Deeper

21 years into this journey with my Savior and still there is deeper and more…over 365 times the Bible says to not fear, and many times it says to be strong and courageous. The Bible talks about being bold and not living according to what others think or expect of you. Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and everything else will be added to you, Matthew 6:33.
So why do we live in fear? Why do we worry about being popular? Why do we, who are created unique in the very image of God, try to look and be like others? I was finally able to watch Harriet yesterday and I find myself totally blown away! What an incredible movie and it had deep and obvious spiritual ties in it; I am impressed that it was made and aired and that people enjoyed it. Which are all things I think we should take notice of…I believe we live in a time when people are hungry for Truth. They don’t know how to show it and we have gotten bogged down and labeled hypocrites so we don’t readily let our lights shine. Nonetheless, people are hungry and thirsty and there is only One that satisfies.
This woman was brave and courageous. She stood in the face of horrid opposition to get down in the dirty, treacherous trenches to fight for those who desperately needed freedom. I am humbled. Harriet’s bravery stemmed from a deep trust of her Savior. She spent time with Him, heard from Him and obeyed Him. And I don’t want to in any way distract from what she did in freeing slaves but I want to draw some spiritual parallels and I don’t want to expound on the human rights issues that she so brilliantly fought against, but I also don’t want to in any way offend people by using her as a spring board.
Harriet is a hero of our faith. I am so glad that she was recognized and honored in such a beautiful way. When things were especially turbulent, she spoke with passion and deep conviction to those who had forgotten what slavery was like and had gotten comfortable with the perks of their freedom. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says: 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. How many of us have been saved and set free and then gotten comfortable?
I am humbled by this beautiful womans testimony because I have given fear, of what people think, a crumb. I know that God has asked me to write a book. But somehow writing a book is more terrifying to me than writing my blog. In fact, it has surfaced some distrust that I have. I have had to repent and ask God to forgive me for not believing that He would make a way. For not believing that He would sell it. For not believing that He would give me the words. For not believing that people need to hear my testimony. Sin creeps in so easily and is never satisfied with the crumbs we initially feed it. It is an invasive species, much like Kudzu, that comes into our lives and dictates ownership. Paul exhorts us to die to our flesh daily. We must take seriously this command. Our adversary is real, roaring and on the prowl to devour.
Back to my life verse above. I remember being at the farm, where I was in full-time ministry when God revealed that verse to me. It is always good to heed the Word that God has deeply printed on your heart. I have to write to reach even one. If my journey can in any way impact another then I must offer the comfort that God has so graciously poured out onto me. I must write because He has breathed His very life into me. I want to be courageous like Harriet. I want to fight for freedom. I want to fight so that people will know there is something more satisfying that will quench the void in their souls.