Take the hit

Hello Lightbrights!

If we look around in the body of Christ today, we can see that there are weak links in our chain and that if Paul The Apostle was alive, we certainly would be getting a letter. I think we need to do an alliance check, first starting with ourselves. One definition of the word alliance means the state of being joined or associated with. The disciples were aligned with Jesus Christ and His message. Their total allegiance to Him was by the power of the Holy Spirit and the testimonies and miracles they had seen Him work. Their allegiance to Him and the gospel took them all over the world, before kings and governors and ultimately to their deaths. They shook up everywhere they went, every nation of people they encountered were no longer the same once the disciples came into their regions with the gospel. It's a stark contrast to us Christians today. The disciples took the licks and kept on ticking, as the saying goes. They took the hits.

Today we are comfortable with just proclaiming Christ and sticking our heads in the sand. We're ok with going into places and spaces, seeing the wickedness and the places stays the same. We're ok with not only seeing the darkness of the world but sometimes even conforming to the darkness instead of exposing it by the Light of Christ and His gospel.

We don't want to take a hit to anything. Not to our finances, our associations or friend groups, not to our lifestyles- we don't want to truly give up anything that may cost us to follow Christ. Yes, times are much different than it was in the bible, but even taking that into consideration, if we compare our walks with the disciples we can see where we are lacking.

Jesus promised them trials and tribulations, that they would be hated because He was hated. He forewarned them of persecution and told them to take up their cross daily- and if they didn't they were not worthy of Him.

In 1 John 2:15-17 Jesus said Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. This is a very serious comparison that Jesus gave- simply saying if you love the world-meaning align with and have allegiance to, then you cannot possibly love God the Father or Jesus.

To be fully on fire for the Lord and walking in His purpose for us and to spread the gospel we gotta commit to taking the hits! When a person is learning to fight or box, the trainer will often teach them to expect the hit, lean into it, take the hit! Not to shrink away from it. Some of those hits will hurt more than others, but the training of the body and the muscles to take the hit is what prepares the fighter and helps them to continue to go another round and ultimately win the fight. They knew the risk when they got in the ring.

Did you know the risk of following Christ ? Did you know what you signed up for?

In Luke 14:28-29 Jesus gives the illustration of a builder building a house. He ask the question of would it not be smart for the builder to 1st count up the cost - to know what He needs to build, the process, the cost itself ? He goes on to say if not, the builder would not be able to finish building and would be mocked by all those around him. And that is what the world is doing to some Christians today. The mock the church and the believers who are not living up to the standard they say they believe in.

To ensure our allegiance is aligned right with the One we say we believe in, we need to check out hearts, motives and actions. Jesus's teachings cannot just be in our minds, they need to live in our hearts and be seen in our actions. We have to be ready to take the hits no matter what they look like. My hit could be losing friends. Your hit could look like illness trying to raddle your body and faith. Someone else's hit could look like persecution.

These hits are designed by the enemy to end us... BUT GOD!!!

With the empowering of the Holy Spirit we should let the hits propel us to be even closer and entwined with Christ, lean into and onto Him more, trust Him more, speak of Him more.

Take a lesson from the disciples- when they were whipped and beaten and then released- they were sternly warned not to proclaim the name of Jesus anymore. But they did the OPPOSITE! They got even busier preaching the gospel. That should also be our response.

Today, I encourage you take an inventory of your fighting stance in this ring of life. Strengthen those weak muscles where the hits are knocking you down, take the hit, fix your technique and stay in the fight. Go another round. Power up in the word of God and your prayer life. Remove those hinderances and fight another day.

Every hit we take gets us closer to the end of the match. All you have to do is stand.

Jesus already won the fight, you rejoice and stay in the ring.

Until next time, keep shining!

Kee Isadore

Study scriptures to meditate on as you anticipate the next hit:

Ephesians 6:13-14-Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand

1 Peter 5:9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.

Philippians 1:27 Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel