Fearless!

This past week I had the privilege of attending Passion Conference 2012 in Atlanta. It was an amazing conference that brought in speakers like Louie Giglio, Beth Moore, Francis Chan and John Piper as well as bands like Chris Tomlin, David Crowder Band, Hillsong, Matt Redman and others. I'll be posting more about it later, but I wanted to share a little of what I learned this past week. 

In the closing session yesterday Louie Giglio spoke and he talked about Ephesians 6:19-20 which says, "¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should." He said that this should be our prayer above all else, at the top of our prayer list this is the most important thing. Whenever someone asks, "what can I pray for you for?" we should tell them "Ephesians 6:19 & 20". 

Several times this past week I listened to the speakers preaching from the Word and listened to guests talk about the cause of freedom that Passion was raising money for this year. Every time, the teaching or the stories would make me want to do something and make me want to get up and start winning people for Christ but the whole week I kind of felt like I was floundering with how to do it and where to start. I felt like I had a desire and a dream to live a significant life, to make a difference, but I had no idea where to begin. Louie, in his teaching yesterday, presented us with a very simple concept that I've heard before, but for some reason it really resonated with me this time. He specifically brought up the question of where to start and what to do and his answer to that was this: "Can we just bury that [question] right here and now? So that you don't have to keep going 'I don't know what to do...I don't know what God's will is for me. I don't know, I just don't know what to do'. Come on. What you are supposed to do is move up to the top of your prayer list [Ephesians 6:19-20]." He went on to say that that verse is God's will for our lives, and His will for us is to do that wherever He places us. If we're bankers or doctors or Nascar drivers or entrepreneurs that in whatever we do we fearlessly proclaim the Gospel. 

The other point he made in that was that we are called to be fearless. To let go of all of our fears about what people will think of us or what they might say about us or what someone might do to us and to let go of all of that and leave only one fear remaining: the fear of living an insignificant life. This hit me right where I was at yesterday. I don't have to wonder where to start or what to do; I am called to fearlessly proclaim the Gospel right where I'm at. I have to let go of my fears of other people and what they might think and be ready to fearlessly proclaim God's love through my words and through the way I live my life. I know it's going to be hard; just talking to people I don't know is hard for me. But now for the first time in a long time I feel like I have a direction and I know what I'm supposed to be doing and I know how to do it: fearlessly proclaim the Gospel by caring about the other people not about what they think about me. 

So my New Year's Resolution? Be FEARLESS!!!

These are the lyrics to one of the songs we sang this week that I think really fits with this. 

The flame is getting stronger

The song is playin louder

We can't hide this love away

There's nothing to fear now

Send us in your power

Jesus take us all the way

From the rooftops sing:

I'm not ashamed of the one who saved my soul

I'm not ashamed of the one who saved my soul my soul

This fire inside of me 

Is burning for your name

I'm not ashamed hey hey

I'm not ashamed hey hey

(Here's a link to a youtube video of the song if you want to listen to it: Passion 2012)

So, if you want to know how you can be praying for me.....Ephesians 6:19-20!