Sermon Transcript — June 9, 2007
Captain David Roselle was assigned to Heat, Iraq in the U.S. Army in February of 2003. He led a Calvary company whose sole responsibility was to root out insurgents in the area he was assigned to. He was considered the de facto sheriff for that particular area and as such his enemies were many. In fact, insurgents had placed a price on his head, $1,000 to the person who could kill Captain David Roselle. Those forces would stalk him; they would everything possible to disrupt his mission, that mission to root out insurgents. On a hot summer day in June 2003 they thought they had succeeded in doing just that, you see they had placed nine land mines in a road in a territory that he and his unit were to patrol. The ninth mine was the one that he and four other members of his unit ran over in their Humvee.
He recalls that fateful moment in detail in his book entitled Back in Action; An American Soldier's Story of Courage, Faith and Fortitude. He says the following: "It was only about five miles from our forward operating base, FOB to the town of Heat. Just before we reached the roundabout at the north end of the city, I told my driver to turn left down a dirt road we often used for observation by tanks at night. I intended to avoid the roundabout in order to avoid detection from any spies at the first intersection. The dirt road took us from one paved road to another and was only about 200 meters in length. Just as we reached the far side, I noticed that the gradual terrace that normally allowed easy access to the road was now steeper and recently graded. Looking over the edge, I decided that the vehicles could handle the drop and we started to ease over the ledge. As we began to roll again, everything exploded, my right front tire, just under my feet detonated an anti-tank mine, the mine violently lifted the Humvee off the ground and set it back on the three remaining of the four wheels. The blast was so powerful that most of it went up and away from the front tire, launching a door and a tire 100 meters away. Blinded by smoke and dust, I wasn't sure exactly what had just happened but I knew we were either under attack by RPG's or artillery or had struck a mine and that I was injured. I looked down and saw blood on my arms and through my glasses I could see that my bullet proof vest seemed to have absorbed a lot of shrapnel. Everything was quiet, I could not speak, I was in terrible pain, I heard noises coming from my driver, screams of pain and fear, I was more confused than afraid. Finally I got my voice and asked, 'Is everyone OK?' My driver responded with more screams and my translator simply gave me a crazy look. We needed to get out of the Humvee. I began to pull at my left leg but I couldn't get it free, my left leg was trapped under the firewall and heater, the right front portion of the vehicles frame was now on the ground. So I set my right foot out onto the sand to get some footing in order to pull myself and my left leg free but I couldn't get any footing. I thought, 'I'm hurt, I have to get out of here, why aren't they shooting at me? We're trapped in a stationery vehicle; they've got me, that hurts, move David, move now.' It felt as if I was setting my right foot into soft mud or a sponge. I looked down to see blood and bones squeezing out of the side of my right foot. I gave one big push and turned to dive into the arms of two brave men who ran selflessly into the mine field to save me. My good friend and fiercest warrior, Sergeant First Class John McNichols grabbed me and said, 'Don't worry Sir, I've got you.'
All I could do is look at the ground; I tried to use my feet but neither one would bear my weight. I could hear First Sergeant Coble sighing under the burden of my weight. I looked into his eyes and said, 'I can't walk.' Turning now to face Sergeant First Class McNichols, I said, 'My feet are messed up.' Sergeant First Class McNichols smiled at me and said, 'It's just a walk in the park Sir.' That was the last time I ever used my right foot.
He goes on to recount the story – as he was being transported to the FOB, the Forward Operating Base hospital and "as he was being transported one thought kept running through his mind. 'I've given enough.' After he got to the hospital he was visited immediately by the commanding officer for that region. The commanding officer's words were a blur, all that went through his mind was, 'I've given enough.' After several hours a call was patched through to his wife and he reiterated those same words that had been running through his mind, 'I've given enough.'"
I'd like to ask a question of us this afternoon. Have we ever asked that question of ourselves or made that statement, "I've given enough." Have we ever felt like we sacrificed enough? Have we ever felt that the trials and the life that we have been given is just too much to bear? Do we feel that we've given enough? Turn over to Matthew 24:13, let's take a look at a scripture as we set the stage for what we'd like to talk about this afternoon. It's a very familiar passage of scripture, a very simple statement by Jesus Christ.
