my heart will not be afraid.
Even if I am attacked,
I will remain confident.
Psalm 27:3
What does it mean to be relentless? How can we be relentless with God's love? How can we be fearless when all we feel is fear? The other day I was out and about with my good friend George. George graciously took over a list of homes (1500 to be exact) that desperately need renovations, and some of them honestly just need an over haul. I am tagging along with George because I am selecting houses for middle and high school campers to help fix up and show God's love to the people who need it most. One of the most recent homes we went to was home to an army veteran. Not even going to lie, when we pulled up to the house both of our jaws dropped. The roof was caving in, no air conditioning, termites crawling, and plumbing was just a mere vision. In order to take a shower these people would pour water into a bucket and dump it on their head. Honestly I'm not sure how anyone was even living there. When the man came out to greet us I thought I saw a gun in his back pocket. I was instantly afraid. I even thought about just sitting in the car for the remainder of that appointment. But I heard God's still quiet voice saying," Madison if you leave now you are going to miss the most amazing thing you have ever experienced.” That got my attention quick. I decided to hold out and pray to God that He would keep me safe. After seeing the rest of the house and working out a plan of attack, we asked if there was anything we could pray for him for. Now this question sometimes blindsides people. Most of the houses we see are not home to christians. They are home to people hurting, hurting so much that there could not possibly be a God watching over them, right? WRONG. The man pondered the question and said his brother is battling cancer and to pray for him. While we were praying they got a call from the hospital saying that they needed to rush down there right away because his brother is having trouble breathing. So on that front step of this old dilapidated house, tears steaming down each of ours faces, the four of us, hand in hand prayed for his brother’s life. We prayed for mercy from God, and for knowledge of the doctors, and for strength to keep on fighting for his brother. Now I will never know if this man came to the Lord through this prayer, but one thing I do know for sure. Friends, we are never promised tomorrow. We need to live each day fearlessly and relentlessly. If I had left when I saw a gun and didn’t trust God to keep me safe I would have never gotten the opportunity to witness to this man and tell him about how much God loves him! What is holding us back. Is it fear? Humility? Bitterness? What stops us from living out God’s word? Whats your gun in the back pocket? One final thing I’ll leave you with. If someone right now were to come behind you with a gun to your head and ask, “Are you a christian?” and if you said yes you would be killed, what would you say? That answer that just flashed in your mind, thats your instinct and that is what you would do.