The Bible doesn’t use a single, specific word that directly translates to “audacity” in modern English, as the term carries flavors and colors of boldness, courage, or sometimes comes with little sidebars of openly caring less what others think, depending on context. However, several Hebrew and Greek words in the Bible convey pretty direct references to what we would call audacity or being audacious, particularly in the context of bold faith, risk taking, danger, and maybe even being over-the-top adventurous. It needs to be said though, that audacity can be negative or positive. Audacity describes a boldness or a certain fearlessness, and negatively speaking, it can be a willingness to disregard any normal restraints. Let us be audacious in our faith while wholeheartedly putting away from ourselves the rude, unrighteous willingness to disregard normal constraints. Does that make sense?

One word that aligns closely with the positive sense of audacity, which is boldness rooted in faith, is the Greek word parrhesia, which occurs 31 times in one form or another.

Parrhesia translates to “boldness,” “confidence,” or “freedom of speech” and implies speaking or acting openly and courageously, often in the face of opposition or great risk. It’s not just courage, but huge courage. It’s used to describe living a fearless proclamation of truth or faith, and looks a lot like the audacious character seen of David, Esther, Jesus, Paul and the list goes on and on.

Philippians 1:19-20, “… for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage (parrhesia) now, as always, Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.”

Audacity is something we should boldly ask the Lord for. And i mean asking more than just one and done, but pursue that kind of faith.

In Acts 4:29-31, The apostles pray for parrhesia to speak God’s word boldly amidst persecution. “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness“, or parrhesia. Wouldn’t you know that God answers, the room shakes and they’re filled with the Spirit.

Paul repeatedly asks for prayer for audacity as in Ephesians 6:19–20.

In Hebrews 4:16 believers are encouraged to “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence.” Ah, do you see the implication of parrhesia, which reflects audacious faith in possessing God’s mercy? The apostles had the nerve, ! the nerve !, to approach the King of the Universe and request His help, and He was all to glad to reply, an enthusiastic reply even. They weren’t just milling around in the throne room, tugging at God’s sleeves asking for self-centered favors.

C’mon, be audacious in your prayers. A.S.K., ask, seek, knock. Remember, Jesus said we have not because we ask not. Righteous audacity, or parrhesia, literally captures the essence of acting or speaking with fearless conviction, trusting in God’s ability to do what He says and soooo much more. Like the examples of David facing Goliath or Daniel praying despite a death sentence.

While other words like the Hebrew chutzpah (often associated with boldness or nerve), or Greek words like tharsos, courage could be used, but i don’t believe either one is large enough to fit the idea of audacity. Parrhesia best reflects the bold, faith-driven audacity we’re looking for. Again, please consider that negative audacity is called arrogance, but that’s a whole different discussion.

i’ll say this again and i hope it sticks to you: Audacious faith points to bold, courageous acts of faith or defiance of evil in the face of overwhelming odds, and is rooted in trust in God, in the sense that faith is a type of “trust training”.

Do you pray with audacity, having the nerve to dream out loud to God? Do you have the audacity to “step in” the river with God? Are you audacious in standing up for what you believe? Not rude but hoisting your colors up the flag pole without stumbling around, choking on your words and being embarrassed?

In 1 Samuel 17 David faced Goliath, who was a massive Philistine warrior, and everyone was terrified of the guy, and probably his own people were frightened of him. Armed with only a sling and five stones, David’s audacity stemmed from his faith in God’s power, declaring, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty”, 1 Samuel 17:45. His boldness led to a stunning victory, slaying Goliath with a single stone and sent the Philistines running for their lives.

          In Daniel 6, Daniel defied a royal decree forbidding prayer to anyone but King Darius, and let me tell you, nobody but nobody denied the King anything or they just were killed. Despite knowing the penalty was death in a lions’ den, he continued praying to God openly. His audacious commitment to his faith resulted in God’s miraculous protection, as the lions did not harm him, demonstrating divine deliverance. In fact, his audacity to believe God over the King changed the face of a nation, at that time.

Those are just two of many and their lives highlight audacity driven by faith, courage, and conviction in the face of absolute danger or overwhelmingly impossible odds.

How about some modern examples of faith-based audacity. For 30+ years a man known as Brother Andrew smuggled Bibles into communist countries where Christianity was all but banned. His audacity in Christ led him to drive past armed border guards with hidden Bibles, trusting only God for protection. In fact, his mission organization delivered over 365,000 Bibles in 2024 alone.

Of course, we can’t leave out Corrie ten Boom’s Resistance in WWII. Her actions still resonate in present day discussions of courage. She and her family hid Jews from the Nazis during World War II. They were driven by their belief in God’s call to love and protect others. Regardless of being arrested and imprisonment in a concentration camp under horrible conditions, Corrie’s audacious faith sustained her. Besides these examples, today, there are a multitude of people’s lives that reflect extraordinary courage, rooted in faith, to confront oppression, danger, or injustice, impacting communities and even the world today.

Hebrews 10:19–22 “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence (parrēsia) to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus… let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings.” Because of Jesus, you now have the right and possess the nerve to march straight into the presence of God almighty, King of the Universe and ask for whatever you need. That is staggering audacity — and friends, God loves it.

In Mark 7, a Gentile woman has the audacity to argue with Jesus when He initially says no. Jesus commends her: “Woman, you have great faith!”

