I recently shared a post across my social spaces with a quote card of a lion and the words, ‘Once you become fearless, you become limitless’ on it. The post narrative was from 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Didn’t take long to receive this as the first comment: LOL! “God” is for the weak!

Let’s explore this a bit…

Many believe that “religion” is designed for people who are incapable of dealing with the turbulence of life. Karl Marx even coined the phrase, “Religion is the opiate for the masses”.

The claims of the “God is crutch crowd” only act as an indictment against themselves and showcase their desire to reject God and His claim to their lives, which is definitely a choice. But, God asks that people recognize their true desires and offers Himself in the place of the false hope of this world that they cling to.

Leaders like George Washington, Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King, Jr…to name a few; well known military figures like Chris Kyle (American Sniper), Marcus Luttrell (Lone Survivor) and Kris “Tanto” Paranto (13 hours); or any other leader/athlete/famous Christian you may know….all embraced Christianity. What about them? Are they weak?

We don’t hear much about it in the media, especially in this country where we are able to worship freely, but more Christians are being martyred around the world today than at any time in history. Huge numbers are being tortured, placed in jails, and under forced labor. Amazingly, many aren’t even asking fellow Christians for prayer to stop the persecution, but simply for the strength to endure through it. All of these Christians could have avoided the suffering and death by simply renouncing their faith. Does that sound weak?

Check this fact out. Roman law prohibited anyone from touching a dead body except to bury that body, but Galenus (a second century Roman physician) was able to study the dying mangled bodies of those who were martyred for their faith. And he wrote, “For fearlessness of death and the hereafter is something we witness in (these Christians) every day.” Does that sound weak?

We all know the story of Jesus and His brutal destiny with the cross. Yes, He asked His heavenly Father if there was another way, but once God’s will was locked-n-loaded, Jesus set His face ‘like flint’ and faced the cross. He looked right in the face of sin, death and satan – and defeated them all!

Jesus Christ; is bold, He is fearless, He is braver than hell and in the end…He proved to be tougher than nails! Wow, doesn’t sound like weakness at all, does it?

In this space of being fearless, He challenges the heart of everyone by saying, “follow me!” He goes on to say that whoever wants to be My follower, My disciple…and there will come a day or a season where we will have to deny ourselves and pick up our crosses daily. We will have to follow Him when it feels safe and when it doesn’t feel safe. We will have to follow Him when it benefits us and when it costs us.

Of course Jesus understands our need for security, our risk adverseness and that it’s in the heart of a man to want to protect his family; and He still challenges us to face the realities of life head on. In fact, here is what He shares with His disciples (and us): “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body.” Of course, this is easier said than done, right? Well, He tests them…read Matthew 8:23-27. Uncertainty is inevitable, but fear is optional!

Do you have the courage to sign up for this? Is your version of Christianity worth dying for?

Ok, lets bring this all in. The Bible’s statements regarding the fact and evidence of Christ’s resurrection bring comfort and real hope — hope that does not disappoint — and instruct us to walk in a way that trusts God and recognizes our true “weak” position before Him. Once that is done, we become strong, just as Paul said, “For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10)

When did fearlessness suddenly become fear and worry for so many of us who claim to believe that God is still God and that He’s still on the throne? Followers of Jesus Christ, let’s recapture our boldness. Let’s stop living in fear of the wrong things and start living our lives with the realization that the only One we really have to fear (if we are doing wrong) is God Himself.

So, is God a crutch for the weak? Well not in the way this commenter meant it. Every day we are inevitably parachuting into enemy territory, hoping to survive. We believe the false narrative that we can navigate the difficulties of life without the help of God and that this whole following Jesus thing isn’t for us. But you’ve misidentified your greatest need, because we all need our hearts rescued by Him to live fully alive.

It is only in relationship with Him, under the shadow of His mighty wing where we can begin to live a life without fear!