hebrews 13:5–6

Dr. Harry Ironside told this story about playing with his firstborn son when he was very young. “There was nothing he liked better than to play bear. We would fix up some chairs in the corner, with an opening on one side, and then I would get down on all fours, and growl. And then the little fellow would come running, tripping along as though there was nothing near. And because the bear was rather heavy and clumsy, he had difficulty in running the little fellow down.

“[One time] he ran right into a corner, and there he was with his face in the corner, so excited, and the bear was right on him. These things seem so real to little folks. He was screaming in his excitement—here was the bear, his hot breath, about to grab him and devour him. Suddenly the little fellow stopped his screaming, and, running into my arms, said, ‘I ain’t afraid, not a bit afraid. You are not a bear at all. You are my own papa.’”

There are going to be moments when we are afraid. Sometimes those fears are driven by small things or are even imagined. Other times they are very real and serious. But regardless of the source of our fear, the solution is always the same—to run into our Father’s arms and seek shelter and refuge. If we truly understand the providence of God and rest in His protection, there is literally nothing to fear. Bad things may still happen, but He will never forsake or abandon us. When we are in His arms, nothing touches us except what He allows.

“For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”

Romans 16:19–20

The Christian life is a spiritual battle. Repeatedly in Scripture we see military metaphors used to describe our daily struggles. The devil is a real adversary, not a fictional cartoon character. He delights when God’s people fail to take him seriously; and if we let down our guard, he will quickly work to destroy our lives and our testimonies. Yet despite the reality of the opposition we face, the final outcome of the battle has already been settled by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The great hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” says it this way:

And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God has willed
His truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim—
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo! his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

God is not fighting against Satan in a great struggle to see who will ultimately triumph. There is no contest. The devil cannot compete with God. The victory has already been won and the enemy has already been defeated. Our part is to faithfully carry on and do the work to which God has called us all the days of our lives. There is no reason for fear about the future. We do not need to be intimidated or overwhelmed by the power of the enemy. Though Satan’s power is real, it pales in comparison to the power that has been given to us by the Spirit of God.

“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:4–7

On June 6, 2014, as part of the ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, Jim “Pee Wee” Martin made a parachute jump into Normandy, France. It was not the first time Martin had made that jump. He first did it in the dark of night back in 1944 as a twenty-three-year-old member of the 101st Airborne. This time, at age ninety-three, Martin said it was easier, “because there wasn’t anybody shooting at me today.” He went on to say of the first jump, “Everybody was scared all the time. But you just do what you had to do regardless of it.”

Every one of us faces moments of test and crisis when we must decide whether we will do what we should or whether we will give in to our doubts and fears. Daniel faced such a moment when the king signed the decree forbidding anyone to pray except to him. Though his unwillingness to stop praying saw him thrown into the den of lions, Daniel prayed anyway. There is no record in Scripture that Daniel spent his night in fear, yet the king couldn’t sleep!

Whether God delivers us from the danger or takes us to Heaven for eternal safety and rest, He is in control, so we have nothing to fear. Rather than being controlled by our circumstances and challenges, God offers us His perfect peace. When God works on our behalf, no power on earth can defeat us. The fears that we face should drive us to our knees rather than driving us to flee.

“Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”

2 Timothy 2:1–4

In a speech to the Third Army in 1944, General George Patton said, “Every man is scared in his first battle. If he says he’s not, he’s a liar. Some men are cowards but they fight the same as the brave men. The real hero is the man who fights even though he is scared. Some men get over their fright in a minute under fire. For some, it takes an hour. For some, it takes days. But a real man will never let his fear of death overpower his honor, his sense of duty to his country, and his innate manhood.”

As Christians we owe a far greater debt to Christ than any soldier owes to his country. When we were enemies of God, with nothing good about us to merit His love and grace, Christ died and rose again to purchase a salvation that He then freely gives us. We must never lose sight of what we have been given, and it should motivate us to do more for God regardless of any opposition that we may face.

