The market is packed, and the heat makes every part of my body feel heavy. I begin to feel a little dizzy, but my focus is straight ahead. Just a few more streets and I can crawl into bed for the night. Red lanterns hang from lines strung across the alley, and the smell of street food fills the air. Suddenly out of my peripheral vision I see a man– a person, a human being– crawling on his hands and knees with one scrawny leg slung over his back and a radio around his neck. On my left side I saw a man with a a microphone, parading this poor man around the street as if he were an entertainment act. In that moment I saw a person being completely stripped of his identity as a human, and made to be treated like an animal. I watched the crowd split around this injustice, as if it weren’t happening and I am ashamed to say, I was one of them.
I am the one who was preaching the name of Jesus to prisoners and proclaiming freedom over them just a week-and-a-half ago. Now here I was in bondage on the street, an opportunity infront of me and unwilling to move past my fear to seize it. I am the one writhing in disgust over this mistreatment, and yet content to sit in silence. I am the one people leave the church over, the one who causes question and doubt to rise up in the hearts of many, the one whose actions (and inactions) differ from firmly gripped beliefs. I am the hypocrite.
Weren’t expecting those lines across your screen were you? Honestly, I bet I’m not the only one who lets fear take dominion where faith is supposed to stand. I bet you’ve been a hypocrite once or twice (that’s a modest estimation) in your life two. The truth is, I’m not writing this to condemn or shame anyone. Shame is not an agent of change, love is.
When Jesus walked the earth, He didn’t build people’s faith by condemning them. No, He loved them well and He built their faith by loving the unloveable and touching the untouchable in moments that were uncomfortable. So here I am, here we are in a world that is broken and in need. We are called to live out this faith without fear, living in the true identity given to us by God. We are His sons and daughters.
So here’s the truth, the meat of this blog if you will. Fear is a choice, and faith is the better choice. Fear will pop up in moments with divine potential because they are a threat to the enemy. So choose faith. Choose to believe that God is bigger than what you’re afraid of. He is merciful and full if grace, I know that for me this is a process… a challenging process. But I’m standing up, trusting that He has me and won’t leave me when I fail. My question (and challenge) to you is, what are you handing dominion over to? Is it faith or fear?
Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love. 1 John 4:18(NLT)
