I was awake early in the morning and for some reason started thinking about Liam Neeson in the movie “Taken”. His daughter was kidnapped overseas as part of a sex trafficking ring and I thought about how Liam portrayed a fiercely focused, devoted father as he spoke to one of the traffickers who happened to pick up her cell phone after they grabbed her.
“I have a particular set of skills,” Liam informed the kidnapper. He was warning them that not only would he succeed at getting his daughter back, but he would kill them in the process. It was a very dramatic moment. He absolutely knew who he was and that he would rescue her. Thinking about THIS movie took me into a deeper place in Jesus.
I thought how the Lord is even more fiercely determined and focused about us! Listen, we need to KNOW this in our hearts, not our heads. In The Message Bible in Matthew 20 it reads like this. “This is what the Son of Man has done. He came to serve, not be served – and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage.” I pondered that last phrase.
We were all held hostage by the evil one until we came to the saving knowledge of Jesus. I notice as I fall more in love with Him, more bondages break off of me that I didn’t even realize were there. It is layer upon layer of healing and deliverance, just through hanging out with Him! Ah-ha’s come on a regular basis. New freedom and deeper shalom is the result. What a reward to know Him. Then others get healed through our relationship with Him.
I went into deeper meditation with these words “fierce love” in my mind. That’s when I heard God speak.
“Witness,” He said.
Our lives are to be a witness to the world of His fierce love. We get there by His grace. Our part is to be determined to keep our eyes and hearts on Him.