A lifetime ago I worked as a branch manager in a small country town bank. One evening just before leaving the branch, my area manager phoned to warn there was trouble coming: a banker had run afoul of some members of a particular motorcycle club, and they were expecting retaliation.
"All is well however," he said jovially, "we're sending a security guard to protect you."
I immediately felt better. But the next day I discovered that my confidence was somewhat misplaced.
It turned out the guard was a pimply-faced youth who fidgeted nervously and jumped a foot every time a motorcycle went past. Despite the tension the most trouble he had to face that morning was with an old lady who reprimanded him for sitting on the job, until that is, five minutes before closing when the roar of a V-Twin came suddenly upon us.
Moments later a dark figure loomed in the entrance, and our gaze drew unsteadily to the doors as they swung open to reveal that infamous motorcycle insignia bearing down upon us.
I felt an icy stab of fear and the young guard twitched and almost fell off his chair.
As he came into the light we saw an old man hobbling with the help of a gnarled walking stick. "Afternoon there chaps. If it’s no trouble, would ya' mind havin' a quick look at me account..."
***
I want to talk about the power of that insignia. This man obviously posed no real threat (and we were able to resolve his issue), but the insignia and patches on his jacket screamed something else. That's why motorcycle clubs have them. So that members can be identified as being part of something bigger. You don't just see the person, you see the club behind them. It protects them. Enlarges them. If you take one member on, you take the whole club on.
Knowing who you are gives you some confidence, perhaps, but knowing whose you are gives you true identity and power. A Spirit-filled believer with their identity firmly rooted in Christ bears the most powerful insignia in the world. If you've accepted Christ as your Saviour, then you've been granted a citizenship in heaven (Eph 2:19). You're a foreign national: in the world, but not of the world. You're a child of God. You are untouchable, spiritually, by the inferior forces of this world.
It doesn't matter who you are in this world, where you've come from, or what you've done—God says this of you, "this is my beloved child, in whom I am well pleased." (Matt 3:17) If you have accepted Christ, God sees Christ when he looks at you. Jesus' perfect track record has been transferred to your record: you stand flawless before God. God says, "though your sins may be scarlet, you shall be white as snow" (Isa 1:18). In Christ you have been brought to fullness (Col 2:9-10). God doesn't see your shortcomings, he sees his own perfect glory. It's about time you started seeing it too.
God has invested heavily in you, you were bought at a price and he will fight for you (1 Cor 6:20). Defeat is not in his vocabulary. He says, "I WILL be exalted among the nations; I WILL be glorified in all the earth.
So if you're feeling outnumbered, outmanoeuvred, or oppressed—remind yourself whose you are.
Bear your insignia with confidence, knowing that:
You are not alone... you are clothed in Christ (Galatians 3:27)
You are not weak... in God you are strong (2 Cor 12:10)
You are not unworthy... God says you are forgiven (Isa 1:18)
You are not defective... God made you purposefully, flaws and all (Psalm 139:13)
You are not a loser... you are more than a conquerer (Romans 8:37)
You are not powerless... the same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in you (Eph 1:18-19)
AND...
You can do all things through him who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13)
You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)
You are a child of God, created after his likeness (John 1:12)
IF GOD IS FOR YOU, WHO CAN BE AGAINST YOU? (Rom 8:31)
Recall Post 1: You've faced the storm, relaxed your grip, & focused on Christ. Now remind yourself whose you are, and ask the question—is this storm big enough for a blood-washed holy and righteous son or daughter of the Living God?
#CLAIMIT #FAITHOVERFEAR
