Of Men & Devils

"Cowards never won heaven. Say not that thou hast royal blood running in thy veins, and art begotten of God,

except thou canst prove thy pedigree by this heroic spirit,

to dare to be holy despite men and devils."

-William Gurnall

In the American church we have various anti-biblical dares:

We have the prosperity dare- Just give some money and declare with your mouth and you've dared to challenge God, now He must give you riches regardless of His sovereign will.

We have the purpose dare- If you just live for a specific purpose with all that you have (regardless of whether or not it glorifies God or fulfills His will for your life) then you will be happy and blessed.

We have the theology dares- If you believe these 5 points, these 16 statements, these 19 convictions then you will be saved. Oh yeah, you may want to repeat the magical prayer as well just to be sure.

YET, the lofty thinkers of old had a different ideology of what it meant to take a bold dare. That dare was something that only a true follower of Christ could take- a dare to be holy despite men and devils.

Men represent society as a whole. Our perverse cultures throughout the generations and the most perverse of all in this day and age. To be bold enough to stand against the flow of the stream and stand out as an outcast, to push forward against the ebb and flow and to be hated because of your bull-headed determination.

Devils represent the internal and external forces of hell which cause us to fall. This can be the flesh which battles daily against the Spirit of God within true believers, or it can be the actual demonic forces which tempt, attack and devour us on a regular basis.

The call here by Gurnall is simple- dare to be a light in the darkness, a contrast to all that surrounds you. He says that "it requires another spirit than the world can give or receive to follow Christ fully." In other words, without the help of our God we CANNOT fulfill this dare to be holy. Even with His help we must wake up each day determined to do battle and lay our head down on our pillow only after violently grabbing hold of the kingdom of God (SEE: Matthew 11:12)

I would be a fool to say that a man or woman of God will never fall, even the best warriors will lose a battle or two- but they will stay resolute in their fighting until the greater war has been won! Anyone can fall into the mud, the question is how we react to our fall. Do we stay and wallow in the mud or jump back to our feet so that the Lord may cleanse us once again? Anyone can fall into the mud, but ONLY A PIG WILL STAY THERE TO PLAY.

William Gurnall also said "How uncomely a sight is it to see, a bold sinner and a fearful saint, one resolved to be wicked and a Christian wavering in his holy course." We are to have a BOLD HOLINESS about us in our actions, our beliefs, and our lifestyle. I've said this on various occasions and I'll say it again now...As Christians we should be the best neighbors, the best family, the best tippers, the best employees and it needs to be done for GOD'S GLORY not our own!

The call from Jesus is simple- be ye holy, for I am holy! Without holiness no man shall see the kingdom of God. In the midst of our sin-filled world, the sinful forces of hell, and our sinful inner-man we can still take a stand and boldly and PUBLICLY decree that though we stumble or fall we will keep our eyes fixed on the prize. Yesterday no longer matters and a fall ceases to be a fall once you've stood back up. It doesn't mean that the cuts, bruises and scars cease to exist- it simply means that EACH NEW DAY is filled with NEW MERCIES and NEW OPPORTUNITIES to live for Jesus Christ!

We will battle both men and devils and march on each day as we strive towards the finish line of this life and the beginning of eternity!