In Genesis 32, Jacob literally grabs God and says, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” God renames him Israel (“struggles with God”) and blesses him. Then there is the persistent widow of Luke 18. Jesus tells a parable about a woman who keeps pounding on an unjust judge’s door until he gives her justice, then says, “Will not God give justice to his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night?” Jesus was saying, pray with shameless audacity. To sum all this up, audacity is praised when it flows from faith in God’s grace and promise. i heard somewhere that the gospel actually creates holy boldness. Because you’ve been forgiven everything, loved infinitely, and given direct access to the throne, God’s love is audacious, His gifts are audacious, and He’s calling us closer to Himself. We can now live and pray and speak with fearless confidence that the world will often call “audacious.” Do you have the audacity to live the life Christ has called you to?

So yes — God wants you to be audacious… with Him and for Him. Think about it.

i had a dream where i went to a friends house. As i pulled into his driveway the first thing i noticed was that his house was surrounded by a tall wooden fence, high enough that you couldn’t hardly see anything of even the roof except the peak. i went to the gate, which had a buzzer and intercom, pressed the buzzer and told him i was there. In a moment, the gate unlocked. When i stepped through the gate, inside was another gate with a buzzer and intercom. There were many gates in a short space before i got to the front door. When he finally opened the front door he glanced around outside as if he was checking to see if anyone else was watching and let me inside. In the dream, from the front and back windows i could see his entire yard was a series of fences and gates. i thought why, oh why is there so much fencing, and fencing inside the fencing, mostly hiding nothing? When i asked him why all the extreme fencing, he said it was nobody’s business what was inside. i thought to myself, “But there’s nothing to hide but hiding itself.” As i woke up the Lord gave me a revelation. i realized his ardent fencing was built out of fear, fear that if anyone saw inside his yard they might use it against him, fear of shame, fear someone might “know” something. i thought to myself that truthfully speaking, there was nothing to know, and fear was driving all his constant guarding.

You know, i’ve discovered the hard way that we can be a friend to someone, even if they don’t let you in the gate, but it’s pretty impossible to have a relationship with them. As they sit inside their highly guarded, nearly insurmountable fence or wall, yes, we can talk to them through the boundary, pass notes back and forth, and even toss food and water to them over the top, but in the end, it is very, very limited, and totally controls any real connection, if any connection. We need to connect, meaning we must let God tear down the walls and fences of our own construction. i did NOT say boundaries were NOT good, because they are, they are God’s invention and even God has boundaries, obviously. But our constant walling out the Lord and the very people we need in order to prosper in our efforts to secure life and have it more abundantly, i believe is driven by woundedness, and fears of all sorts, and usually the kind of fears which totally make no sense. All the while, we sit in sustained, abject loneliness while feeling falsely secure behind our fencing, secretly wishing we could be free. We need to connect. Some are so dedicated to their fences, the term “immurement” comes to mind. Immurement literally means “walling in”, and is a form of imprisonment, in which a person is placed within an enclosed space with no exits, and if it’s allowed to persist, the prisoner will simply die from starvation or dehydration. It can be spiritual as well as physical.

Going to church is good, but is it really, truly, enough of a connection? i fail to understand how many people base their entire connectivity with God through a 1 and ½ hour event on Sunday. When scripture says, Forsake not the gathering together of yourselves in Hebrews 10:25, it doesn’t mean merely “go to church”, as we’ve been taught. It means to connect, and i mean for more than just 10 minutes before and after. The Lord didn’t make a law out of going to church in that scripture, we did. We’ll be told we absolutely have free will to do as we see fit, but then there’s the subtle, unspoken coercion that, “if you don’t then we’ll think you’ve backslidden”, all decided in the court of public opinion of course.  We’re the ones who made a law out of it all, yet we don’t make room for the real connections we need …and connecting takes time and maybe even courage. God is telling us to get ourselves to a group of like-minded people where we can freely express ourselves, be open and disclosing, and connect. Maintaining a complex fencing system denies us the connections we so desperately need, and i don’t care how tough you think you are, you can’t successfully do life unto the Lord, hidden behind your fences.

And what if we’ve been hurt by someone’s callous religiousness? Let me say that it’s bound to happen. Some people feel it’s their job to make sure others are compliant with the rules, and boy, do they love to tell people about all their rule breaking. In light of that, here comes the idea of “moral superiority” which inspires others to put up more fencing. “They’ve” been to church every time the doors are open and they really feel the need to ask, “i’ve been noticing you’ve not been here much. Why haven’t you been here?” “i’ve noticed you drink a beer occasionally, don’t you know it’s a s-i-n to drink?” “i’ve noticed you have some worldly music in your car. Where is God in your life?” “i’ve noticed you don’t bring your Bible sometimes. i thought you were a Christian.”

Regardless of those who feel obligated to make sure others are “fixed and complying” with some unspoken rules, we can look past them and address what’s going on with ourselves. We need to connect. Ever hear of stonewalling? It is a persistent refusal to communicate or to express emotions. It is common during conflicts, or when people attempt to avoid uncomfortable conversations out of fear that engaging will result in a fight, or someone will know something and use it against them. When we allow our fences to not only keep other scary people out, they also serve to keep us in. Every fence has two sides you know. Come out of your fenced in area you’ve built. God is calling you to connect. You think you’re gifted? You probably are, but, my friend, you can’t give away what you’ve got unless you are there to give it away. i’ll say it again, we can be a friend to someone, even if they don’t let you across the fence, but it is pretty impossible to have a relationship with them.

What do you think?

