He Calls For The Valiant

Just as the Apostle Paul, John the Baptist, and all the other faithful saints of the faith that came before you, you will have to endure many strenuous trials, tests, and hardships before you enter the Kingdom of Heaven. God is again calling for the valiant to follow Him, to send His message of salvation to the masses.

It is not those who are weak that endure, but the strong. It is not those who are frightened that march forward, but the bold and faithful. It is not the coward who charges headlong into battle but the brave and steadfast. As Jesus mentioned, the violent take heaven by force and have been since the beginning. Will you?

Those who give it all to the Lord lay down their lives for the call. Those who walk in the power of the Holy Spirit become victorious. He is powerful, valiant, and fearless, and He will make you just like the saints of old if you give Him everything. Though you suffer violence, through your bravery in the Lord, you will overcome and take ground for Him by force.

Truly, I say to you, among those born of women, there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Matthew 11:11-15

Paul was nearly stoned to death and beaten with rods three times. Yet the Lord saved his life repeatedly until he reached old age and fulfilled the mission He gave him. Paul boldly preached the Gospel and taught the Lord’s servants without fail. He was not afraid of the mistreatment he met at wicked men’s hands. Because he knew the more significant reward was in store for him, and it was all for the sake of Christ and His call.

But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day, he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.

When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. Acts 14:19-22

Suffering, enduring, and struggling are marks of a true believer. They come in many forms. You must travel the road God lays before you to cross the finish line at the end of the race. A runner in a race can only be successful if he endures until the end. If he takes a shortcut, he is found to be a cheater and loses all credibility. To endure in this life takes true grit in the face of the devil’s last-ditch effort to destroy as many lives as he can in these last days.

That is why God looks for rough and tough people in these last days. Those who are not afraid to step out into the unknown, into the fray of real and spiritual battle. Willing to take extreme measures for the Lord Jesus Christ and do whatever He asks. Those who consider their lives worth losing for the sake of Christ.

So endure to the end. Run the race that God has set before you with boldness, a stout heart, and a clear focus on Christ and His Holy Spirit. Be a valiant warrior for the Lord. He will lead the way. He will go before you to conquer, blaze a trail, and prepare everything you need. He will hold you fast and never let you down until you come to your race’s end. The honor for His faithful servants will be beyond compare, and He will praise you for being His faithful and valiant servant.

And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath because he knows that his time is short! Revelation 12:11-12

Only hold fast what you have until I come. The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ Revelation 2:25-28