Put Fight Back In Your Faith

“I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”-Philippians 3:14 NLT

Ready for Battle

Notice that the scripture here says PRESS. We must do something on our end. We must aspire to know Christ and make Him known. Perseverance/Endurance is the lost art of Christianity. Faith and Patience are the power twins. Faith believes God. Patience or perseverance carries it out.

Perseverance puts the fight back into faith.

Faith Works by Putting Action to it.

James 1:2-4. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

12. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

25. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

James 2:26 ESV For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

God wants to do something great, but He is waiting on you. Your hands, your feet, and your will align with His Will.

“Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us,” Ephesians 3:20 AMP

I remember when my dad lay in the hospital with COVID-19 starving for oxygen. We couldn’t see him, we were still in China. We felt led to stay and finish our work. But as the days lingered, I prayed about going home early to see my dad. Another challenge was that it was during the Pandemic and it would be hard to get in to see him anyways. My mom was the boots on the ground as she took him his Bible but he responded that he was too weak to read it or even pray! Covid had sapped him of all his energy and will. It was terrible to hear about my dad in such a state and we could do nothing about it. We couldn’t do anything in the natural but we turned to the Lord the God our healer. We persevered in prayer.

We in the Spirit joined hands, and through prayer and standing on God’s Word, we said, “You’re going to make it; don’t back down, don’t give up, stay the fight” We believed in the God who heals and who makes a way. Finally, COVID was beaten and my Dad was released from the hospital. Though he could not fight for himself he was surrounded by those who knew how to persevere in faith.

Bravery in Spirit Led Leadership

Lion attacking a snake

Bravery is a command from God. That’s not a topic or quality that we often think about. But it’s true. Here are four points of bravery that every Christian who aspires to be a Spirit-led leader must adhere to.

1. God has given us the ability to overcome fear, which is called being brave.

Being brave is taking action despite fear.

Bravery is not grounded in our ability, skill, or courage. Courage does not come from within us; it comes from the Holy Spirit working and moving through us.

• Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success[a] wherever you go.- Joshua 1:7-8

  Success formula. Bravery + Obey the Word = Success

  2. Choose Bravery

• Many of us are willing to settle for the good. Your life is good. Your job is good. Your kids are good. Your church is good. Your existence is good. Existing is good. The problem is a gulf between where you are and who you want to be. You are not seeing the results; you have a mindset gap between scarcity and abundance. You need to come face to face with your bravery and decide to change.

  3. Bravery to Take the Labels Off

  Don’t conform to the corruption of this world’s standards, but instead, renew your mind by replacing labels with truth. Part of being a victim is accepting the labels of man that have been put on you. You might have been told by a parent, teacher, or coach that you were “stupid, ugly, slow, worthless, will never amount to anything,” how about “can’t you be more like your sibling?” etc.

  It is time to take those labels off, reject the lie, and put on the labels of the truth of God’s Word. “More than a conqueror. I have the hope of glory in me. I have the mind of Christ. I lack no good thing. I can do all things through Christ.” 

  4. Bravery Means Responsibility

  A common phrase that people say when they don’t want to take the burden of responsibility for growth or change is “Fake it till you make it.” Don’t fake it till you make it; get better, and you’ll make it. The choice you make makes you. Responsibility isn’t easy, fun, or glamorous, but it is necessary.

  As you accept responsibility in your life, it gives you more and more power. Responsibility will give you the power to change your life from where you are and help guide you to where you want to be. A natural leader doesn’t pass responsibility but accepts it and then makes it work for them.

• If you enjoyed this teaching, check out Butterfly Leadership, available at www.imprintinternational.com

Why Valentines Day?

Valentine in the dungeon

The True Meaning of Valentine’s Day

Why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day? Is it just about writing cute cards, buying chocolates, or taking our significant other out for an expensive dinner? While Valentine’s Day focuses on romantic love, its origins run much deeper. At its core, it is rooted in the love of God and the courage to stand for what is right.

In the third century, during the Roman Empire, Emperor Claudius II decreed that young men should not marry. He believed that soldiers would be more focused and loyal if they were not distracted by wives and families. To enforce this, he forbade marriage among men of fighting age.

However, a priest named Valentine saw things differently. Believing that marriage was a sacred gift from God, he secretly performed weddings despite the emperor’s orders. Eventually, he was discovered, arrested, and sentenced to prison.

Even in prison, Valentine’s faith in God remained unshaken. He befriended his jailer and even tutored the jailer’s young daughter in reading and writing. His kindness and love reflected the teachings of Christ, showing that true love reaches even beyond barriers of enmity. We should love our neighbore as we love ourselves. According to tradition, he signed his notes to the young girl, “From your Valentine.” This is believed to be the origin of the practice of exchanging Valentine’s cards.

John 13:34-35 (NKJV)

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The emperor eventually gave Valentine a choice: renounce his Christian faith and worship the Roman pagan gods, or face execution. Valentine chose to stand firm in his faith, refusing to deny Christ—even at the cost of his life.

The Moral of the Story

True Christian leaders:

• Stand up for what is right, even when the government says otherwise.

• Share the love of Christ with everyone—even their enemies.

• Remain faithful to Christ, no matter the cost.

Valentine’s Day is more than just a celebration of romance. It is a reminder of sacrificial love, unwavering faith, and the courage to stand for truth.

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The Fear of The Lord

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

-Proverbs 9:10NKJV

The fear of the Lord. What is that? What does that mean? How do we do that appropriately? Are we to fear God? Isn’t that thought contradictory? Is not God love? The Bible describes the goodness, faithfulness, and mercy of God, which does not sound like someone to fear. The Bible even shares that perfect love casts out all fear. Fear, after all, is a tool of the devil, a byproduct of sin. It’s understood that the sinner ought to have a genuine fear of God, who can destroy more than your life by casting you in the fire of hell, again the byproduct of a life of sin. But what of the believer, the one who places their ultimate faith in the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ? Should this person fear God?

Christians should not fear God, for Jesus identified God as our Father. Jesus even helps us to understand that only God is good and that we can have a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. This is not the fear of an abusive Father, but it is an awesome reverence and respect. God is not your “bro,” your “homeboy,” your “girlfriend,” etc. God is our Father and, as such, deserves our utmost respect and worship. We are to love and serve God. In simple forms, the fear of the Lord equals obedience. When you obey God, you fear God. When you want to sin and even feel tempted to sin, but you obey God in the face of that sin, that is fearing God. When you obey but you don’t feel like it, that is fearing God. Jesus demonstrated fear of the Lord by denying sin and obeying God.

Real Spirit-Led Leadership is obedience to God. Spirit-led leadership stands up for God for what is right, even in the face of adversity and times of discomfort for us. Leadership is standing for truth, integrity, excellence, and showing the way. Leaders must have a genuine fear of the Lord. Which is, as promised in the scripture above, the beginning of Wisdom. God will grant wisdom when we respect and honor Him. God gives favor to those who demonstrate Honor to Him. As leaders, we need wisdom to make the right choices to have a vision and to move forward. That discernment, that wisdom is found in valuing and obeying God. The primary way to do this is to learn to trust in the forgiveness of Jesus Christ and to learn to be led by the unction of the Holy Spirit.

Are you ready to Lead by fearing God today?