Heroes Part 2

The Mountain Audio

Our Verse: 2 Chron 16:9 paraphrased! “God is searching everywhere for strong hearts to use!”
In our new series, we learned a hero is a person, facing immense challenge, who suffers and even risks death to accomplish the task, the goal, no matter how difficult.
Ever wanted to do something great? Watched Captain America or the Black Panther do amazing things and wished you could too? Maybe it was a warrior or a spy, you thought, “I could do that!”
If you thought that, this series is for you.
In every human that includes you...there is a seed of greatness.This began when man was placed on the earth at the very beginning. God, our Creator said, “Let Us make man in Our image.”
“In Our image” means you are created in the pattern of God, made like Him. Though human, with all the natural weaknesses of homo sapiens, our spiritual, psychic structure is like God's.
Ever wonder how man does those amazing things? Gigantic ships, voyages into space, landing on the moon, conquering worldwide diseases? It's simple... we are small “c” creators acting like the Big “C” Creator in our human realm.
These God given abilities can be wonderful, beneficial or... they can be terrible and destructive. History is full of violence, misery and death. Human creativity misused makes madmen.
So the power of a hero must be used, directed toward good, for those things that benefit people now and in the future. One definition of this is “human flourishing”, things that make life better in many ways. Causing human flourishing is heroic!
Catch the last series, “You 3.0” (link included) for great examples of this flourishing work through heroic people.
As we prepare to do heroic work, let's consider the challenges-
First, heroes may not be recognized. Many heroes do great things and are never seen by the public or the media. We call these “unsung heroes.” No one writes a song about their life. If you want to be heroic, be prepared for this.
Second, heroes Make Big Targets- Many resent bravery. You'll be criticized, rejected, maybe shot at. People are often jealous of those who do great things.
Nearly every hero throughout history has faced these struggles. In nearly every case, there was a time of humbling and great difficulty before the heroic challenge arrives. We call this the “Dark Night of the Soul”. Early difficulties prepare the hero to persevere when facing huge challenges. Moses led over 600,000 people for 40 years. He required 40 years of training before he could lead. If you can't handle stress in the low position, it is unlikely you will stand strong when the terrible winds of opposition hit.
Growing safely through that “Dark Night” is part 3 of our Heroes Series ...just ahead!