This year, i am 72. That isn’t long compared to some, but it’s pretty long to me considering when i was a child our neighbors said, “That boy will likely never live to see 7.” i was a dangerous child i suppose. These are the days i thought, in my youthful ignorance, that i’d never see, yet here i am, having cast a long shadow in my Christian community somehow, yet there it is. Surprisingly, i’m still alive — still praying, actually more than ever with greater intent, greater vision, living and walking in a personal, radiant, relational conversation with God all day, everyday. i never thought i’d see this level of intimacy with God, in fact, it was not even within me to imagine such beauty.

Think or more better, “think on these things”. Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Can you believe it?! Someone as vast and eternal as the King of the Universe has stooped down to know the very small dust in the window sill, who is me, and He actually wants to be friends. He even knows my name!

Regardless of me and my crazy life, God has caused me to “Cast a long shadow”. It may be a “long shadow” cast and only God can see, but it is there, never the less. To “cast a long shadow” can either be an idiom or a metaphor, and in my case it’s more idiom than anything else. For clarity’s sake, from the Oxford Dictionary of English Grammar, an idiom is a “common phrase or expression whose meaning is figurative, not literal, often rooted in culture.” For example, “stiff necked” in Exodus 32:9 means stubborn or rebellious. In Daniel 2:33-34, the idea of having “Feet of clay” points to a hidden weakness in someone who is strong yet they are destined to crumble. As it pertains to people, “Casting a long shadow” means having a significant, far-reaching, or lasting influence — a lifestyle which profoundly affects others. And it can be positive, as in someone’s achievements which may inspire generations, or negative, as in someone who acted scandalously or intimidated others, possibly for a couple generations.

To say a believer is someone who “casts a long shadow” is about legacy, meaning our walk in the Lord influences future people and events. As Christians our Fruit of the Spirit attributes, or character, can “cast a long shadow”. More than “what” we do, more than just being “on the way”, but wholly about “the way we go our way while in The Way”. Not merely the words we use but “how” we use our words which includes facial inflections, body posture and tone of voice. Do you get it? As example, my insistence on being honest, and i mean “down to the bone” type of honesty, influences those around me to also be honest. It may make others uncomfortable, but then we must ask “why are they uncomfortable?”

To quote a well-known missionary, C.T. Studd, “only what’s done for Christ will last” and he’s not talking about mere works, but more how we are, or, “the way we go our way while in The Way”. What he was saying reflects 1 Corinthians 3:12-15, “Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.”

For years i worked hard as a musician. Oh boy, i religiously ran my scales, read my Bible, prayed, witnessed, religiously attended church, gave my tithe like a good boy, and ran the scales some more. Day in and day out. i played on the worship team at several churches, big meetings and small meetings, just every where i could. i was casting a long shadow alright, but i fear it wasn’t a good one. My “long shadow” was all about myself. i looked great but i was slowly dying inside. i didn’t pay any attention though to who i was but more how i appeared and how well i performed. i was always measuring, how good was good enough, how bad was too bad, did i say the right churchy sounding things, did the people like me, etc, ad naseum. Never once did it occur to me what kind of person i was. Jesus said I AM the Way, but i never thought about the way i went while in The Way.

Not until the last 20 years has God finally gotten my attention about who i was and how i was which was far more important than my ability to quote  scripture (so i would appear knowledgeable and pious), copying someone i heard preaching or praying so i could appear amazing, just amazing, and everyone would say, Wow!, a lot. But more importantly, did i value honesty, integrity, commitment and keeping my word? Did i put a higher value on knowing Jesus? Was my relationship with God one of belonging and connection, and Jesus as a forever-friend? All that loud living and full-throttle activity, without Christ as the focus and endpoint was/is/shall be a dead end.

So let me ask you, what kind of legacy will you leave? One day, i absolutely guarantee, you won’t be here any longer. You will no longer live under this sky, breathe this air, drink this water, or walk on this ground. i know it’s hard to imagine not being here anymore because it truly is the only place we’ve ever lived, but there WILL come a day when all you’ve known changes. Think! Do you “cast a long shadow”? What kind of shadow is it? Listen to me, i’m old and i really believe this is important — after you are gone, it is highly likely, within a couple generations, most all your stuff, pictures and all, will have gone to a thrift store or the trash. Within three generations almost no one will hardly remember your name, and the only one who remembers you and all that you have done is God. In light of that, more than anything i want my “long shadow”, my legacy, to be one of kindness not personal greatness. i want to be an advocator instead of a litigator, i want to impact the world around me with Godly patience and Godly boundaries, being generous like God is generous. Your actions create echoes upon the world around. If anyone remembers me i want them to think of how i loved my neighbor, remembered as the guy who listened and heard what other people said and possessed wisdom only God could have given, and that’s only a few. Who you are is more important than the great things you done. All that stuff you think is so great, when all is said and done, only what is done in Christ will stand.

If you want to make a difference, i believe the biggest difference you can make is to come into the likeness of the Son, Jesus. Be like Jesus, study Jesus, talk to Jesus and learn to have an everyday-walk-around conversation with God. Say, what kind of “long shadow” do you cast? Think about it.

Calvin Coolidge said: “Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.”

When we use the term, “Press On”, as it’s used in Philippians 3:12, it means to be diligent and keep on keeping on, don’t stop, don’t deviate, focus and keep on straight ahead. Persistence has won battles; it has been an undeniable aid in everything from restoring marriages to scientific discoveries to overcoming drug and alcohol addiction. i used to have virtually no persistence, couldn’t finish hardly anything, and wondered why my life felt so no-where. An old man told me once, ” persistence is not mere stubbornness—it is faith refined in the furnace of delay”. Ugh! The “furnace of delay”, meaning a prolonged, intensely difficult season of waiting where we have been purposefully delayed in the fulfillment of a promise, dream, or breakthrough. We need persistence. i think it’s a learned thing, especially in this “instant gratification” world we presently live in, and in light of getting what we want, when we want, and how we want, the idea of a “furnace of delay” sounds just awful.

