"Are You a Misfit?"
You are the light of the world—
like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.
No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket.
Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand,
where it gives light to everyone.
Matthew 5:14
It was January and a crowd of mostly Christian children and teenagers had gathered for a Bible camp at the Station Field Complex of Pattimura University on the island of Ambon, Indonesia. When the camp was over, cars came to take the laughing, rejoicing children back to their homes. But there were not enough cars to hold the young people. Mecky Sainyakit and three other Christian men had gone to Wakal village to try to rent additional transportation to take the rest home. But they had not yet come back. What the children waiting for rides home didn’t know was that on their way to the village, the men were attacked by a mob, who pulled them from their car and out onto the road. Mecky and one of the other men were stabbed to death, and later their bodies were burned by the mob. The two other men escaped with their lives.
Before long, the mob reached the University. They found many of the teens and forced them to come out of hiding. Roy Pontoh, a 15 year old, was forced from his hiding place and made to stand before the mob. “Renounce your Jesus, or we will kill you!” they threatened. Roy was terribly frightened. Though trembling, he answered, “I am a soldier of Christ!” At this, one of the attackers swung a sword at his stomach. The sword hit the Bible Roy held, and ripped into it, knocking it out of his hand. The man’s next swing sliced open Roy’s stomach. His last word was “Jesus.” The mob dragged Roy’s body out and threw it in a ditch. Four days later, his family found it. Even though they are wracked with grief, Roy’s parents stand proud of their son, who stood strong in his faith to the end. Roy was a Misfit.
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The will of God won't lead you to where
the Grace of God won't empower you.
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The will of God won't lead you to where
the Grace of God won't empower you.
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Misfits are Christ Followers who know God believes in them and has a wonderful plan for their lives. They have an awareness they were born to stand out, not to fit in. They rely on God to do the supernatural as they do the practical. In other words, they trust like it all depends on God and courageously act like it all depends on them. Misfits keep this balance. By doing this, they don’t fall victim to expecting the Lord to do it all for them or for them to accomplish anything in their own strength. They fulfill their divine assignments for the honor of the One they represent and for the reputation of God's Kingdom. They love the unloveable and their faith works through love. Misfits reject a mediocre lifestyle by going the extra mile in fulfilling God’s goals. They peacefully and lovingly impact individuals and nations with God's love and biblical principles. They are proactive in making their voices heard. They reject a life of ease, comfort, and convenience. They are determined to not be boxed in by a religious mindset, but to be led by the freedom found in the Holy Spirit. They don't compromise. Their life is highlighted by Holy Spirit empowered actions motivated by love for God and others. They advance the message of reconciliation between God and man by being peacemakers. They've surrendered their lives to God's kingdom principles of, "Not my way, but God’s way. Not my will, but God’s will. Not my path, but God’s path. Not my words, but God’s words. Not my purposes, but God’s purposes. Not my outcomes, but God’s outcomes."
The Apostle Paul was a Misfit who wrote in Galatians 1:10, "I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant." After Paul's conversion on the Damascus Road, he didn’t compromise on his convictions when persecuted. His radical lifestyle was evident 24 hours a day seven days a week, year after year. Paul's life continues to shine as a role model two thousand years after his death. Brennan Manning in his book The Ragamuffin Gospel offers this definition of a misfit, "The kingdom of God belongs to a people who aren't trying to look good or impress anybody even themselves. They are not plotting how they can call attention to themselves, worrying about how their actions will be interpreted or wondering if they will get gold stars for their behavior." Brennan also writes, "we have twisted the gospel of grace into religious bondage and distorted the image of God into an eternal, small-minded bookkeeper."
There are many attempts to discourage Misfits from fulfilling their divine assignments. Evil wants them to think they don't have any real power in this life. The ultimate goal is for them to give up and quit. To get to a point where they don’t care and become numb. This is one of the reasons every Misfit needs to be consistent to hold onto and live by scriptural truths. The closer they get to God, the hotter the spiritual battle becomes. Misfits have chosen to not fade out as life comes to an end, but to take their last breath filled with the Holy Spirit's fire as they live out the three A's of Action.
1. What are the three A's?
The Apostle Paul was a Misfit who wrote in Galatians 1:10, "I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant." After Paul's conversion on the Damascus Road, he didn’t compromise on his convictions when persecuted. His radical lifestyle was evident 24 hours a day seven days a week, year after year. Paul's life continues to shine as a role model two thousand years after his death. Brennan Manning in his book The Ragamuffin Gospel offers this definition of a misfit, "The kingdom of God belongs to a people who aren't trying to look good or impress anybody even themselves. They are not plotting how they can call attention to themselves, worrying about how their actions will be interpreted or wondering if they will get gold stars for their behavior." Brennan also writes, "we have twisted the gospel of grace into religious bondage and distorted the image of God into an eternal, small-minded bookkeeper."