Matt. 24:13 – "But he who endures to the end shall be saved."
As I said before, if you've grown up in the church like I have, for many of you that have been in the church for many many years, it is a passage of scripture that you've read over and over again. But I'd like to ask the question, what about that word "endure" – what comes to mind when you think of that word "endure?" Does it bring to mind a negative reaction or does it bring to mind a positive reaction? We can use the term "endure" or that word "endure" and depending upon where we stand sometimes, it can be a positive or it can be a negative. What do I mean by that? Well for example, a negative reaction to "endure" is perhaps at times in the past in school, you've had to endure a bad teacher, everybody's had one of those, I've sure had my share over the period of time that I was in school. How about if you are a guy or a gal and you've had to endure a bad date? My wife had to endure that the first time we dated, thankfully it got better. That's what she's saying! We probably all have had to endure a bad supervisor or a bad boss. The word "endure" has a negative connotation when you think about those particular things. But what about a positive framework of the word "endure?" What about a family heirloom, something that has been handed down through time, something that has endured the test of time? That's a very positive standpoint of something that endures. What about a friendship that perhaps you have made with somebody over the years and you reconnect in person, perhaps at a Feast, perhaps at some other location? A friendship that you've had for 10, 20, 30, 40 maybe even 50 years, a friendship that has endured the test of time.
You know endure can be a very negative thing from some things we've looked at, but it can also be a very positive thing and certainly something very positive when we look at the life of a Christian and something that we have dedicated our lives to is to walk as the example of Jesus Christ. There is no question that part of a Christian's requirement for continued existence is to endure. We find that in the very words of Jesus Christ. But sometimes that endurance is brought to the forefront more often than not when we face the trials and the difficulties and what we call the dark storm clouds of life; they all roll in from time to time. Endure, by definition, is to hold out against, to bear with patience or to tolerate. The Greek rendering of the word endure means to persevere and abide but there is yet another rendering of that word in the Greek that I found most interesting, it's actually the title for the sermon this afternoon.
The word is "fortitude." Fortitude in the American Heritage Dictionary by definition is defined as such: "It is the strength of mind that allows one to endure pain or adversity with courage." Our responsibility as Christians in this life is to have fortitude. This afternoon what I'd like to take a look at is fortitude and specifically from the standpoint that fortitude is a key component for enduring. If you like titles, the title is "The Fortitude of a Christian."
Now we can begin to ask the question when we talk about endurance and when we talk about fortitude – is it a physical quality or is it rather a mental quality that we must have? In bearing through fortitude it would seem to tell us we need to have the ability to endure through a strong strength of mind. They talk about athletes who have mental toughness. Tiger Woods is a golfer, many of you know the name, if you have never followed the game of golf, you would be very familiar with that name. He is considered to have some of the most profound mental toughness on the golf course, nothing shakes him, nothing rattles him. When he gets into that final match or that final round in that fourth round on a Sunday and if he's in the lead, his record is almost unstoppable, I believe he's only lost once or twice in all the years he's been playing when he goes into the lead. Golfers will tell you that to be in the lead in that final day requires the most incredible amount of mental toughness that you can possibly have. Everybody is shooting for you, everybody is after you, the bulls' eye is on your back. But in all the years he's been playing the game, he's only lost twice going into the lead in that final round, because of that mental toughness.
But is it just mental toughness? Can someone do that with just their own ability? I believe that's where people would go astray because they would take endurance into their own hands, but what kind of mental toughness are we talking about today as members of the church? I believe it speaks to the mind of an individual who is being led by the spirit of God. It is the mind that is being led by the spirit of God that gives us that mental toughness. Turn over to II Timothy 1:7. Again, a very familiar passage of scripture that we've read. I find it very interesting, the last few months I've been reading Timothy quite a bit, he and I have a lot in common as we begin to get ready to go to Salt Lake and for years I used to read Timothy and think, you know, you need to get over yourself man, you're a third generation Christian, you know what's going on. Timothy had it right, I'm convinced he had it right, he knows what's going on. As I get prepared to go out, it's one of those things that you kind of go, OK, I realize it.
