Without Fear

We are in the midst of challenges to our faith, and we can develop a trust in the Lord that is strong and unyielding in the face of fear. In Revelation 12, we see the picture of a group of overcomers in the time of tribulation. We can read:
9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

We can consider the intensity of our devotion to Christ.  There is an enemy who is desiring to destroy the witness of the people of God, and we have the tools to walk in what Christ has done for us. By virtue of being born again, we have been enlisted to serve our great commander, the Lord God Almighty, and it's important to recognize the spiritual dynamics at play in the situations we face.  We are in a battle for the souls of men and women who need to know Him.

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Jesus taught His disciples not to hold on to their lives too closely and be willing to give of themselves so that others may benefit. In John 15, we can read these words:
13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

The filmmakers who have taken you into conflict on the football field will soon be taking viewers into the battlefield, with the release of a new film based on the life of the late Navy SEAL Adam Brown, whose story is told in the novel, Fearless, by Eric Blehm. 

Movieguide reported recently that the Erwin Brothers will be undertaking the project, and included an Instagram post from Andy Erwin:

“The book by @ericblehmofficial shattered me. Those of you who’ve read it know exactly what I mean. Adam Brown was a great American and the purest picture of redemption I’ve experienced. It’s beyond important to us to do Adam, his family, and his SEAL brothers justice in this film. Honored to get back to work! #Fearless..."

The article goes on to say:

For this newest endeavor, Erwin explains that he had been “chasing” this story for four years since his friend Gary Sinise shared it with him.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie will adapt Blehm’s 2012 book on SEAL Team 6 commando Adam Brown, a Navy soldier who overcame drug addiction and jail time to become a member of the elite SEAL team known for killing Osama bin Laden.

Andy will direct, and his brother will produce. Another producer, Kevin Downes, said: “This film is right in Andy’s wheelhouse. Fearless will not only take you behind enemy lines with Seal Team 6, but into the heart and soul of one man and how he found the strength to step up.”

The Christian Post reported:

Brown died in battle in March 2010 while on a mission in Afghanistan to kill or capture a major Taliban leader, saving the lives of several others in the process. He was a 12-year veteran of the Navy and left behind a wife and two children.

The story notes:

Brown’s official obituary from the United States Navy Memorial notes that the soldier’s “courage was only one side of a complex man who balanced his life with Christian faith.”

“He was known for his kindness and compassion as much as he was for his toughness and fearlessness,” it says.

Adam Brown gave his life to save others; but that mission, and his tenure as a Navy SEAL, was almost not to be. An article at The Federalist related this story from when Adam was in his 20's:

High on crack at a party on New Year Eve, Adam repeatedly stabbed himself in the neck with a knife. Police found him lying in a pool of his own blood. They also discovered his outstanding warrants. Adam was facing 11 felonies, massive jail time, and a family that was fed up with his addictive behavior.

Hitting rock bottom turned out to be the answer to his parents’ prayers. When the judge gave Adam the choice between rehab or jail, Adam chose rehab and began turning his life around. At rehab, he found God, accepted Jesus, and became a Christian.

Three weeks out of rehab, Adam met his future wife, Kelley Tippy, a “a tall brunette with a girl-next-door face” who had a conversion story of her own and was also a Christian. The two fell deeply in love.

But, the article notes that Adam still had a hard time staying clean - it says that Kelley stayed with him because "God told her not to leave."  It states:

After more rehab and many relapses, Adam realized that what he needed was a life change. He decided to join the military with the hopes of becoming a Navy SEAL, the real-life heroes that Adam was first introduced to as teen when he saw the action-packed 1990 film “Navy SEALs.”

The process to join the SEALS and become one of America’s most elite special operators is no easy feat. After basic training, Adam was sent off to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S), which is arguably the most grueling military training in the world.

Facing a low success rate - 1 out of 5 - of completing the training and facing military prison if he had another relapse, Adam persevered, and he said his faith was "his ace in the hole."  He eventually became a member of the elite SEAL Team Six, even though he did not have use of his "dominant hand and dominant eye" due to injury.  According to the Federalist story:

During their mission in a Taliban stronghold located in the mountains of Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush, Adam and his teammates came under heavy enemy fire. Adam was hit in both legs. Once he was down, more enemy bullets rained down on him. He was taken out of the line of fire by his teammates, but he tragically died later that day at the base.

Adam Brown had written this to his children earlier: “I’m not afraid of anything that might happen to me on this Earth because I know no matter what, nothing can take my spirit from me,” adding, “No matter what, my spirit is given to the Lord and I will finally be victorious.”

Based on this story, we can consider how we respond in the midst of seemingly insurmountable circumstances. In our trials, we can choose to rely on our faith in Christ and allow Him to strengthen us, or we can rely on ourselves and miss out on what He wants to do.

Jesus talked about that "greater love," a love that is willing to lay down one life. Now, that may look different for different people, but it's important that we continue to make the well-being of others a priority. 

Adam's story is also a reminder of the degree to which people can change.  He was a young man who was addicted to drugs, in legal trouble, and without direction. But, as he took the step of finding help, he found His help in the Lord.  His story reinforces the notion that no one is too far gone that the hand of God cannot bring him back.