Each time another act of terror happens to America, you’ll notice that people are becoming less shocked, less heartbroken, and, yes, even less afraid. You’ll also notice the emerging hashtag trend. Recently there was a #VegasStrong hashtag and now just a month later, we have the #NYCStrong hashtag.
It is my prayer, as I am sure that it is yours that we never again have to create another one of these hashtags. However, they do provide some comfort as they inspire our resolve to continue to remind the world that we are the land of the free and the home of the brave, and that we will not give in to the threat of terrorism.
Someone said that weakness is not getting knocked down; that can happen to anybody. Weakness is not getting back up and continuing to fight. The strong keep fighting. This is the sentiment of people across America who are using the strong hashtags.
Terrorism is designed to make us cower in fear and abandon our way of life. And we who are in Christ know that behind all terrorism is the personification of evil himself, Satan. And though America seems to be staying strong in the face of terrorism, I can’t help but wonder how much of our strength is not strength of heart as much as it is hardness of heart.
You see, hardness of heart can be deceptive. It can make people appear to be brave while they secretly live in constant fear. It can even make fearful people actually believe they are brave, when all they really are is angry at themselves for being so afraid, or at others for making them so.
Have you ever gotten really mad at someone who scared the daylights out of you? It may have been a friend or family member. And for a while after that, you didn’t want to have anything to do with them. You perhaps walked around with clenched fists, pouting lips, and an angry scowl; all because they made you so afraid.
That’s sort of what we want to talk about in this episode of the LiMP. With all of the tragic events we’ve recently faced, we must realize that not only is Satan out to steal, kill, and destroy, but with each act of violence carried out in our midst, he is also seeking to harden our hearts. We need to make sure that our hearts are getting stronger and not just becoming hardened to sin.