Galatians 6:9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Persistence. The Greek word for “abide” occurs 127 times in the N.T., 35 times in it’s variations in the gospel of John alone. A major concept in abiding is persistence, continuing on, to tarry, and carry on. Considering how often the Lord uses the word in scripture, i figure He sees persistence as important for us to learn and practice.

“Cave bestiam”, Latin for “beware the beast”. One of satan’s favorite things to do is to try and get us to give up! However, God tells us to endure, persist, continue, and finish. Let me say those four again …. endure, persist, continue, and finish.

Persistence is one of God’s more subtle attributes, but an attribute of the Lord nonetheless and we should be aware if God was not persistent and did not share His persistence with us, we would yield to the world and capitulate easily in the wave of darkness and wrongness of character, which daily, if not hourly, washes over the world around us. Evil may be persistent, but God is more relentless in His pursuit of us than we have enough imagination to grasp.

Persistence. The Lord has pursued us with His enduring, everlasting love, He persists in His relentless reaching and seeking of those who are His to bring us home to Himself.

Consider for a moment if you are a persistent person and in what way.

i want to re-tell a story, a sad story, of someone i met at a nursing home. i’ll call her Gladys. When a friend and i first walked into her room to visit, she was laying on her bed, covered by a crisp, freshly creased sheet and thin faded blanket, staring at the wall. She was bone thin with very fine gray hair pulled tight across and behind her head, withered facial features, and she was pale, nearly translucent pale, her skin so thin you could see the veins just below the surface. She was so frail and still we thought she was dead were it not for the faint rise and fall of her chest, barely perceptible only if we stood silently and watched for a moment. Holding our breath with intense focus, we paused for a moment, hoping she would turn her head and speak, but when that didn’t happen, i ventured forward and asked how she was today. In a voice as thin as the rustle of dry leaves, while still staring at the wall she replied that she was just laying there waiting to die, tired of being in this world and was done with breathing. Finally, she slowly turned her head to look at us, and from very thin pale lips, told us she didn’t understand why she was still alive. With perplexity in her voice, she continued on saying her heart just kept beating and beating, and she had decided to just wait on it to quit. So, everyday, all day, every week she waited.

The next week we came back and there was Gladys, laying in her bed, almost exactly as she was the first time we met. i’m telling you, it seemed she had not moved an inch since the last time we say her. Hands folded across her chest on top of the sheet and blanket, skin thin as wet paper and her eyes were closed. i spoke softly to her a little above a whisper and asked if she was awake. With her eyes still shut, she said “Yes”. i told her it was a beautiful day, it was warm, and the flowers were blooming everywhere — then i asked her why her eyes were closed. She said she was tired of looking at the sky and the flowers and trees, tired of looking walls and people and just didn’t want to see any of that anymore. She insisted she was still waiting to die.

A month or so later, Gladys really did die. She died from a failure to persist — she didn’t want to be here anymore so badly, her body just simply stopped. It took her over two years to will herself to die, but it appeared she had accomplished her goal.

Sadly, we came to find out, two years prior to that, someone had prophesied to Gladys she only had a couple years left and God was going to take her home, and in light of that foolish and cruel prophesy to a healthy woman with children and grandchildren, Gladys decided that if that was the way it was going to be, then she’d just lay down and wait. She waited for over two years, failing to persist everyday a little more and a little more, until one day, she indeed left the land of the living.

Gladys was a good example about where we go when we cease our persistence of the Lord, life, love, goodness, hope, peace or any other good thing God has sowed into our lives. After meeting Gladys, i realized that it’s the truth, any of us, if we allow it, can become so sad, so resigned to ceasing to breath, we will, at some point, stop. God has another plan though.

After that dreadful story, i much prefer a “positive perspective of persistence”. That phrase has a nice rhythm doesn’t it? “Positive perspective of persistence”.

Persistence, what is it? Here’s part of what i’ve come up with: it is the ability to maintain action regardless of your feelings. In other words, we press on even when we feel like quitting, even when you think you’ve got good reason to quit. If God didn’t say quit what you’re doing, we will stand our post like the soldiers we are. Standing firm to the end is not a way to be saved but it IS the evidence that a person is committed to Jesus. Again, persistence is not a means to earn salvation; it is the by-product of a truly devoted life.

Joyce Meyer said, “Typically, i have to do the right thing with a right attitude for a long time before i start getting right results, that’s persistence.” i believe she was right. In my experience, though limited, i too have realized i often have to treat people right for a long time before they begin to treat me the same way. Not always, but by far and large, most of the time. Persist in treating people right is the key phrase there. That means even when they don’t treat us well, we repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. Consider it a kindness. Consider it a version of sharing your bread with the poor like in Isaiah 58:7. Just as God is kind to us and persists to love us, we need to be like Him. Just as natural seed finally takes root and the beginning of a plant breaks through the ground, we also will see breakthrough if we continue to do the right thing, regardless of what others do. Again, the sticky words are “continue to do the right thing”, persist.

On a side note, what is your idea of “breakthrough”? Be honest, down to the bone honest.