II Tim. 1:7 – For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Sound mind – self controlled, disciplined, a mind that is truly being led by God. We've just come through Pentecost, a time that pictures the anniversary of the beginning of the New Testament Church, it pictures the giving of the holy spirit, we've been given that spirit and part of the component of that spirit is the ability to have that sound mind, that self control, that discipline, the ability to have true mental toughness. Spiritual mental toughness, the ability to have fortitude in this life. You know discipline and self control are built and made stronger over time, we realize that fact and we understand that we must continue to build that discipline and as we do build that discipline, by extension we are building that fortitude and that strength of mind. Again, a mind that has been surrendered over to the spirit of God and the spirit of God leading ones mind. Discipline in anything is something we learn over time isn't it?
When you first became involved with the church at one particular time or another, perhaps you didn't have a prayer life, perhaps you came out of another church, but over a period of time you ran into a discipline where prayer became something, that when you first started you didn't know what to pray for, it was only a five minute or ten minute here or there, perhaps a sleepy time prayer, right before you went to bed. But what happened over a period of time? The fortitude, the endurance, the sound mind, the self-control, the discipline starts to come in and as we discipline ourselves and we discipline the mind and discipline ourselves and allow the holy spirit to be working with us, we get into a disciplined prayer life, don't we? We get into a disciplined study routine and as we get into those disciplined routines we begin to build that fortitude, we allow the fruits of the spirit to build over a period of time by having that mental self control, that discipline that we need to have. Fortitude is not something that just simply comes overnight, like discipline; it must also be built over a sustained period of time. That is why we go through the trials and the difficulties of life, it helps us to build that fortitude.
What happens if we lose focus? What happens if we are distracted, what happens if we take the eye off the goal? Well then over a period of time we find that fortitude can become watered down, we lose that mental toughness, we don't allow the holy spirit to be working with us and eventually it can be lost completely. So the importance of fortitude in our lives, the importance of using that as a key component for enduring is extremely important.
What then can we do to ensure that we don't lose that fortitude, that critical element for enduring and persevering to the end as we have been exhorted to do? In the time I'll have left this afternoon, I'd like to give us three points, three points that will help us to endure by building the fortitude, the sound mind that allow us to keep going, that keep us on the right plain, on the right goal, pointing forward.
1. Unity is strength.
What do I mean by that? Well Captain Roselle did not go out on that patrol alone. As a soldier you face battles each and every day but you face those battles not by yourself but with fellow soldiers around you. Unity comes first with the oneness of God and then it builds on itself from there with others that have that same oneness, by sharing the common goals and the common objectives, those are all the same.
You remember in the story that I told you about, Captain Roselle, that when he initially got injured, it was several fellow soldiers who helped him after the Humvee had run over that landmine. What's interesting is that help came without regard to their personal safety; they ran in the middle of that minefield. They did not stop to think, well should we stop and wait and radio in to get the minesweepers, the minesweeping team, to make sure that we don't step on a landmine, there was a unity and a oneness with those individuals that said, Our captain is in trouble, let's go get him, he's injured, he's hurt, let's go. II Timothy 2:3 – again we read the words of the apostle Paul to Timothy, he says:
II Tim. 2:3 – You therefore must endure…must have fortitude…endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Now a soldier will face all kinds of hardships – it was interesting, in the job that I had before I was hired into the ministry, I had to deal with the military all day long and I would deal with the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and at any one particular time I could be talking to guys in Baghdad, I could be talking to bases around the world, talking to people on Naval Aircraft Carriers, whatever it may be and one of the individuals that I came to know and be involved with in my responsibilities was a Sergeant in Ft. Drum, New York. He was on patrol with his unit one night in Baghdad and out of nowhere a sniper shot, hit him in the back of the knee, took out his knee completely. As he told me later, he actually e-mailed me pictures which were gross and disgusting; I'll tell you that right now! But the most interesting thing is that after he'd gone through all these things and I'd talked to him a little bit after he had come back and he'd had those surgeries and he'd gone through all that pain and gone through all those things, he said, "Jon, there was a time right after the surgery when I stood up on that leg and when I put all the weight on that knee, I felt pain like I have never felt before in my life." I asked him the question, I said, "If you have the ability to go back into battle with your unit, will you?" He said, without hesitating, "Yes, absolutely."