The devil will try almost anything to get us to drop out of the battle. He effectively uses fear and discouragement against many. But we should make the commitment to courage that says no matter what happens, no matter what we face; we will go on, not so much out of duty, but out of love for our Saviour.

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 15:55–57

During the Civil War, D. L. Moody was noted for his evangelistic efforts. He told of visiting a dying soldier in the hospital after the Battle of Murfreesboro. “One night after midnight, I was woke up and was told that there was a man in one of the wards who wanted to see me. He said he wanted me to help him die. And I said, ‘I’d take you right up in my arms and carry you into the kingdom of God if I could; but I can’t do it; I can’t help you to die.’ And he said, ‘Who can?’ I said: ‘The Lord Jesus Christ can—He came for that purpose.’ He shook his head and said, ‘He can’t save me; I have sinned all my life.’ And I said, ‘But He came to save sinners.’” Moody read John 3 and the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus to the dying man. Moody went on, “When I finished, his eyes were closed, his hands were folded, and there was a smile on his face. Oh! how it was lit up! What a change had come over it!” In just a few minutes the young soldier was in Heaven.

Unless the Lord returns first, all of us will face death. Though that moment may be painful, it is nothing but a doorway to eternity with the God who loved and saved us. We can face the end of our lives with confidence because Jesus has already defeated death. He has provided not only for our lives here on Earth, but for the future—everything we need is already ours, and we have nothing to fear.

“And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”

Acts 20:22–24

We have our own lives to live, and God calls us to be faithful in them. But our faithfulness is about far more than just our own lives. We are also creating a legacy that in some ways is more important and lasting than anything we do while we are alive. God’s plan is for the Christian faith to be passed, not just from person to person, but from generation to generation.

Charles Spurgeon said, “If the Lord does not speedily appear, there will come another generation, and another, and all these generations will be tainted and injured if we are not faithful to God and to His truth today. We have come to a turning-point in the road. If we turn to the right, mayhap our children and our children’s children will go that way; but if we turn to the left, generations yet unborn will curse our names for having been unfaithful to God and to His Word.”

Think of what happened to the Children of Israel after Joshua and the men who served with him were gone. Though they served God and fought battles, they failed to transfer a real and active faith to the next generation. “And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10).

“And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”

Acts 20:22–24

One of the most widely respected and effective preachers of the 1800s was T. DeWitt Talmage. The twelfth son of a poor but devout family, many were not greatly impressed when he dedicated his life to be a preacher. In his autobiography T. DeWitt Talmage recounted the struggles he faced and what he overcame while training for the ministry. He wrote, “I had no confidence in my own powers when I was studying for the ministry. I was often very discouraged. ‘DeWitt,’ said a man to me as we were walking the fields at the time I was in the theological school, ‘DeWitt, if you don’t change your style of thought and expression, you will never get a call to any church in Christendom as long as you live.’ ‘Well,’ I replied, ‘if I cannot preach the Gospel in America, then I will go to heathen lands and preach it.’”

No great work for God has ever been accomplished without opposition. Satan opposes everything that is good and holy, and he is not going to give up without a fight. Some people allow themselves to be discouraged or stopped because of the problems that they face. Others wither in the face of criticism and contempt from. But those who will not be stopped—those who do not allow circumstances or other people to dictate whether they will keep going—can do amazing things for God’s kingdom.

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.”

James 1:5–7

In his message “Why God Used D. L. Moody,” R. A. Torrey recounted this story of Moody’s faith that God would do the impossible. “On ‘Chicago Day,’ in October, 1893, none of the theaters of Chicago dared to open because it was expected that everybody in Chicago would go on that day to the World’s Fair. But Mr. Moody said to me: ‘Torrey, engage the Central Music Hall and announce meetings from nine o’clock in the morning till six o’clock at night.’ ‘Why,’ I replied, ‘Mr. Moody, nobody will be at this end of Chicago on that day.’