People frequently give up too easily. When their feelings quit on them, they quit too. There is what i call, “The spirit of Eeyore”, which sounds just like Eeyore on Winnie the Poo. Eeyore’s attitude says, “What does it matter? No one cares anyway.” OR “It’s ok. i’ll learn to live without it.” OR “It figures, might as well go home.” OR  “Nope, just got lonely being so popular. i figured being boring old me was better’n being something i ain’t. Hope you’re not too disappointed.”

When we give up, or cease to persist, despair and hopelessness is just a breath away. Let me encourage us all, when we are pressured to give up and turn our back on our friends or even Christ Himself  — don’t do it. Remember the benefits of standing firm, and continue, or persist to live for Christ. Matthew10:22, “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.” Read Luke 18:1-8, James 1:12, and Romans 5:3-4 to name a few. God has a lot to say about perseverance and persisting.

Enduring means to persist, and it doesn’t mean to persist in order to merely be saved or merely get what we want, it means to persist in our pursuit to apprehend Jesus, our life, the Lover of Our Souls. He alone is the source and focus of our persistence! Altogether. Such persistence honors God’s sovereignty and transforms the one who waits. Persistence kills pride, or “I deserve an answer now”, deepens desperation for God Himself rather than simply getting from God what we want, and it forges character that can carry the eventual blessing without being crushed by it.

Just because we give up on something, does that mean we are a failure? No. It may seem to us we are a failure, but that’s failure as WE measure failure. God doesn’t see it that way. There’s a time to doggedly continue on just like there’s a time to let go and set your feet in another direction. Several years ago, two other men and i had a men’s meeting we called the “20/20 Men’s Group”. We persisted for a year, and at the end of that year we felt the Lord point us towards re-assessing our efforts. In our prayer and re-assessment, we perceived the Lord to encourage us to let our meetings go. Honestly, i didn’t want to because i loved the idea of the “20/20 Men’s Group”, but i also know it’s better to follow the Lord instead of keeping on with something He’s moved on from. So, we let it go, and it proved to be the right thing. Does that make us failures? Absolutely not. When to stop pursuing something is a good question, for truly, there are times to cease to pursue a direction which previously we knew to be the will of the Lord. If God changes direction, we must go with God, not be stubborn adherents to an old paradigm.

Greg Herrick wrote that “stubborn faith is not the same as persistent love.” Just because someone’s great-great grandparents did church like they did, if God has requested we change our way of doing things, for Heaven’s sake just change. When the great-great grandparents started the church, it was a great idea. But people have changed, culture has changed, ideals have changed and we mustn’t be so stubborn as to not change when God has moved on. If we’ll not change, what was once a great blessing could easily become a restraint so tight we can’t hardly breathe anymore. The gospel message is the same, of course, but how we go about doing it may lead to our being called to a higher place by the Lord. If we will move “with” the Lord we will do more than simply grow but will flourish. Persist in the pursuit of Jesus, not persist in a paradigm you like, methods you’re comfortable with, or some melancholy idea of “the way we used to do it.” In fact, i believe the phrase, “We ain’t never done it that way before” has stopped many ministries from continuing to prosper.

Here’s an interesting example of persistence with change: Ever heard of a company called “Traf-O-Data?” No? Well, at the time, me either. How about Microsoft? Oh, yea, we’ve all heard of that one. As it turns out both companies were started by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Traf-O-Data was the first company they started in 1972. Gates and Allen ran it for several years before throwing in the towel. They gave up on their original. But, if they hadn’t given up on Traf-O-Data, then there might never have been “MicroSoft”, and i must say, they did much better with MicroSoft than their original idea.

So how do you know when to press on vs. when to let go and follow God’s lead to a new thing? Here’s some questions to help in the re-assement of things: Is your plan still correct and how can you tell? We’ve gotta’ be honest about that one. If it’s not correct, update the plan. Wait on God to confirm it, and yes, the Lord does, unwaveringly, confirm His word. Is your goal still correct? What’s your evidence? Be honest. If not, update or abandon your goal. There’s no honor in clinging to something when God has moved on. Here it is, hear me on this: Persistence is not stubbornness.

i am my own best example of stubbornness which i have often confused with persistence. Letting things go was hard for me. I had always believed we should never give up, that once i set my mind to something, i should hang on to the bitter end. i figured the only thing worse than dying was quitting. You know, the old “captain must go down with the ship and all. i often felt like a failure if i surrendered and didn’t grip my project even tighter in an effort to “make” it work, squeeze it until it works. It was hard for me to learn the difference between persistence and stubbornness. Again, if God changes direction, we must go with God, not be stubborn adherents to an old paradigm.

Romans 14:19 “Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which we may edify one another.”

Persist in apprehending that which makes peace and edifies the body of Christ. That’s very plain and straight forward.

Colossians1:23 says we should persist in our faith, persist in our being established and firm, not moved from the hope held out to us in the gospel.

1 Corinthians 14:1, “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.”

This obviously means to persist until we apprehend love, to persist in reaching towards the spiritual gifts God has for us, especially prophesy, and don’t let the word “prophesy” scare you off. i think so often we get stuck on a word and miss the content. This is not buying into crazy doctrine but i’m saying, simply, don’t get stuck on a word like “prophesy” just because it’s not in the scope of your vision. Persist to understand what God means, and just because some individuals have done it poorly doesn’t mean it is not a viable gift from the Lord.