When you endure the hardship as a good solider of Jesus Christ, one of the components is that you endure not only from the standpoint of an individual basis but we endure for the benefit and for the unification of all, for the help of all. We have to understand that the battle that we face is not just something that we face alone, but we face together. If you think about it, we're all facing that same battle, striving to get to that same place, looking forward to Jesus Christ's return in the kingdom of God. If we don't have that unity, that is unity that is strength, if we're not fighting those battles together, if we think it's all about us, makes for a pretty lonely kingdom doesn't it, a kingdom of one. That's not what enduring as a soldier is all about.
You know, no one likes war but war is something that builds adversity and builds character, that's why we see it referred to so much by the apostle Paul, the spiritual war that we face. It is a war that goes on, we heard that in a sermon a few weeks ago when the pastoral training – when the pastors were in. It is a spiritual war we face, we right our spiritual battles individually that allow us then to share those experiences with each other and as we share those experiences with each other it builds unity because we're all facing and fighting that same common goal. It is through that strength that we have unity, the strength through adversities. Ephesians 4:1-4.
Eph. 4:1-4 – I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling.
What is Paul telling us in this particular situation? He's telling us that as soldiers of Jesus Christ, there is more that unites us on the battlefield than takes away. We are united in the battle together. Dropping down to verse 11, he talks about the different offices that have been created within the body:
V. 11 – And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and some teachers.
Remember the example I told you? You have a Captain who's out there, you also have a First Sergeant, you have all these different components, all these individuals but they're all working toward the common goal.
V. 12 – For the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and to the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
Dropping down to verse 15:
V. 15 – But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things in Him who is the head – Christ – from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which each part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
You talk about all the components of the fingers brought together, being knit together, a unity that comes together so that when adversity comes on the battlefield, those fingers can't be torn apart, they can't be torn asunder. Again, it's the soundness of mind and the fortitude that tells us that we are willing to go into battle and help each other. We're willing to fight for each other. Not just individually, but collectively.
There was a Lt. Colonel, you may have seen the movie or perhaps read the book, it's called We Were Soldiers Once and Young, that's the book, it's the story of Lt. Colonel Hal Moore. He was the officer that led the first of the battle between the Vietnamese forces and the United States in November of 1965. In November of 1965 he was preparing his men for battle and they were out on the parade ground, something that was for Hollywood and the movie and everything but if you go back and read the book, it's the actual speech that Lt. Colonel Hal Moore gave at that particular time. He was taking a group of – as he called them – green recruits in to face an enemy and he had to meld these individuals together, to make them a team, to unify them together because they were about to face an enemy that he knew was going to be very very difficult because they were fighting the enemy on the enemy's home ground, on territory that they knew and understood. He gets them ready for the battle and this is the part of the speech that he gave, it's just very very interesting, I want to share it with you. As he was standing there on the parade grounds getting ready to deploy, in literally about 48 hours, he says the following:
"Look around you; in the seventh Calvary we got a captain from the Ukraine, another from Puerto Rico, we've got Japanese, Chinese, blacks, Hispanics, Cherokee Indians, Jews and Gentiles, all Americans. Now here in the states, some men in this unit may experience discrimination because of race or creed, but for you and me now, that is all gone. We're moving into the shadow of the valley of death, where you will watch the back of the man next to you as he will watch yours."
If you've seen the movie it's a very chilling statement when you see that, it's the actual speech that he gave but what he was doing was giving this tremendous mind set of regardless of what the situation is, regardless of who you are, we are all going into battle together, we're going in against an enemy and he was attempting to give them and help them to understand, that they needed to have that fortitude, that mental toughness to face that common goal.
That's point #1, Unity is strength.
