Craig Clouston

 Created to Be Dangerous

May 1

The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name.

Exodus 15:3

During his personal morning worship, Jacob began praising Jesus for the work of the cross, thanking Him for the suffering he endured on his behalf and for subjecting Himself to the scorn of those who would kill Him.

At one point, Jacob’s thoughts turned to what felt like blasphemy; he actually had a vision of himself trading places with Jesus on the cross, not dying for the sin of the world, but wanting to relieve Christ of His burden. He felt a momentary sense of shame for even entertaining the possibility that he could take Jesus’ place.

Yet, in that moment, the Spirit of God whispered, “Do not be ashamed of such thoughts. I created you to do great and mighty things. I placed in you the desire to rise to the occasion, to save the day, to be someone’s hero; I created you to be dangerous. You have been made in My image. Am I not a warrior? Do we not have a foe that comes to steal, kill, and destroy? You also are a warrior created for battle! I expect you to have such thoughts. The work of the cross is not for the weak and frightened. You must be dangerous; a formidable opponent.”

†

Ladies, your husbands, sons, fathers, and brothers were created to be dangerous. And for good reason; this world we live in is not safe.

C.S. Lewis said of Aslan (a character representing Christ) in the Chronicles of Narnia, “He is not a Safe Lion, but he is good.”

Men, we were created to be dangerous, to stand against the injustice in this world and the one just outside our vision. If we are to care for those who cannot care for themselves, those who were not created to stand against the enemy in the heat of battle, then we must be dangerous! We must take our place on the watchman’s wall (Ezekiel 33:7–9), not as bullies, but as protectors, warriors who would stand between those we hold dear and the enemies of heaven.

Prayer

“Lord Almighty, teach me to stand against an enemy who wants me dead and powerless. Help me stand as Your image bearer. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”