There are many attempts to discourage Misfits from fulfilling their divine assignments. Evil wants them to think they don't have any real power in this life. The ultimate goal is for them to give up and quit. To get to a point where they don’t care and become numb. This is one of the reasons every Misfit needs to be consistent to hold onto and live by scriptural truths. The closer they get to God, the hotter the spiritual battle becomes. Misfits have chosen to not fade out as life comes to an end, but to take their last breath filled with the Holy Spirit's fire as they live out the three A's of Action.
1. What are the three A's? The three A’s of action are the building blocks to living a Misfit lifestyle. These are found in James 1:22-25, "Humbly accept the message God has planted in your hearts, for it is strong enough to save your souls. And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to.(Accurate Information) If you don't obey, you are only fooling yourself. For if you just listen and don't obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you keep looking steadily into God's perfect law (Awareness)--the law that sets you free--and if you do what it says (Abundant Participation), and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it."
A-ccurate information: "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true... It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right." (2 Timothy 3:16) "People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every Word of God." (Matthew 4:4) A story is told in Armenia, where a whole village of sixty families embraced Islam under threats of torture and death. There was only one exception - a woman aged 93 years, who refused, saying, “I am too old to deny my Lord.” The fierce men snatched her Bible from her hands, tore it up, and burned it. She said very calmly, “You can do that, but you cannot tear the promises out of my heart.”
A-wareness of your responsibility: Through the study of scripture, our eyes are opened to our God appointed involvement and the keys we need to effectively impact the world around us. It is our responsibility to appropriate the authority and power God places within our hands in the form of these keys. Jesus said in Matthew 16:19, "I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you lock on earth will be locked in heaven, and whatever you open on earth will be opened in heaven."
A-bundant participation: Going into action by faith with the truth we possess. A good example of this is Jesus’ parable about a solid foundation in Matthew 7:24-27, "Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse, because it is built on rock. But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will fall with a mighty crash." Faith is the currency of God’s kingdom on earth. It’s designed to be spent, not hoarded. The more of faith that is spent the more of faith we have. Faith accesses God’s grace and grace is God’s divine favor on a life. The only thing that stops faith is fear.
2. How does fear operate?
Fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. Some of our fears were established when we were children. As children, we were powerless over our environment, but we did have control over what we would believe. God created our brains to enable us to survive the unsurvivable. Fear produces a lack of trust in God's ability to work in and through our lives successfully. Fear causes our thoughts and emotions to become unsettled by surrounding circumstances. We are then set up to make decisions that are contrary to our best interests and the interests of others. These fears are our weak areas. Becoming fearless is a process. It requires facing what we fear today in order to be fearless in the future.
A good exercise in identifying established fear patterns and replacing them is to make a list of them. Then decide if these fears are required beliefs for your current protection or simply outdated beliefs that were created for your survival during a time when your options were limited. Now, create love based beliefs that will replace the fear you've identified and no longer want in your life. Then release these fear based beliefs to God and replace them with beliefs based on love. "God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7) Don't allow fear to stop you from doing God's will. Be bold.
3. What are the characteristics of spiritual boldness?
2. How does fear operate? Fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. Some of our fears were established when we were children. As children, we were powerless over our environment, but we did have control over what we would believe. God created our brains to enable us to survive the unsurvivable. Fear produces a lack of trust in God's ability to work in and through our lives successfully. Fear causes our thoughts and emotions to become unsettled by surrounding circumstances. We are then set up to make decisions that are contrary to our best interests and the interests of others. These fears are our weak areas. Becoming fearless is a process. It requires facing what we fear today in order to be fearless in the future.
A good exercise in identifying established fear patterns and replacing them is to make a list of them. Then decide if these fears are required beliefs for your current protection or simply outdated beliefs that were created for your survival during a time when your options were limited. Now, create love based beliefs that will replace the fear you've identified and no longer want in your life. Then release these fear based beliefs to God and replace them with beliefs based on love. "God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7) Don't allow fear to stop you from doing God's will. Be bold.
3. What are the characteristics of spiritual boldness? Spiritual boldness is comprised of these three elements:
Courage: to encounter difficulties with firmness.
Meekness: to possess inner power without distraction.
Confidence: to put faith into action.
