Catalyzing the Extraordinary through Courage

I have always loved the word catalyst. I remember learning the meaning in chemistry. Frankly, it was one of the few things I liked about chemistry. Basically, a catalyst decreased the amount of energy needed so that a reaction can happen more easily or sometimes at all. A catalyst is all about energy. Although the catalyst creates these reactions, the catalyst does not change. So why am I giving a science lesson. The reason I loved this word is that it made me think of Jesus. Just by being....Jesus made things happen but never changed who He was. Jesus is the great catalyst. He makes us a new creation, just by adding Him into our life.

He says in Revelations 21:5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

Jesus also had tremendous courage. Everyday of Jesus's life was filled with courage. Feeding the 5000 (courage that God would come through), talking to the prostitute woman at the well (courage that He would not be judged and lose His reputation), and walking on water, (duh - you go try it!). I could name many more, but most of all, knowing how his life was going to end to the point that he sweat blood as he prayed, and still having the courage of dying a brutal death so all humans could have the gift of eternal life with God is outrageously courageous.

There are a ton of examples of courage in the Bible: David and Goliath, Paul singing God's praises even to the point that he was put into prison which still didn't stop him, Moses leading the people out of Egypt and literally through a sea, Daniel in the Lions den.

One of my favorites is Shadrach, Meshach and Abendego. Their story is in the Bible in Daniel 3. Basically, the king, Nebuchadnezzar, wanted everyone to worship his gods and gold statue. There were three guys in his kingdom that managed the province of Babylon and refused to bow down to the kings idols and false gods. Some of Nebuchadnezzar's guys told on them. This infuriated him so he told them to make a furnace 7 times hotter than normal and immediately get Shadrach, Meshach and Abendego - tie them up and throw them in! Nebuchadnezzar gave them a final warning and asked them, "is it true that you don't serve my gods or worship my gold statue?" He even told them when he played his music, if they don't bow down they are going in the furnace. He was basically giving them one more change. All they had to do was bow down. I am so scared of dying in a fire. It is my worst nightmare. That would have been really hard. Shadrach, Meshach and Abendego demonstrated unbelievable courage. They basically told the king, we don't have to prove anything to you. Our God will save us from the fire and you Nebuchadnezzar, but even if he doesn't, we will never worship your gods. So the king had these men bound and tied and threw them in the furnace. The furnace was so hot that it killed the men that carried Shadrach, Meshach and Abendego to the furnace! These men were very courageous too, but they were courageous for the wrong cause. When Nebuchadnezzar looked in the furnace it says he literally "jumped up in alarm" because he saw "four men, not tied walking around in the fire unharmed." He saw, Shadrach, Meshach, Abendego and Jesus. WHAT?! Everyone gathered around and saw that, "the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men; not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them." Daniel 3:27. NO SMELL OF FIRE ON THEM!

Can you imagine being there and seeing that. The courage! Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, "Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego!" Their courage through Jesus was a catalyst that created another reaction. The king said, "I issue a decree that anyone of any people nation, or language who says anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be torn limb from limb and his house made to garbage. For there is no other god who is able to deliver like this!" Can you imagine how many trusted in God?

Through courage of obeying and trusting God this created an enormous catalyst.

We could interchange the word courage for faith in all of these scenarios, but my point is that it takes courage, outrageous courage, to have faith that catalyzes change. We are all in a fire at times and it looks like everything is working against you. What is your furnace? Your marriage, talking to a person at work about Christ, not gossiping and having the courage to walk away? We face a furnace every day our feet hits the ground. Paul taught us to praise God in these times because it builds character and a closer relationship to Him, but it also lets the world see our God "do His thang!"

A single act of courage was the catalyst for extraordinary!

To have courage we have to:

1. Worship our God and know His voice: We have to study His word. We can't be like Nebuchadnezzar's men and have great courage, but for the wrong leader. We can catalyze great wonders with God, or great tragedy without Him.

2. Be vulnerable: God made us like a puzzle. We are not a whole apart, we were made to fellowship with each other. God wants us to have courage to be vulnerable and share our problems with each other so we can love and pray for each other. If you are in a fire today, please don't go through it alone. Tell another Christ follower. Let them pray for you and be blessed when God catalyzes the situation for His glory.

3. Be humble: This one almost seems like an oxymoron. Humble and courageous? We are all leading others to Christ as Christians and are therefore all leaders. When God works through us, it is easy to take the credit. We also become unteachable or uncoachable. We need to be easily guided by God putting all our wants and desires to the side. Gods ways are better.

4. Remove and resist sin in your life: Take an inventory of all the sin in your life. Sometimes we do not even realize some of the sin in our life but God will convict us if we ask. Let Him have access to every part of you and ask for forgiveness for your sins. Remember, you are a new creation through Jesus. Jesus is the most pure catalyst that never changes. We are now ambassadors for Christ. We are catalyst for change through Jesus, and the catalyst is not effected by the substance it is changing. Don't let the world influence you, let God use you to influence the world.

5. Pray without ceasing: Let God be a part of every part of your life. Pray about your decisions and for God's will. Then have the courage to do His will no matter what the circumstance.

6. Be bold: Don't underestimate God. Be a catalyst for God and be courageous. God is going to ask you to obey on the small things and as we obey, He will ask us to obey on the big things. Never give up on God. When the situation looks impossible, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, just trust God. If you know God told you to do something, He will equip you through it, even when it looks impossible. The more impossible the situation, the more God's glory will shine through the situation!

I challenge you to take just one courageous step for God this week. God will use you to catalyze change and change the world.

PS. I am really proud of the christian teens taking over the app tiktok and trying to make these videos about Jesus. They have courage to be catalysts for Christ! Here is an example of a really funny one! https://www.facebook.com/crystal.dugger.9/videos/10214059008329551/