“…and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.” ~ Philippians 1:14

Following Jesus takes guts. It is dangerous. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

We live in a war zone called earth. There are two kingdoms in conflict. You are in one or the other. If you are in the kingdom of God, you will be hated and killed for His name. If you are in the kingdom of darkness, you are serving the interests of the ruler of this world. He is a liar and a murderer. He comes to steal and destroy.

You can lock your doors, but that won’t stop him. You can call on your government to protect you, but that won’t stop him. You can hide, but he will find you. How can you stop the evil one?

A final generation of Christians is coming… and this is what we learn from them about victory: “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” ~ Revelation 12:11

Notice how they defeated the enemy…

1. The blood of Jesus covered their sin.
2. They spoke the truth to the world.
3. They were ready to die for His sake.

Clearly we are to be different. We don’t fight to survive, but to conquer! To win! And we don’t win by living, but by dying. When we carry a cross we know there’s only one way this is going to end.

Our weapons are nothing like Satan’s… we love our enemies, we bless those who persecute and curse us, we feed those who are determined to destroy us, and we overcome evil with good. We are not here to merely survive, but to plunder the strong man’s house, to release the captives, and to let our light shine in such a way that His name is made great by our words and actions.

We will do whatever it takes and give up whatever it costs to carry the message of the cross to every man, woman, boy, and girl on the planet.

Following Jesus is not for wimps or fair weather fans. Pray for a powerful witness, a tender heart, and an unblinking obedience. Stop making excuses and play hard. Love indiscriminately. Laugh in the face of intimidation and hostility. Long for heaven.