For many years now I have made a point of staying in touch with international and national news on a daily basis. This is a leftover from my days as a youth evangelist with YFC and affiliated groups. It was and still is important to be aware of the the world around us, especially if your life is constantly rubbing shoulders with those outside of the Church.
Of course you may well feel comfortable in your Christian bubble and spend your time avoiding contact with the world around you, afraid that the grime might rub off, or the temptation to sin might prove to strong and your demise as a child of the King will be the final outcome.
"Take heart" said Jesus, "I have overcome the world"(the Bible).
I guess that means.. BE ENCOURAGED, DON'T BE AFRAID, BREAKOUT OF YOUR BUBBLE, DON'T LET FEAR HOLD YOU BACK.
One of the most difficult things to watch is a brother or sister who hasn't allowed the fear breaking truth spoken by Jesus to impact their lives.
And while others are moving forward taking the good foundations of the past with them, they spend energies on trying to maintain the statusquo while attempting to re-establish things that have long ago served their purpose. This is motivated by the same fear that was crushed into oblivion on the cross of liberation, by the same Jesus who said "Take Heart-I have overcome".
Many of these brothers and sisters are in key positions in local or national Church ,and the result of their fear driven digging in of heels means that the foot soldier is not only fighting the advance but is also being bogged down in the mud and mire of tradition and misplaced loyalty to things of the past.
So come on you who are stuck in fear based retro thinking, have a look around you, see what God is doing and realise the liberty of following His NOW word.
