What do you think of when you hear the word Martyr?
Stephen was the first Martyr of the Faith. He was stoned to death defending the Faith he had in Jesus.
But what does being a Martyr really look like?
You see, being a Martyr is a way to live. It’s submitting and trusting in the Lord no matter what may come. No matter what the consequences may be.
Having a Martyr Mentality has nothing to do about dying but actually living!
It is learning to live a life that follows Jesus at all costs.
Sometimes that cost may be death. Sometimes that cost may be losing family and friends. It may be losing your job.
If we can renew our minds to put the Kingdom of Heaven first in all that we do, our relationship with Him gets stronger. Then our faith becomes stronger. Our trust in Jesus will be undeniable. Our love for Him will become real and be true and we will follow His voice even to the ends of the earth.
It’s Choosing to focus on Christ, no matter what is happening around us.
A Martyr mentality Rejects the patterns and routines that the world promotes as good and desirable.
It will teach us to live with a heart that desires and loves God, above everything in our lives.
This alone will help you grow in your faith.
That’s having a Martyr mentality.
Jesus told His Disciples things like: pick up your cross, lose your life, deny yourself. He said that they would be persecuted for His name sake, whoever does not take up his cross and follow Me cannot be my Disciple. They will put you to death.
When we hear hard things like this we all respond differently. Are you willing to leave it all behind and follow Him? Some stepped away. Some find freedom in these words, many find them very offensive. Some will cling and some ignore them.
Remember that He is more than anything we could ever gain. He is so much more precious than anything we could lose.
Having a Martyr mentality is saying that Christ is enough!
Is Christ enough? Is His love enough? Is His mercy enough? Is His Grace sufficient?
We have the promises. Hold on to His promises. The promise that He is with you. That He will never leave you. That He will comfort you in your time of need. That He goes before you to prepare a way. That He shuts doors that no man can open. And if we can change our thinking and our mentality to not just believe but follow, then the fear and the worry of the things to come won’t be so scary and we can leave it all in the Lord’s perfect hand.
But we have to have the Martyr Mentality.
Our motive is to have joy in the hard times, and refocus and stay focused on Him because at the end if we stay true to Him and endure until that day be assured that Jesus Christ will be waiting with His Precious hand extended saying
“Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
If Jesus is worthy to die for then He should be even more worthy to live for!
Philippians 3:7-10
But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
Philippians 3:7-10 NKJV]
That’s a Martyr mentality!
Being a Martyr is a way to live. It’s submitting and trusting in the Lord no matter what may come. No matter what the consequences may be.
Having a Martyr Mentality has nothing to do about dying but living! Learning to live a life that follows Jesus at all costs.
He is worthy and He is worth it!
Pastor Ed