Persist to walk in the truth, not just the facts, but the truth, truth and fact are different you know. Remember also there is a balance in persistence. 1 John 5:18 “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin”. Friends, it isn’t necessarily the one cookie that makes us over weight, but the lifestyle of cookies we persist in. It isn’t automatically the one-sy, two-sy of things we do wrong which defile us, it is the lifestyle of wrongness which we persist in. It is not so much the lie here and there which get us in trouble but the theme of lying that causes us such grief. The key word for today in 1 John 5:18 is “continue” or “persist”.  Like in 1 John 3:6, it says “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.” That scripture isn’t speaking of a single act, but a lifestyle. It is our conduct and habits which reveal if we really know Jesus or not. Remember: There is balance in our persistence and persistence is not stubbornness, and ceasing to persist on something does not mean anyone is a failure. Think! How does God see the situation? Persist and find out. If you ask Him i guarantee He will answer, by and by. Oh, yes He will.

i read somewhere that the value of persistence comes not from stubbornly clinging to the past. It comes from a vision of the future that is so compelling you would give anything to make it real. This life is real, God is real and alive. i really believe persistence of action comes from persistence of vision. Let me encourage us all to pursue God for our vision and dreams. It ain’t over yet, and i’ve not heard the bell ring, so let’s put our shoulder to the wheel and persist in our pursuit of Jesus. Think about it.

Persistence allows you to keep taking action even when you don’t feel motivated to do so. According to early Christian writers, there are two virtues of courage: Patience & Persistence. Patience is enduring difficulties or danger without being inordinately cast down. Persistence is continuance in spite of difficulties or danger. If there exists in us true courage, therein is faith & hope also, and if there is hope and faith, patience and persistence are close at hand. Persist in prayer, persist and endure through trials, and persist in faith and obedience. Through Christ we shall be persistent, enduring, and steadfast.

In Luke 5:17-20 Jesus was teaching in a house and some guys carried a paralyzed man up onto the roof. There they took apart the roof, and lowered the paralyzed man into the room so Jesus could heal him. Those guys were VERY daring, not to mention it was probably very messy considering there was dirt and roof stuff falling onto the people below. i’d bet anything people complained and maybe even yelled at them to stop, but yet they persisted because they had hope something would change, they had a vision of the future for their friend. Let us be willing to persist on behalf of our neighbors in the same way.

i’m Social Porter and this has been brought to you by Living In His Name Ministries, Area 22 Guitars, Cannie Ledbetter at Oakdale Cemetery, Skyland Battery and Ignition, Mr. Jack Johnson at Johnson’s Gulf Service, Elmo and Mary Hogan, and Trinity Bakers where there’s always something good in the oven.

Be persistent this week, press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus. Persist! Persist! Persist! Be at peace and let Jesus be your rest and comfort. Until we meet again, Amen

John 5, The Politics of Bethesda: Jesus asked the man, “Do you want to be well?” The man said, “Sure!” Jesus said, “Take up your bed and walk.” So the guy did, and he had no idea God had just visited him. The Pharisee’s, who seemed to be screening things, tell the guy, “Gahh! Don’t you know it is WRONG to work (carry you bed) on the Sabbath!??!? What’s a matter with you?!!?” The guy sez, “Well, the man who made me well said to pickup my bed, so i did.” Pharisee’s, with condescending exasperation, “ARGH! Do you do everything you’re told?!? Who is this “person” who said pick up your bed!??” The guy sez, “I don’t know.” Later, the guy who was healed was in the temple (he evidently was not ignorant of who God was, he just didn’t actually know Jesus), there he meets Jesus, Jesus gives him some advice, then the guy goes and tells the Pharisee’s (“Look!, Look!, right over there! That’s the guy!”). Then Jesus makes an incredible statement about working on the Sabbath, He sez, vs17, “My father is working today, so i’m working today.” Very upsetting! Jesus was a lot of things, but “nice” wasn’t one of them.

“Nice” is VERY subjective you know. Ummm … ok, wait. The law says it is illegal to work on the Sabbath, but the Father works on the Sabbath, Jesus works on the Sabbath. Wait a minute! So if God didn’t make that law, then who did? The lawyers and Pharisees were more concerned with obeying the rules, and who cares if anyone got healed after 38 years of being incapacitated, just keep the rules, by all means. Following God’s lead is far more important than being a good rule keeper, checking off all the performance accomplishments. Prayed today, Check!, read my Bible today, Check!, Went to church today, Check!, Witnessed to someone, Check!, Spent an hour with my spouse (how gracious of me), Check! Was nice to people at work (feeling piously benevolent about that), Check! Didn’t work on the Sabbath (oh man, i’m doing the stuff now!), Check! i should be ok ’cause my list is checked off right? But why is my job, my marriage, my relationship with my folks/kids, why does all that just seem kind of, i don’t know, tilted?? Off balance, unfulfilling.

Why do i always spiritually feel like my arm is out of joint and i’m out of breath? Why do i feel like i’ve been holding my breath all day? i’m doing the formula, and it’s just not cutting it anymore! Oh bother, What will we do, what will we do?? i’m fairly certain that in the life of every believer, at some point, doing the formula (pray/read/fellowship/tithe) is not enough, and there’s nothing wrong with doing those four points, of course not, it’s just that being good little law keepers isn’t enough. Toeing the line of a moral code will eventually inspire the best of us to be double-minded simply because the pressure to constantly perform is more weight than we can bear. God wants a relationship not just rule keepers, he doesn’t want to do it FOR us, He wants to do it WITH us. Do you believe that y-o-u-r well being is directly tied to y-o-u-r ability to be obedient?? Be honest!

