Shield of Faith

by Catrina LeSure

If you could have one super power, what would it be? If you are in youth ministry and never heard that question, you haven't been in youth ministry long enough.  We are fascinated by the ability to do more or be more than average.  As youth leaders, we are constantly honing our super powers.  We are figuring out the incredible efficiency of the multi-task, the impressive impact of the narrative sermon, and the unbelievable importance of the lock-in sleep with eyes open.

But the fact is that these are more super honed skills than super powers.  And truth be told I have often asked myself what power I would choose if I had a super power.  Super speed is tempting when I find myself impatient with God's timing and wishing to get through all the tasks on my to-do list.  But then I remember that I would be faster but God would still go in His time and that kind of kills that dream.  I consider the possibility of super strength and imagine myself "Hulking out" against the injustices of this world...until I remember that hulk smash only makes a bigger mess.  In truth, I have never been excited about some super powers like flight, telekinesis, or mind reading.  I don't know why, but I feel like there isn't much I could do with those.  But there is one super power that I seem to go back to every time.  I would love to have the force field power like Violet Parr in the Incredibles.  To be able to protect myself and those closest to me from the pain of this life would be a real win for me.  Alas, my ability to create shelter of any kind is limited to blanket forts and pop-up tents.

The funny things is, God has given all of us access to a wide range of super powers.  He gives them to us free of charge and only requires one thing of us to get them.  We must have faith to access these super powers.  The Bible is full of messages on the importance of faith.  Hebrews 11 stands as a Hall of Faith chronicling some of the amazing people in history who's faith helped change the world.  Jesus repeatedly admonishes his disciples to have faith.  And he doesn't even ask us to have that much, just a mustard seed worth.  Imagine having something 1 mm in diameter that had the ability to call down fire from heaven, turn back time, destroy a mighty giant, or part the Red Sea.  It wouldn't be a question of what you could do.  The more accurate question would be: What can't you do?  World hunger, terrorism, and political corruption would be vanquished before dinner.

So how do we get this faith.  How do we acquire, even such a tiny amount of, this profound world changing power connection? This is easier said than done.
1. Believe: Hebrews 11:6
2. Pray: Mark 9:29
3. Act: Luke 17:11-19
4. Repeat

It seems simple but it takes a lot of searching and submitting to have faith.  It's a challenge that may leave you feeling drained, frustrated, or disappointed.  But it is worth it every time.  Because more than any material thing God does as a result of your faith, you will find yourself super connected to the God of the universe.  There isn't a better super power than that.