This past month of this New Year has been so incredible. My church just went through a season of praying and fasting, it was filled with so much encouragement of what this year will bring, and it will bring forth great things. God is moving through his people, his children made in his image, us. You and I are going to be used immensely this year, but it won’t be easy. This past month has been very impactful for me spiritually, but our world has been through much hurt and pain. In the United States (Where I live), we have seen women stand up and say that enough is enough, we are more than a body to be looked at and we are people with much to contribute. We have seen anger and hatred split people down the middle because of the past election. We have seen the way that fear of another people can cause others to hold deep hatred. We have a battle in front of us. My world is being torn apart by sin and evil; but there is always hope. If there is one thing God has taught me over and over again it’s that hope in him will not fail. When our hope is in Christ, we march together to say that enough is enough, we can have rational discourse with opposing views to come to an agreement, and we can show love to those who are not like us by living out the gospel. We have a purpose and God has placed it on each of our hearts.

Each of us has been made in the image of God. A couple weeks back I wrote several posts on this topic, which are key to understanding just how valued you are in the kingdom of God. Once we realize this fact and come to an authentic relationship with Christ, we have a cause that is worth fighting for. We are surrounded by people that need the love and grace that comes from God, they are lost, and it is our mission to reach them. Revival needs to happen, a word which here means, a spiritual improvement in the condition and strength of our purpose that God has called us to. Our world needs us as believers to spread the gospel; we need to find the cause worth fighting for. The best part is, we already know the cause (Guess work is too time consuming anyways). Our cause is the fact that Christ shed his blood to save us from death. Because of this, we have a cause. God saved us so that we could save his children, we are called to fight for our brothers and sisters because they are worthy to defend.

Samurai and bugs.

I love film. It’s a part of how God speaks to me, he uses the creativity and writing to speak to me. During a little snow storm a couple weeks back I re-visited one of my favorite films, Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 film, Seven Samurai. Not many have seen this, unless you’re a big cinephile who doesn’t mind reading subtitles and watching black and white flicks. So I’ll give you a brief synopsis, a small town in the Japanese country side is being berated by bandits who are stealing from these small farmers. They come in, take the crops, and do terrible things to the people. Finally the elders have had enough, so they decide to hire samurai to defend their village. The farmers have no money, all they have is food to feed the warriors; many warriors turn them down and laugh at the offer. In the last glimmer of hope, they find seven samurai that say yes. What happens is that these warriors were hired for rice, but when they see the true needs of the people, they choose to defend them. They find purpose.

If the plot sounds somewhat familiar, it’s probably because the Disney Pixar movie, A Bug’s Life, is essentially the same movie. Blow your mind? We have in that movie, circus bugs pretend to be warriors but when they see the need of the ants, they band together to defend them. They find their true purpose. The same is true in our walk. We are individuals with great power and ability, and we are surrounded by people that need you. They need us to step in and give hope when the world crashes down around them, we have the power to raise them back into the father’s hands. We have the ability to change the lives of others, all we need to do is understand that our purpose is to bring others into the kingdom and breathe new life into their lungs.

The cost is worth the sacrifice.

You know, this battle is not going to be easy. There will be hardship along the way, you will still experience attack yourself, but the cost is so worth the sacrifice. In A Bug’s Life, the heroes win the day and save the people, suffering simple wounds but surviving the battle. In Seven Samurai, the battle is won, but in the fight four of the seven are killed. In the end of the film, one of the samurai laments the four comrades by saying, “In the end we lost this battle too. The victory belongs to the farmers, not to us.” What this means is that they were never fighting for themselves, they fought for something bigger and some of their men will not enjoy the victory on earth. What happens is that the farmers are finally free; they can now live in freedom. For us, the battle requires us to give up our own lives, our wants and material possessions, but in the end the real victory is the freedom we allow others to have. The disciples in the bible were charged with this powerful verse in scripture, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, son, and Holy Spirit.” That is found in Matthew 28:19. All of the disciples were martyred except for one who was exiled. I can guarantee that they would do it again if they had the chance. Because just like the disciples, the samurai, and the bugs; they found that the people were the purpose, they were worthy to defend.

We all have a choice. We can either answer the call over our lives or we can choose to sit back. I will say, the latter half is safer, it won’t require you to step out in faith. It won’t have you be judged for the way you act or have you stand out. But (and I know you can’t start a sentence with but, but whatever *wink*), if you choose to answer the call, it will be the best choice you can ever make. It means standing for what’s right even when the world is pressuring you to stand back. You have an opportunity to look at every person in this world and know that they are loved by a great and mighty God. You have the power to stand and fight for the people around you, the people that God says are worthy to defend in the face of adversity. Create a revival wherever you are and stand for a cause worth fighting for. The cause that Jesus died on the cross for; to save the lost and restore them back to the father that loved them. Make the choice, because the people of God are worthy to defend.

Stand for a cause worth fighting for.

-Joshua Thomas