“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
— 1 Peter 2:9
“The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him.
— D.L. Moody
THE WEAPON IN YOUR HAND
This past week I was asked to speak to the high school football team from my hometown before their state game. It’s become a bit of a tradition, but one I never take for granted. I spoke to them about three things I’m working on this next year to become a better man, for my family, my community, and for the Kingdom.
But as I wrote out the main point I wanted to deliver, a new idea began to take shape in my mind. It revolved around conceptualizing our lives as a weapon wielded by the Lord.
Your life is the weapon God has chosen to use to shape the world and bring His people home. How you spend your time, your energy, and your gifts, determines how sharp or dull that weapon is.
God could have chosen anything to carry out His mission.
He could have written salvation in the sky. He could have raised the rocks to cry out. He could have moved hearts with a whisper of wind or thunder from heaven.
But He didn’t.
He chose you.
BECOMING A WEAPON
God has a long history of doing impossible things through unlikely people.
A stuttering Moses. A fearful Gideon. A teenage shepherd named David. A fisherman named Peter. A persecutor named Paul.
Ordinary people who, when yielded to the hand of God, were used as instruments of redemption.
And now in this day and age…
You’re the plan. We are his grand plan.
God’s strategy to push back darkness in this generation is His people. Spirit-empowered, blood-bought sons and daughters walking in courage, truth, humility, and love.
So here’s the question that’s been heavy in my chest:
If your life is the weapon He has chosen, what kind of weapon are you becoming?
Are you sharp? Ready? Steady in hand?
Or has your edge dulled?
Dull from distraction. Dull from comfort. Dull from worry. Dull from sin. Dull from compromise.
As we’ve spoken about many times in this newsletter…the enemy doesn’t need to destroy what he can simply distract. He doesn’t have to defeat you. He just needs you dulled, disengaged, and on the sidelines of life justifying your apathy through any means necessary.
THE HIGH STAKES OF A HOLY LIFE
1 Peter 2:9 doesn’t just say you’re chosen…It tells you why you were chosen:
“That you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
Not so you could coast. Not so you could blend in.
But so that your life would declare something.
That your time would point to eternity. That your life would make God’s love visible. That your courage would shake others awake. That your purity would pierce a world drowning in lust. That your integrity would stand when others fold. That your faith would ripple into the generations behind you.
You aren’t just living a life. You are shaping the world.
Your parenting, your work ethic, your silence, your speech, it all proclaims something. The question is, what story is it telling?
DON'T LET THE EDGE DULL
It’s easy to lose your edge. It happens slowly. You don’t realize the blade has dulled until your strength is gone and you’re wondering where you drifted. Candidly, I’ve found myself here multiple times in the last few years. The heaviness of life, busyness of young kids, and exhaustion of trying to keep all of the balls up in the air has a way of breeding apathy towards the most important things.
In these moments I’ve found that I must realign my purpose with what God has for me. Purpose isn’t found in drift of life… it’s found in devotion. It lives at the edge of your life, the place where you are most surrendered, most available, and most dependent on God’s Spirit.
So sharpen your blade.
Return to the Word. Seek the face of the Father. Cut ties with the sin that’s been making you dull. Step into your assignment even if it’s uncomfortable. Speak up when it would be easier to stay silent. Build when it would be easier to watch. Go first. Apologize first. Forgive first. Repent first. Lead first.
Don’t wait for the world to get darker before you decide to shine.
A FINAL CHARGE
Friend, you are not an accident.
You are not too late. You are not too far gone. You are not waiting for your moment.
You have been placed right here, right now, for a purpose. You are God’s man or woman for your family. For your neighborhood. For your workplace, for your kids, for your team, for your crew.
God did not put a spirit of fear in you. He put His Spirit in you.
You don’t need permission to step into your calling. You already have it.
Your life is God’s weapon in the world. So Sharpen it. So Steady it. Wield it well.
The King is coming.
Let Him find you faithful friend.
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