That means when you get life wrong you don’t deserve to be well or do well, and when you get it right enough, ahh,now you are worthy of blessing and well being.

Ships captains of 150 years ago used to have a phrase that everyone recognized as a command to come about to the given nautical heading. They would say, “Come to”, meaning to change your old heading to the new. Maybe you don’t exactly know who is gently knocking on the door of your heart. Maybe you think you do and it terrifies you. Maybe you think if you could get your life together better things would go more smoothly, always reaching to be a little more obedient in hopes of a better result. Maybe some of that is generally true in the sense of just paying attention to the details, like washing your clothes, doing the dishes, or showing up for work. But thinking we can be obedient enough that God will give us what we want is another story. We must cease our mindset of giving to get, always needing a little bit more in order for you to be OK.

Being a rule keeper may make us acceptable to our peers, but what if we did the right thing simply because it was the right thing, not because the rules said we should do the right thing? You know, people tend to mandate acting correctly and also feel the need to add a penalty at the end, like a threat to all rule breakers everywhere.

The Pharisee’s of John 5 demanded the minions keep the rules and do what they were told. They made up rules the minions had to keep that they, themselves, had special excuses as to why they didn’t have to keep the same rules. On one hand they demanded the man be obedient to their rules, but on the other hand when the man obeyed God instead of keeping the rules, they wanted to know if he always did what he was told. Oh, so, it’s like the attitude is: i’m glad you do what you’re told as long as i’m the one doing the telling, otherwise you’re just disobedient? Church leaders set a standard tithe as 10%, but God moved that forward and said something bigger, He said, “Follow me”, which is a present, active, imperative verb. It’s imperative, meaning “do it!” It doesn’t mean keep the rules, nor did He add a penalty afterwards saying, “and if you don’t, i’ll make you pay.” That’s not what God said. Acts5:29, “But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” and Acts4:19, “But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you decide.” i didn’t say don’t respect authority, but i am saying our ultimate responsibility is to God, first, with a continuous upward pointing to the sovereignty of God as a platform for where we plant our feet, on the entire word of God, not just the parts which support our agenda.

What do you think?

Friend, “you are not nowhere, nor are you living in nowhere land with nowhere plans.”

i knew a man who shared with me some of his early life story. As he talked and i listened, i began to realize what a phenomenal story i was hearing, and how miraculous it was that he’d managed, with God’s help, to overcome such staggering odds to be where he was. He wasn’t rich, but he was prosperous. He wasn’t a hero, but he was strong and courageous everyday. He didn’t have a title, but he was a leader. He could probably buy most anything he might want, but the beauty was he didn’t really want anything. He’d had a lot of things and gotten rid of a lot of things and just didn’t want things anymore. What he wanted was Jesus and it showed in all he did and in every word he spoke.

His son had recently found one of his dad’s old 10^th grade report cards, and sent him a photo of it on his phone. When the fellow saw the picture, it was a shameful thing with nothing but d minuses, f’s, zeros’, and some teachers notes indicating the young man of many years ago, was smart, but just seemed indifferent to doing any better. In the moment he texted back to his son saying at that time of his life, his own father had told him he was born a zero, and he’d probably die a zero, and the boy heard it enough that he finally decided if his father believed that about him, he might as well just go on and be a zero. So… he did. As a young man he joined the Navy to escape a bleak life, only to enter into an even more bleak life. He was in good shape, and had learned to fight pretty well, he said he actually enjoyed being a back alley pugalist. He put in to join the Navy Seals. Surprisingly, he got the assignment to go to training, but the end of his tour had come up and the Government wanted 6 more years out of him. Also, at the end of his tour in the Navy, he met Jesus and his life changed by degrees every day.  The Lord told him not to sign up but to get out, which he did. Later in life he learned the wisdom of God’s counsel when he realized there were four things he didn’t have which would have caused him to fail as a Navy SEAL. He was too big, his knees would never have taken the challenge, he didn’t know how to be a team player, and more than anything, he didn’t possess the heart of a champion.

Then he said something amazing which woke up a realization about myself. He said, for so much of his early life, in the back of his head, there was always a song playing, an old Beatles tune with the words turned personal, “i’m a real nowhere man, living in my nowhere land, making all my nowhere plans for no one.” Over and over until he believed it and adjusted his life to live like it. Thankfully, his story didn’t end there, leaving the listener in such a place of despair.

As i said, at the end of his tour of duty, he met Jesus and life began to change. The Lord told him different things, better things, truer things, life giving things. God said he was proud of him, and told him over and over and over he was smart, and he was strong. Seemingly every day, God reversed the words of the “nowhere man” song, saying, “You’re a real somewhere man, living in My somewhere land, making all your somewhere plans for everyone.” Over and over until he began to believe it and live like it. The turn around wasn’t over night, and in fact, it was a long… slow… turn because the Lord solved many things on the way back home. Just like many things were solved on the way home for the prodigal son, God solves many things in us on our road back to the Father.

So what am i getting at? i’m here to tell you, remind you as often as necessary, you, yes you… were not, are not, and never will be a nowhere man, living in your nowhere land. God has always had a plan for you. The enemy of our souls may whisper lies to us, but God, yes, But God says you are NOT a nothing, NOT born a nothing and WON’T die a nothing. You have so much value in you God was willing to die for you and give you life beyond your wildest dreams. But i must add though, here’s the catch, you’ve got to live it, not just call it out by faith, but put it into action and live it. Do it! Let your mother’s negative words which are stuck in your head go, tell the influencers in your ears that they are FIRED and are not allowed to have any impact on your life.

