Invincible Christian

Been thinking about what makes a Christian strong.

I think in large part it entails these things:

1)  Freedom from the fear of man.
2)  Living life with an, "open hand."  Meaning--Not going around demanding things from God.  Putting away a "rights" mentality.  If I get this job, great.  If I don't, who cares?  If this or that does or doesn't change, then what does it really matter?  Honestly, what does it really matter?  Everything is a gift, what do we have that we have not received?
What matters is that the living God shed blood for my redemption, what can man and mere circumstances do to me then?  What matters is that we are here to be thankful and joyful slaves of God..  Our food is to do His will, (Jn. 4:34) that's it.  We are here to give our lives up to Him and He, by our doing so, will give us the most enviable life that we could imagine.  This would be a life of truly fruitful death and resurrection.  All of this is a part of what I mean by living life with an open hand.  We have to stop striving with God for the right circumstances and for this and that to happen etc., This is not living life with an open heart and hand, it is clenching onto something more than Christ.  We make idols for ourselves out of all this worry.  When our treasure is with Christ "in the heavenly places," then we can lose everything and still be as rich as a king.

Jana and I just watched a streaming netflix movie called, Molokai:  The Story of Father Damien.  It was a beautiful movie about a Roman Catholic priest who decided to live -permanently- among the outcast lepers exiled to the island of Molokai, just off of Maui.  He fell ill with leprosy himself and died among them.  It was a very inspiring movie along the theme of the previous paragraph.

3)  Living to please God supremely.  Jesus lived to please the Father.  Because of this, it made Him invincible to the pressure and rejection of men.  Jesus was free from pride and the weakness that comes through selfish attempts to establish ourselves.  He was free from trying to make a name for himself.  He was above that.  What man is there who is above that?

John 5:30 "I can do nothing on My own initiative.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me."  Problems begin when we too eagerly seek our own will in judgment.

5:41 "I do not receive glory from men;"  (If Jesus did not receive glory from men, what makes us think we will?)

5:43,44 "I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him.  How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?"

Jesus was invincible because He was not weakened through pride and selfish aggrandizement.  When we are strengthened by the Spirit to be free from trying to control our lives, from prideful attempts to defend ourselves, and to establish our will and our name, we are strong.

This is what the world needs to see.  This is the kind of leader that churches need.

Oh God, help..