At the time of writing this, Avengers: Infinity War, is only a few days away. I’ve been waiting years for this. Literal years. I love comics, and when Iron-Man first came out, my dad and I stayed after the credits and saw a glimpse of Nick Fury talking to Tony Stark about a little team he was putting together. Then, years after that, Marvel’s Avengers premiered, with another scene after the credits showing a smiley purple guy. I left the theater stunned, Thanos was coming. Being a comic kid, I knew the mad titan, a really bad dude who leaves a wake of destruction in his path. A big purple alien from the moon of titan, bent on taking over the galaxy and harnessing the power within it. Then he gets even more power with infinity gems, and all hope seems lost. The avengers have to band together to stop an unstoppable force. I can’t wait to see this in film form, but this mad titan reminds me of some of the same struggles we face in our own lives. Do you ever feel like whenever you are moving forward, something always seems to go wrong? Something begins to tempt you, a person in your life says words that hurt your soul, you fight those thoughts of self-doubt and loathing in your mind; it can seem almost impossible to survive. These are cases of what we call “spiritual attack.” This can be worse than a physical attack, often crippling us, but the fact is, when we remember our savior we find new hope. The mad titan is nothing compared to the love of God.

I struggle with anxiety and self-doubt on a daily basis. It’s the mad titan in my life, the thing that can seem absolutely unbeatable. It originated from words teachers spoke over me and continues to be a fear any time I have had to fight uphill battles to gain movement in my future, the titan likes to use that roots and try to consume me. The fact is, the mad titan is real, Satan is real, he is an active enemy seeking to devour me. He wants to devour you too. The bible says in John 10:10, “The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy.” Satan wants to steal your joy, kill your spirit, and destroy your life. The verse continues and says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” We have a God that loves us so much that he sent his son to die for us and rise again so that we could live in relationship with him. He gives us the Holy Spirit once we choose him, and this Spirit gives us power over the mad titans in our lives. In the midst of hopelessness, cling to real power. You woke up today, and that means God isn’t finished with you. You are made in his image, you are a part of the team, and you have an eternal life.

Discover the power within.

God has knit you to be you. You are not defined by a test score, a bad breakup, and personality test, a picture in a magazine, a label someone else gave you; you are a child of God. I chose the word “gifted” to be my word of the year. I chose it to be a reminder. I am not like anyone else, and I don’t want to be a clone, God has gifted me with unique power. I’m Spider-Man, I have great power and great responsibility, and so do you. The first step is walking into that relationship with a savior. Once you choose to follow, you are no longer hell-bound but heaven-called. You have power within. The Holy Spirit is your guide, helping you step into the greater calling over your life. Called to seek and save the lost, to bring others into the promise you have stepped into. Gamma rays and spider bites might not happen, but you have power within you now, you have the king who has already won the war on your side.

Psalm 23:4 says, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” When we realize that our power is the knowledge of victory, the mad titan doesn’t seem so big, he starts to look like a beast grasping at sand trying to grab hold of you. You have power within you, the mad titan is a liar and a scared fool.

Join up with a team.

This is what I love about the biblical church. I say “biblical church,” because I know some of you may have been burned by a church, the church is simply a group of believers coming together to carry out the great commission. I love in Acts, we see the OG church coming together, they are a team. Each with different skills to contribute, and none better than another. All are a part of the team with one mission in mind. Just like the Avengers, you need a Captain America to balance a Hulk. When the mad titan attacks, the hits aren’t as hard when you have a team at your side. The hard thing is, the attacks will come, being a Christ follower is hard, but we need to remember our power and have a team with us to spur us on and encourage us in the battle. So, jump into a community. Join a local church that loves you and loves the community you live in. Get with a trusted small group who can be your Avengers; join up with a team.

Unless you are reading this early on Patreon, Avengers: Infinity War has come out. In it I’m sure there are moments where the mad titan is beating on most of our heroes, and I believe there is a moment where it seems like all hope is gone. I know how it ends though, the heroes find the power to make it, sure there are struggles and fallen heroes, but they win the day. All good stories have roots in truth. The truth is that we have a God that defeated all odds, death itself to save his creation. We have a very real enemy working against us, but we have a sovereign God that makes the titan shake in his gauntlet. We need to discover the power within and join a team.

Don’t live with a defeated mindset, live in the authority of victory.

-Joshua Thomas