“Mr. Moody replied: ‘You do as you are told’; and I did. I thought there would be poor audiences. I was on the program at noon that day. Being very busy in my office, I did not reach the Central Music Hall till almost noon. When I got almost to the Hall, I found to my amazement that not only was it packed but the vestibule was packed and the steps were packed, and there was no getting anywhere near the door; and if I had not gone round and climbed in a back window, they would have lost their speaker for that hour.”

The things that we attempt for God in faith, our prayers and our work, produce very different results from those we undertake in doubt. The promises of God are certain and sure, and when we act on them, we can achieve far beyond what is possible in our own strength.

“And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.”

Luke 11:1–4

This is the only place in Scripture where it is recorded that the disciples asked Jesus to teach them something. Though He was constantly teaching them as they went from place to place in His ministry, the example the disciples saw in Jesus’ prayer life moved them to ask Him for specific instruction on this vital topic. It is important for us to remember the central and vital importance of prayer to the successful Christian life.

In the Lord’s Prayer, or more accurately the model prayer, we see what Jesus thought was important for us in our own prayers. We are to pray to honor and glorify the name of God. We should pray for His will to be done, both in our own lives and in the lives of others. We should pray daily for provision of our needs. We should ask forgiveness for our sins, and we should pray for deliverance from temptation. In short, every part and facet of life is a fit subject for our prayers. If we do not pray, we miss the provision and protection and victory God means for us to have.

William Cowper put it this way:

Restraining prayer, we cease to fight;
Prayer makes the Christian’s armor bright;
And Satan trembles when he sees
The weakest saint upon his knees.

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.”

James 5:16–18

Elijah worked and ministered in the midst of a nation that had completely turned its back on God. The wicked king Ahab had married an even more wicked Baal-worshiping wife named Jezebel, and they had led the people to forsake the worship of God. When we are tempted to be discouraged by the wickedness we see around us, we should remember that it is not new, and God’s people have successfully stood for Him in the face of evil and persecution many times before.

The key to the power of Elijah’s ministry was found in his prayers. Though the Bible tells us that he was a regular man with the same temptations and problems that we face, he was a man who prayed. Elijah prayed earnestly and fervently and repeatedly, and he received the answers to his prayer that equipped him to do his part to turn Israel back to God. The path God called him to walk was certainly not an easy one, but it was a path where God led and provided for him every step of the way.

Our nation urgently needs Christians for whom prayer is more than a ritual exercise. We need men and women who pray with intensity and passion for God to work in their lives, even if it means difficulty and hardship, to bring glory and honor to Him. The power of God comes in response to this kind of prayer.

“Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis. Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.”

Colossians 4:12–14

We live in a culture that has seen a great decline in its appreciation for the value of work. The percentage of working age people with full time jobs is at one of the lowest points in our history. While some of the decline can be attributed to changing demographics and economic conditions, the reality is that many people are quite content to avoid work as long as someone else is willing to provide them with enough money to get by. At one time there was a greater appreciation for the need and value of hard work. Kemmons Wilson, who founded the Holiday Inn hotel chain once said that the secret of success was to work half days—and it didn’t matter which twelve hours you chose! That spirit is certainly not common in our day.

While we rightly decry this decline in character that plagues a society which avoids work, when it comes to the Christian life, there are a number of hard things we are commanded to do as well. One of those is prayer. Praying rightly, according to the pattern we see laid out in Scripture is hard work. The Greek word Paul used for Epaphras’ prayers translated “labouring fervently” in Colossians is the word agōnizomai. One does not need to be a Greek scholar to recognize the English word conveyed—agonize. This is not a casual prayer offered at meal time, bedtime, or at the beginning of a service or class. This is fervent, intense and serious praying—praying that costs us something.

“Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”

Matthew 26:36-39

God has given us the privilege of coming to Him in prayer, and He has promised to hear and answer our prayers. Yet every prayer must be guided and bounded by the will of God. It is not wrong for us to ask for what we want from God, but each request must be made with a submissive spirit that is willing to accept God’s will when it conflicts with our own. Bible prayer is where man’s will is bent and shaped to conform to God’s will. Bible prayer is a place of surrender and submission.

There are cases where the Word of God clearly defines what God’s will is. In most situations however we must be guided by the principles of Scripture rather than by direct commands. Of course we should never pray for anything that violates something God has declared, but in those cases where we are guided by principle, we still must submit our own desires and will to His. Our knowledge is too limited to allow us to pray without being surrendered to God’s direction. Paul wrote, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26).

“By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.”

Hebrews 10:10–12

We sometimes speak of the finished work of Christ in the atonement, and this is a crucial doctrine. In the tabernacle and later in the temple, there were no chairs among the furniture that was provided. This was because the priests’ daily tasks were never finished. The sacrifices they made could never take away sins and had to be repeated again and again. But when Jesus died, it was once for all. When He returned to Heaven, He sat down showing that His sacrifice was complete, never to be added to again.

Though our salvation is complete, there is a work of Christ in our lives that is not finished and continues to this day. He is praying for us. Hebrews 7:25 tells us, “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Often when we are in need we ask friends, family, church members and pastors to pray for us. It is a wonderful blessing to be lifted up by such prayers in difficult times. How much better it is to know that the risen Son of God is in the presence of the Father praying on our behalf!

He knows the situations we face, and He experienced the same challenges that we endure. He is touched when we hurt, and with His perfect knowledge and perfect love, He prays for us. We are truly never alone and never forsaken. Even as you read these words, Jesus is praying for you.

“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”

Hebrews 10:19–22

Often Christians pray small, uncertain, almost apologetic prayers. It is as if we fear that somehow we will insult God by asking Him confidently for what we need, or that we will ask for too much. That is never the case. While those who teach that we can have anything we want apart from God’s will—all the riches, good health and material blessings without any problems—are in error, we need to be sure that we are not missing out on what God has for us because of a lack of confidence and faith.

Charles Spurgeon said, “In all states of dilemma or of difficulty, prayer is an available source. The ship of prayer may sail through all temptations, doubts and fears, straight up to the throne of God; and though she may be outward bound with only griefs, and groans, and sighs, she shall return freighted with a wealth of blessings!”

The basis of prayer is found in the nature and character of God. He does not answer our petitions because we are worthy or deserving. He answers them because of His grace and the family relationship established through the death of Jesus on the cross. If I wanted to visit the Queen of England, it would take some doing. If Prince Charles wants to see her, he can just ask for his mother. In the same way, we should approach God not as a distant monarch, but as a loving Father, boldly asking Him for the help that we need.

“And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”

Matthew 6:5–6

Though there is certainly a place for public and corporate prayer, and I have been in some wonderful prayer meetings in my life, there is no substitute for personal private petitions to our Father in Heaven. The praying that we do in public can never carry the depth of emotion and feeling that our private prayers have. The Scottish pastor Thomas Brooks said, “The power of religion and godliness lives, thrives, or dies, as closet [private] prayer lives, thrives, or dies. Godliness never rises to a higher pitch than when men keep closest to their closets.”

Prayer—prevailing, powerful, Bible prayer—is a spiritual discipline. It requires an investment of time, energy and emotion. A few words in a Sunday school class or a church service are no substitute for meaningful and personal time spent with God. We need to make prayer a habit just as Jesus did. Again and again in Scripture we read that He separated Himself from His disciples to spend time with His Father in prayer. Often Jesus was extremely busy with the crowds pressing in to see Him and teaching and healing, so He began the day with prayer. “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed” (Mark 1:35). There is no more important priority that we have as believers than to spend time with God in prayer.