These attributes not only belong to spiritual survivors they are also found in successful marathon runners. For example, the runners in the New York marathon. Runners travel from all over the world to participate with thousands of others in a valiant attempt to cross the finish line. The race is a grueling 26 miles long. Throughout the course of the race, many runners fall by the wayside as they collapse from exhaustion, injuries, dehydration, and heat stroke. These incidences, in most cases, could have been avoided if the runners had trained properly before the race by becoming familiar with the demands of the course and prepared a plan of action in adjusting for the unscheduled mishaps of other runners. When runners are racing shoulder to shoulder, it doesn't take much for a runner to fall down. Through no fault of their own a runner could find himself falling along with another contestant. A balanced lifestyle maintains a straight course. It involves:
Spirit Realm:
Spirit Realm:
1. Prayer.
2. Praise and worship.
3. Fellowship with other Christians.
Soul Realm:
Soul Realm:
1. Daily study God's Word.
2. Loving actions towards others.
3. Obedience to God's commands.
Physical Realm:
Physical Realm:
1. Healthy diet.
2. Regular exercise.
3. Laugh often.
4. What are spiritual marathon winning strategies?
Live for God by making his kingdom interests and principles a priority. Matthew 6:31-33, "Don't worry about having enough food or drink or clothing. Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern."
3. Laugh often.
4. What are spiritual marathon winning strategies?Live for God by making his kingdom interests and principles a priority. Matthew 6:31-33, "Don't worry about having enough food or drink or clothing. Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern."
Be alert, uncompromising, brave, and loving towards others. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, "Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong. And everything you do must be done with love."
Give all worries and cares to God. 1 Peter 5:6-7, "Humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you."
Do everything in humility. Matthew 23:12, "Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."
Keep your focus on Jesus. James 1:3-4, "When your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything." Perseverance involves pushing through any obstacle on our paths. Obstacles can be as big as a mountain or something very small that weighs us down making the race harder than God designed it to be. When this happens remember this: God has not called you to be mountain climber, but a mountain mover. Use the authority Jesus gave you and command it to leave. Then be patient for your mountain to move. It may take time, but be persistent as you wait and remain steady in your faith. Eventually, the obstacle blocking your path will vanish.
Hebrews 12:1-2 encourages us in our race, "Since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God's throne in heaven." One of the most important things to remember in running your marathon is not how you start your race, but that you finish it well. Finishing well involves knowing and implementing winning strategies for Spiritual Warfare.
Read the next chapter: Spiritual Warfare or choose a title below.
Knowing God Power of Prayer Spiritual Warfare Glossary
Born to Love Renew the Mind Crisis Help What Readers Are Saying
Divine Connection Are You a Misfit? Love in Action ____________________________________________________________________________
Scriptures quotations taken from the New Living Translation® (NLT) Bible. Copyright © 1996 Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.
CJB denotes scripture quotations taken from the Complete Jewish Bible® (CJB) Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern and used with the permission of Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 615, Clarksville, Maryland 21029. This Bible is available through Messianic Jewish Resources at: MessianicJewish.net
The Roy Pontoh story used with permission. Excerpt from the book "Jesus Freaks" by "The Voice of the Martyrs" at persecution.com
Keep your focus on Jesus. James 1:3-4, "When your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything." Perseverance involves pushing through any obstacle on our paths. Obstacles can be as big as a mountain or something very small that weighs us down making the race harder than God designed it to be. When this happens remember this: God has not called you to be mountain climber, but a mountain mover. Use the authority Jesus gave you and command it to leave. Then be patient for your mountain to move. It may take time, but be persistent as you wait and remain steady in your faith. Eventually, the obstacle blocking your path will vanish.
Hebrews 12:1-2 encourages us in our race, "Since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God's throne in heaven." One of the most important things to remember in running your marathon is not how you start your race, but that you finish it well. Finishing well involves knowing and implementing winning strategies for Spiritual Warfare.
Read the next chapter: Spiritual Warfare or choose a title below.
Knowing God Power of Prayer Spiritual Warfare Glossary
Born to Love Renew the Mind Crisis Help What Readers Are Saying
Divine Connection Are You a Misfit? Love in Action ____________________________________________________________________________
Scriptures quotations taken from the New Living Translation® (NLT) Bible. Copyright © 1996 Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.
CJB denotes scripture quotations taken from the Complete Jewish Bible® (CJB) Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern and used with the permission of Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 615, Clarksville, Maryland 21029. This Bible is available through Messianic Jewish Resources at: MessianicJewish.net
The Roy Pontoh story used with permission. Excerpt from the book "Jesus Freaks" by "The Voice of the Martyrs" at persecution.com