2. Knowledge is power.
Now let's be clear about something when we talk about knowledge, we're not just talking about any knowledge, billions of people can be filled with book knowledge, they can recite whatever it is they've read, they can get 100 on a test every single time but the knowledge that we're talking about is the true power that comes from God, it's knowledge of God, it's knowledge of His way of life, it's knowledge of what He has in store for us and when we take that knowledge and when we exercise it, when we use the holy spirit to guide us and direct us, it leads us to wisdom, it leads us to making the right choice and then, and only then, can knowledge then become power. Proverbs 1:7 – as I look over, I see that I was left a gift…Mr. Welty got frogs and I got flies! Somebody needs to call Orkin; we need to get rid of the flies!
Prov. 1:7 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
They're not interested in power but you and I have been given something very very special that the ultimate power first must come from a healthy and a right respect for God. Then when we have that right respect for God, we bring the knowledge into it, it is a power that cannot be stopped. Psalm 37; let's take a look at the words of David here.
Psa. 37:25-26– I have been young and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken nor his descendants begging bread. He is ever merciful and lends; and his descendants are blessed.
What kind of power is that in your hands when you read that particular verse of scripture? When it comes to enduring, when it comes to having fortitude, when it comes to having that self-control, that discipline, that sound mind, what do you think of when you read those words, that "I have not seen the righteous forsaken?" Ever! That becomes power when you face a difficulty or an unpleasantness or a trial in your life when you realize that God will not drop you, that He has started a work and He will finish it. Proverbs 4, let's take a look at another couple of scriptures here as we look at this second point of knowledge being power. Verse 5 we read the following:
Prov. 4:5 – Get wisdom! Get understanding! I mean it's an emphatic statement, if you've got a New King James Version of the bible, in my bible there are exclamation points after both of those, it's not just a pleasantry that's thrown out there, it's something that says go after this, get it, this is important. Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
V. 7 – Wisdom is the principle thing, therefore get wisdom and in all your getting, get understanding.
Knowledge that we have, along with the holy spirit gives us the ability to have that wisdom, that understanding that God has imparted to us. And when we have that wisdom and when we exercise that wisdom, there's no difficulty and no trial that we cannot endure, it gives us that fortitude that we need to have.
V. 8 – Exalt her…talking about wisdom…and she will promote you…again, talking about she being wisdom…she will bring you honor when you embrace her. She will place on your head an ornament of grace; a crown of glory she will deliver to you.
Isn't that the truth? The knowledge of the future of where we're going, as the apostle Paul talked about, that a crown of righteousness awaits him, a crown of glory that we wait for if we endure to the end. If we have that fortitude and that strength of mind, that mental toughness that we need to have in terms of moving forward regardless of what the situation occurs that is in our life. How is it that knowledge becomes power? We understand that God is working with us in a very special way, we eliminate the fear and we replace it then with that sound mind, that mind that has fortitude, that mind that has self-control, that mind that has discipline.
Ephesians 6:10-11 – you don't need to turn there, you can just jot it down, you can go back and read for yourself. It talks about putting on the whole armor of God but it starts with God first. That's where we need to go to, that's what we need to understand. The knowledge is the power and the power is putting God first in everything that He says and as we do that, as we do those things, as we allow those things to come into our lives we will endure and make it to the end.
What about another way that knowledge becomes power? Another way that knowledge becomes power is understanding the enemy.
You know the example I gave you before, that speech by Lt. Colonel Hal Moore – before they ever went into battle - they were going into battle into enemy territory, into enemy ground, he had studied the enemy, he had studied past attacks, he'd studied history, he had studied to note all of their tactics, their strengths, he knew exactly where they were going to attack his man at any particular timeframe. He knew the terrain of the battlefield that he was involved with, the correlation there is absolutely fantastic because we have an idea and we know what the battlefield is; it's a spiritual battlefield we face. The enemy is Satan and he's doing everything he can to possibly trip us up, he is a vile enemy who has but a short time. He's not interested in our endurance, he's not interested in our sound mind, he's not interested in fortitude. Trip somebody up, cause them to drop that crown and then move on to the next person. That's the enemy that's at play here, that's the enemy that's at work, but to understand that enemy, to have the knowledge and the power, the knowledge that we have of that enemy, of his battlefield, of his game, that becomes power in our hands. We know what to avoid, we know the strengths, we know the tendencies that he has and we know how to combat it.
