Live courageously from your heart!
Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. —1 Corinthians 16:13
For Dad (or Mom), here is a prayer list you can use to pray for your kids!
1) Pray that your child will come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
2) Pray that your child will have a healthy fear of the Lord.
3) Pray that your child will have a heart for the lost.
4) Pray that your child will love obedience.
It was a beautiful summer’s evening at the Danversport Yacht Club accented with a magnificently painted sunset brushed by God Himself. The sounds of merriment from the family wedding faded into the background as I walked out into the parking lot with my cousin.
As we meandered through the maze of cars in the parking lot, our “shallow man” talk began to make an abrupt course correction. Like a mysterious wind coming out of nowhere, my cousin began to open up, sharing the dark road he was traveling and the impact it was having on his family. The wound was deep, but the shame kept him silent for years. He was an absolute mess and wow…I had no idea.
Here was the rub…
Perusing through my feeds, I came across a story about four young men who demonstrated authentic manhood. Four skateboarders (Arnaud Nimenya, Carsyn Wright, James Hielema and Starlyn Rivas-Perez) displayed courage and bravery when they stepped into a horrific situation where a man was sexually assaulting a woman. They not only stopped the attack by scaring him off…they pursued him and held him down until police arrived to arrest him.
I remember earlier this year, another horrific story of rape, where Stanford University varsity swimmer Brock Turner was convicted for sexually assaulting a woman on campus behind a dumpster. The impact letter of the victim (known as 23-year-old “Emily Doe”) is gut wrenching, but she highlights two men from Sweden who demonstrated authentic manhood. They noticed what was going on,they intervened and tackled Brock…ending the assault.
Hey traveler this is not the typical article you might expect here on Heartstone Journey, but wanted to get some of the Heartstone resources out in front of you. Everyone needs great resources and here are some that I use, recommend and some that may help you on your own life journey.
Note: Some of these resources are free, and some aren’t. Those that are paid resources are affiliate products or services, meaning if you buy them, I get a commission at no extra cost to you. Please know that I have personal experience with the resources I share, which is why I recommend them.
Followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to live a life that actively demonstrates to others the worth of the gospel. If the Lion of Judah is running before you, let your life be a billboard for how valuable the gospel is and show that the effect it will have on the life of those who believe it is — fearlessness. Philippians 1:27–28 tells us to; “lead a life worthy of the gospel so that when I come I may find that you stand firm, unafraid of any of your opponents.” One of the ways that our lives can demonstrate the worth of the gospel is when the gospel makes “us walk as lions” — courageous and unafraid.
The righteous are the ones who trust in the Lord — the ones who have faith and place their hope on the mercy, power and wisdom of God. These are the ones who are free from fear. These are the ones whose hearts no longer condemn them (1 John 3:21). These are the ones that are right with God, because of His grace and not because of their merit. And their boldness with God (and with men) demonstrates the worth and the value of the gospel (Hebrews 4:2, 6).
Here’s a song from Skillet’s album ‘Unleashed’ to encourage you…righteous warriors of God!
