There was a TV show made, newspaper headlines and Internet postings about heroes among us. I\u2019m not too intrigued by the superhero variety that generations of Americans like me have grown up with. You know, the notable list including: Superman, Batman, Spiderman, and the Fantastic Four, among others.<\/p>\n
What I find most inspirational are those everyday heroes who simply live their lives, trying to do the right thing at the right time. For example, most of us, can probably remember the infamous United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked by terrorists during the 9\/11 attack. The passengers on the aircraft fought back against their captors, sacrificing their lives to avert a possible national crisis. This story was immortalized in the last words of passenger, Todd Beamer, who said, \u201cAre you guys, ready? Let\u2019s roll.\u201d<\/p>\n
For awhile, \u201cLet\u2019s roll,\u201d became a sort of battle cry against evil in the emotional aftermath of this tragedy. In a spiritual sense, it\u2019s important to live our Christian faith embracing this motto, too. In explanation, \u201cLet\u2019s roll,\u201d can be interpreted, \u201cLet\u2019s fight back when circumstances deal us a crushing blow.\u201d Folks refer to this concept as spiritual warfare and site the passage from Ephesians 6:10-18 as a basis for the ardent battle against wicked forces that try to overcome us.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinally my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood. But against principalities, against powers, against the world\u2019s rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in high places.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what real spiritual heroes do. They remain \u201cstrong in the Lord,\u201d despite negative circumstances. They clothe themselves with the spiritual armor that the rest of these verses refer to: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the Gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God\u2019s Word. Then they pray that God\u2019s armor will protect them from all evil.<\/p>\n
Yet the Bible also tells us in the Book of Philippians 4:4 that we should, \u201cRejoice in the Lord always\u2026\u201d regardless of our situation. In explanation, let\u2019s look at another tale of heroism concerning the also famous airplane, U.S. Airways Flight 1549. The craft was manned by seasoned pilot, Chesley \u201cSully\u201d Sullenberger, who is sometimes referred to as the, \u201cHero of the Hudson.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sullenberger was able to crash land the craft in the Hudson Bay on Jan. 15, 2009, in such a skilled way that the lives of the more than 150 passengers aboard were spared. But I doubt the folks on the craft were \u201crejoicing\u201d very much on their frightening descent into the water. After all, the miraculous landing was the first time in 45 years, when everyone aboard a plane that crash-landed in a body of water survived. How could the passengers thank God for their circumstances, when they couldn\u2019t imagine that everything would turn out alright?<\/p>\n
For most of us, uncertain circumstances hinder us from praising God, and thanking Him for being in control. Fear of what could happen often overtakes us. We grow desperate, and sometimes even take matters into our own hands. We forget to \u201cwait upon\u201d and to \u201cbe strong in the Lord,\u201d while we are seeking His will and direction.<\/p>\n
Everyday spiritual heroes are all around us. They are simply folks who obey and trust God no matter what. It\u2019s up to us, if we want to be in God\u2019s Heroes Hall of Fame. No matter what you are going through Psalm 27:14 says, \u201cWait on the Lord, be of good courage and He will strengthen your heart\u2026\u201d While we wait, we can expectantly hope for the good God is about to do. Because in the end, whether on this Earth or in Heaven, God\u2019s children always win.<\/p>\n
Christina Ryan Claypool is an evangelistic\u00a0speaker and freelance journalist. Contact her through her Website at www.christinaryanclaypool.com<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n **********************************************************************<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There was a TV show made, newspaper headlines and Internet postings about heroes among us. I\u2019m not too intrigued by the superhero variety that generations of Americans like me have grown up with. You know, the notable list including: Superman, … Continue reading