Resign from the driver's seat

It's pretty amazing to me how Paul is now quite fearless simply because he already knew the outcome of pouring himself into his ministry. He know that he would eventually have to lose his life but he understood that to gain your life you had to lose it (Matthew 16:25). To me that means you must be willing to surrender your life and all control over your life. It means to no longer lay claim to your life. And when this happens, you lose that fear of man that creates "noise" in your head about whether or not they like you or whether or not they'll kill you. You are essentially free from those distractions and can thus focus on the real matter at hand: seeking and saving all that is lost (Luke 19:10) and preaching the gospel unto all corners of the earth (Mark 16:15).

Paul had resigned himself to the fact that he would die. He made peace with it. And, I believe, he went everywhere with his guns blazing because he knew his time was limited. He didn't have the luxury of time to coddle the people and win their trust. He had to whip out his sword (the Word of God) and slay all in his path. No one would be spared. Heads would roll but no one would be left behind. No one that came into contact with Paul could claim they had never heard of Jesus because he would have told them and likely converted them. Paul knew he had to sow every step of the way and let that seed fall where it may because someone had to do it. He just knew that he was a race against time - racing for that crown of glory - and he wasn't going to stand before God empty handed; a squanderer of all the that God gave him (1 Corinthians 9:25-27).

How many of us, given the choice of life or death with death most likely resulting from ministry, would still decide to go on? How many of us love our lives too much, thus being blinded to what eternal life really is? We still live in too much fear. We must begin to walk in conquering faith. Radical faith. Empirical faith. Ridiculous faith that astonishes others. In fact, if the people aren't scoffing and laughing at your level of faith it's not big enough.

Dare to believe and trust in a God that is good all the time and whose mercies are renewed each day. A God who seeks you and doesn't wait for you to come around but who steadily pursues you. He loves you that much!