Let me put it to you this way – you probably, if you're a parent and you've maybe taken your kids to Burger King, have you seen those crowns, those paper crowns that they've got sometimes, these Burger King crowns, can you imagine just for a second, someone gave you a crown, similar to that crown, a paper crown and it's a crown that is a replica, as they tell you, it's 24 karat pure gold, it's the purest gold you can find, it has jewels all over it, it has diamonds that would make Liz Taylor jealous, ten five karat diamonds, rubies, sapphires , emeralds encrusted in that crown, it's a picture and you're told, I want you to hang on to this crown. Now understand something, that someone's going to come along every once in a while and they're going to try and rip that crown out of your hand, they're going to knock your hands and see if they can get you to drop it and when they can't do it that way, they're going to come along with the ball peen hammer and they're going to start whacking at your hands, they're going to whack at your legs, they're going to slap you upside the head and when that doesn't work, they're going to take out the heavy artillery, they're going to bring a sledge hammer in, they're going to take it to your knees, they're going to try and drive you to your knees to get you to drop that crown.
Now after awhile you're sitting there, asking the question, why in the world would I want to hang on to this paper crown? But the person then says, if you hang on to that crown, at My return, I'm going to give you one that is the real thing, not paper, real. Would you have the self-discipline to hang on to that paper crown?
It's the enemy and if you understood the knowledge you have of that enemy, realize that that's Satan trying to rip that crown out of your hands, you'd say that there's nothing that's going to separate me from this crown, bring it on! Bring it on! You hold the crown, the pain is temporary but the gift that we're going to be given is that beautiful crown that is to come. I Peter 5:8-10.
I Pet. 5:8-10 – Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing…you have this knowledge; this is not something new, you know this…knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered awhile, perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you.
That pain that you face by the whacking on your arms and on your head and at your knees is but temporary. That knowledge and that understanding becomes power in your hands. The question is, how will we use that particular power? We can feel alone, we can feel weak, we can feel helpless, we can feel cut off when we face trials and difficulties, those are all things that play on the mind but the fortitude, the fortitude of a Christian who is willing to endure, that knowledge brings us power. Philippians 1. If you ever get to the point that we're going to drop that crown, take a look at this particular passage of scripture, it's most encouraging.
Phil. 1:3-6 – I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing…I am assured, I know…that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
What kind of power is that in your hands? What kind of power is that in our hands to understand and know that regardless of what we face, of how painful it may get from time to time, that God has made a commitment, and if we do our part, He will not drop us. I would submit to you that that should give us some fortitude that would carry us through for a long long time.
The power of knowledge is knowing that the spiritual growth that God desires for us is clearly possible by yielding to him, by knowing the enemy; you know the battle that will be thrown at you. Think of it this way, we are all plants, God is looking to nurture and grow that plant, that's knowledge. Satan's looking to destroy that plant, once he destroys that plant, he can move on to the next plant. That knowledge of that fact, that becomes power in our hands and that should further and strengthen our fortitude. So point #2, knowledge is power. Let's take a look at the final point:
3. Attitude is everything.
It should begin by understanding who we are and what our place is in the family of God. What do I mean by that? We should be reminded that we were called by God, not because of some great quality that we had, but because He said, I've got something there that I can work with, I believe this is going to be a good one, I can use this individual in some way, He saw something in us. What was it? Was it a teachable spirit? Was it a meekness? What was it that God saw in us? I would believe and I would submit to you that we came and we have to come to an attitude of humility, that we have to come to the attitude of humility, that it's the attitude of humility that will cultivate and build and grow that fortitude, that strength of mind. What do I mean by that? Because when you think about fortitude and this strength of mind and this discipline, you think about all these things, you talk about boldly going before God. But I believe that before we can do that, we have to have the attitude of humility, to understand who we are, to understand who we are in the family of God.