Friend, quit giving your ears to all the badness that’s been spoken to you. Buy into, set your sights on, purchase with all you have, all the things God says. You are NOT a nowhere man, and from before you were born, you were NOT destined to live in nowhere land. If you are in Christ, you are always, always, always somewhere and are a someone. To call yourself a nothing and a zero is to call God nothing, and that’s another lie we’ve swallowed. Your calling is to Christ. You can do right business. You are empowered to get those invoices out, on time, to the right person. You are smart enough to know how money flows through your business. You are big enough to learn to close your mouth and open your mouth when necessary, acting like a mature adult with good filters and solid boundaries. Yes that’s you. You are because God says you are. i don’t know who you are, but i’m here to tell you, as a person who has heard the “nowhere man” song in my own head, all my life, it’s a lie. Repeat this with me, “i am not nowhere and i won’t buy into the nowhere man song in my head any longer.” Say it again, “i am not nowhere and i won’t buy into the nowhere man song in my head any longer.”

What do you think?

What is it with us and our inclination to be contrary? Even when it’s to our exclusive advantage to agree with God, we’ve got in our heart a big fat “yea but” which prevents us.

The Lord brought something to mind while i was praying this morning. It was just a snippet of a memory. Many years ago, another fellow and i were cutting tobacco, and as we were cutting and stacking the crop which needed to go hang in the barn to cure, we were talking about getting some help, wherewith i mentioned hiring one particular guy but didn’t know if it was a good idea. As i remember the conversation, the other fellow said to me, “He’s a pretty good fellow alright, but he’s just… contrary… and i’d just as well leave him at home as to have him around.” In the moment it was a pretty good chuckle, but this morning, God brought it all back to mind. Yea but…

We hold church at the jail every Thursday night, and the other night in particular i heard some very familiar words, “Yea but” this, and “yea but” that. We would say, “Jesus is the answer” and one fellow would say, “Yea, but if He would only…” Almost no matter what was said, that guy would tag in a “yea but”. He was just … contrary. By nature, not that he didn’t agree necessarily, but it was his nature to be contrary. Yea but this, and yea but that. Contrary.

How often, in your life, do you read something from scripture, and even though you may generally agree, somewhere in your heart is a “yea but”, which adds a condition to the Lord’s words? He said He will never leave us and is always with us, yet we add “yea but, i feel so alone.” You know, as Kevin says, “If we’d simply be honest about ourselves and situation, many things would resolve themselves, simply by being honest.”

One time a very angry lady said she truly believed Jesus was Lord and God, and when i agreed with her she then added, while slamming the Bible with her hand, “Yea but, there’s so many contradictions in the Bible i can’t bring myself to believe it.” Upon further discussion, the r-e-a-l issue was that the Lord has righteous boundaries, and says, very plainly, some things are simply wrong. Well, those very things were things she, personally, didn’t see anything wrong with doing, and rather than agree with God, she re-decided that HE was being contradictory. In the moment, i told her i was not a hammer and she didn’t look like a nail, but if she was going to follow the Lord, then follow Him, and if she wasn’t then don’t. But she really should consider to get herself out of the torturous position of indecision. If she would simply be honest about herself it would go a long way to not being angry and conflicted.

1 Kings 18:21, “And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping around between two different paths, sitting on a fence? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word and nobody made a move.”

The word for “limping” is used in the sense of someone who is on crutches who hobbles around or dances around something, and the phrase “two different paths”, as in two points of view, is used in the sense of either going left or right. The entire verse is about being conflicted, being di-vided, or having di-vision. Hobbling around an indecision without making a decision is a big “yea but”, which means we are dancing around deciding whether to go left or right, and Elijah was addressing the painfulness of being at the crossroads of indecision. Is He God or not? Yes. Then act like it. And if you don’t want to believe He is, be honest about it and don’t. We can’t go left AND right at the same time, it still leaves us wrecked in the middle, still hovering around not being able to come to a conclusion. i think for a large part of my life i’ve been the Chief of the Yea But tribe, whose favorite phrase is “yea but” “yea but” “yea but”, living on the ever desolate high plains of the mountains of indecision, slamming back and forth like clothes in the washing machine, being beaten back and forth, coming to no particular conclusion.

A constant stream of “yea but’s” from us is an indicator of confusion, and in 1 Corinthians 14:33 Paul writes that the Lord is not the God of confusion. The Greek word for confusion refers to being caught up by a “contrary wind which blows this way and then that”, can’t make up it’s mind, popping the sails of the boat back and forth. It is a word indicating unrest, turmoil, and disorder.

The guys at the Mebane Freedom League gave me a good example once. They said living in the momentum of our “yea but” is like trying to force a square peg through a round hole, and the problem with forcing a square peg through a round hole is that there are “leftovers”.  If you do actually mange to force a square peg through a round hole, it shaves off certain portions of the peg just to make it “fit”, and sure, after you’re done with all your forcing, it can be said that it “fits” in the end, but what about the bits that got “shaved off”?  Afterall, this IS the truth we’re talking about and even the “shavings” matter!  Except “yea but” people end up with a HUGE pile of shavings and when asked, what about the HUGE pile of shavings, they attempt to “explain it away” or divert us.  “Yea but” is like forcing that square peg through a round hole, and it rips chunks out of the truth to make it work.

Is the Lord God or not? If He is, then act like it, and if you don’t want to believe it, then don’t…. stop dancing around two ways to go, and get on with it.

What do you think?