There's an interesting passage of scripture that I'd like to share with you, let's turn over to II Chronicles 7, we see the prayer that Solomon gave at the dedication of the temple. Let's start in verse 12 – this passage of scripture to me is a little bit just fascinating and I'll explain why in a minute here.
II Chron. 7:12-14 – Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night and said to him: "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people… verse 14, this to me is most unique… If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
Is it just happenchance or just by fate that the first thing that is listed here by God, "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves" – I don't think so, I believe that God inspired the writer to specifically put it in this particular order. Why do I say that? Because it is the attitude of humility that really tells us that we can pray to God. Can we really and truly pray to God if humility is not first and foremost there? Think about it for a second, is that truly possible, to have heartfelt prayer with God if humility is not in place first? Will we really try to seek God when we are of a proud spirit rather than of a humble mind? Will we really turn from doing wicked things if we are embracing humility? We have to have that humility, I believe that's the first and foremost, the very thing that is the mind of Jesus Christ, we can't do any of those things because all of those other things become blinded, our mind becomes blinded if we're not coming in with an attitude of humility first and foremost. As they say, that is the straw that stirs the drink.
We start with the attitude of humility and then we can truly see ourselves as we need to be in order to grow spiritually. If we're not growing spiritually, then who's winning the war? Who's winning the war on the battlefield? James 4:7
James 4:7 – Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
It's not the other way around, we don't say, God you come near to me and then I'll come near to You. The attitude of humility says I will draw near to God, God please draw near to me.
V. 8-10 – Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep, let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
Through that humility, through that attitude of humility, we have that mind of fortitude, that strong strong self-control and discipline that we need to have because we understand who pushes our swing. By having the attitude of humility we understand who pushes our swing. We don't do it on our own, it may feel at times like we're having to do it all ourselves, but with that attitude of humility, God is with us if we seek that attitude first.
Philippians 4:11, let's take a look at one final passage of scripture with regards to this third point of attitude being everything. Phil 4:11 – again you knew that we would get here at some point, a very famous passage of scripture, very familiar.
Phil. 4:11 – Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.
The only way we're going to get there is to have the attitude of humility.
V. 12-13 – I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Not just a few things, not just the easy trials, but the most grievous difficult trial or difficulty that we will face in this life, we can make it through. We should never mistake the difference between contentment and complacency because that further understanding that the ability to do is found in the strength of being able to do all things through Christ. Not being complacent, not saying, "oh well" but to understand that this is a battle that we face and if we have that humble, teachable spirit that God is with us and He will see us through that particular trial.
Winston Churchill has got some very famous quotes, one that I'd like to share with you on this point of attitude being everything. "Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference." Winston Churchill said, "Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference."
Well as we conclude this afternoon, you remember the story that I told you of Captain Roselle who lost his right foot, who felt like he had given enough but what Captain David Roselle had was a level of fortitude, a level of a strength of mind, an example that we can follow, spiritually speaking. He embarked on a courageous rehabilitation program and in eight months was looking to be reactivated to his unit. With a prosthetic device on his right foot, he went back into action and he actually states the following, this is an actual quote from his book: "When I took my oath of office, it never mentioned giving up if I was injured. It was my responsibility as a leader to lead from the front and to return to duty." In March of 2005, almost twenty months after being injured, now Major Roselle found himself in familiar territory, in Iraq serving as commander of the Calvary troop. He was the first troop commander to redeploy to the same battlefield as an amputee in recent military history. Fortitude, strength of mind, enduring – when we say the word "endure" what comes to mind? Is it a negative or is it a positive?
Benjamin Franklin said this; he said "In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes." I'll leave you with the following: In our world we are reminded of the words written in Acts 14:22, that we must, through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God. We have to be those enduring Christian. There is a crown that is waiting for us. You and I will face trials; we will face difficulties, that I promise you. That is our certainty, but we will prevail. For years I remember the words of Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong for years at the Feast. "I've looked at the end of the book and we win." It is something that stayed with me for years and I hope will never go away.
Let's grow in fortitude, let's exercise the strength of a sound mind. Let's ask God daily to give us the enduring spirit of one of His children, and when we face trials, I ask you to remember the nine simple words: Unity is strength, knowledge is power, attitude is everything.