FEAR DOES NOT EXIST IN GOD'S WRESTLING RING

By Rev. Johnny Lee Clary




No matter where I travel, whether it be in the USA or another nation, I am always running into people who are confused about the calling of God upon their life. Either they are working hard to fulfill the calling of God upon their lives or they are just sitting idly by doing nothing to help advance the Kingdom.

I can’t count how many people I have met in my 20 years in the ministry that tell me they once felt they were called of God to preach, or go on the mission field, or pastor a church or sing or play music. So what’s the problem? Most people do not take that step towards accomplishing what God has called them to do because of fear. If they have fear then they are not trusting God to lead, order and direct their steps like the word says. (Proverbs 3:5)

Sometimes they listen to the wrong people who discourage them from following what they feel God has called them to do. What they do not take into consideration is that most of the people who say you can’t walk on water have never even gotten out of the boat. If I had listened to all of the idiots including my own family members who told me I would never be a preacher and I was stupid for thinking that I could be, then hundreds of thousands of souls would not be saved today. I had one relative tell me I would never amount to anything and today she is way out in left field with a mind all burned out from drugs. Another relative has battled multiple marriages and alcoholism and yet another relative is a left wing backslidden Christian who is a chronic gambler. All of them told me I would never amount to anything. Glad I didn’t listen to them!

God has not given us the spirit of fear. If God didn’t give it to us then fear is of Satan. Satan is the creator of fear and he created it because he does not want you doing God’s will. Satan is not big enough or powerful enough to stop God but he can stop Christians from doing God’s will if he can put enough fear into them where they become cowards and make the choice to stop themselves. I had my fill of fear when I was young. I saw it all. My father committed suicide in front of me. My sister let her boyfriend beat the hell out of me all the time. I had to live in East L.A., in gang ridden territory. I was chased and beaten by gangs. I joined the KKK and looked to the White brotherhood for protection.

I lived a life of hate and violence before coming to the Lord. I have faced down rival gangs, been shot at, been in knife fights, gang brawls, barroom brawls, survived contract hits, faced down literally thousands of counter-demonstrators at White supremacist marches, and survived attacks from the Black Panthers, Black Muslims, Communists, KKK, Nazis, gangs, and just about every type of enemy you can think of.

After I became a Christian, if I was naive enough to think that the attacks would stop, then I was living in fantasyland. I was attacked a lot. This time though, the attacks came from so-called ‘Christians’ who again told me I would never be a preacher, I was an idiot, since I was once a Klansman I would always be a Klansman because God does not forgive people who used to be KKK members, and I have had these people attack me for twenty years and they have never let up. However, the key to it all is that I have never let those jerks get the best of me. I have no fear of them and never will. Why in the world would I fear a bunch of busybodies nerds with big mouths when I faced and defeated some of the meanest gang members and hate-mongers from Bad Street USA? Besides I fear no man. I used to fight in bars and in the gang wars. Oh yes I got beat a few times, but the person who beat me almost always regretted it. If I couldn’t take someone with my hands I would come back with a baseball bat. If I couldn’t take them with a baseball bat, I would come back with an army. If I couldn’t take them with an army then I would come back with fire and I am not talking about the Holy Ghost fire because I wasn’t saved back then. I will leave that to your imagination. People hated making my list. I am talking about the list of people who lived to regret underestimating the old me before I was born again. The people who have attacked me since I was saved, have got a lot to be thankful for especially that I am truly saved, redeemed and walking in the ways of the Lord. Otherwise…well we will leave that to the imagination too! They just better hope I never backslide!

So what is my secret? It’s no secret..it is a recipe. It is found in the word of God. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not unto your own understanding! (Prov. 3:5-6) I don’t care who opposes me! They are not bigger than God who is bigger than all my problems, bigger than all my fears; God is bigger than any mountain that I can or cannot see.

Fear is not some big giant wrestler who is bigger than the Holy Ghost which resides in you. You can face fear anytime day or night because God is with you! God plus one is the majority! The 14 year old little shepherd boy David was not in fear of Goliath because he knew he had God on his side. He defeated the giant and later became king of Israel! If he would have let fear control him, we never would have heard of him, and he certainly would never have been king.

You need to tell old Satan that the Holy Ghost power makes you the boss and he and his demons can get lost!

You need to remember that God is on your side, He is your tag team partner, and he is looking out for you! If God has given you a calling, go for it baby! Stop letting fear get in your way! When people try to discourage you tell them to go play on the freeway! Be a God-pleaser not a man-pleaser!

If God calls you He equips you. When God gives the vision He gives the provision!

You don’t want to be branded a coward for the rest of your life do you? You can’t be recognized if you don’t get in the fight. I wrestled a 6-man tag team match one night and me and one of my tag team partners carried most of the match while the other guy left the ring and went to the bathroom! He didn’t return until the last minute of the match and me and my regular partner won when he gave a clothesline to one guy, I hit the other with a chair and dropped the third guy with a DDT face first on the mat. The referee raised all three of our hands in victory and we turned to our partner who was M.I.A. (Missing In Action) and said “Where were you pal? “ He tried to give some excuse and said, “Hey I had you all’s backs man!” We told him where he could stuff it and that he had no part in our victory!

God is the head promoter. He has called you to step into the wrestling ring. If you take a powder and go back to the dressing room like a girlie man, then don’t expect to share in any glory. You may make it to heaven but you won’t get any rewards or recognition, and you certainly won’t wear a crown like those who did what God told them to and didn’t let fear get in the way!

FEAR DOES NOT EXIST IN GOD’S WRESTLING RING!

2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

If you have a sound mind, go get in the ring!

©www.johnnyleeclary.com

Rev. Johnny Lee Clary is one of the leading advocates for racial unity in the United States and has appeared on countless television and radio shows such as The Billy Graham Radio show, Fox News, Morris Cerullo, Oprah, Morton Downey Jr., Rolanda Watts, Geraldo, Sally Jesse Raphael, Jerry Springer, Ricki Lake, Queen Latifah, Montel Williams, Phil Donahue, A&E Investigative Reports, ABC World News Tonight, Bertrice Berry, The Today Show, A Current Affair, The 700 Club, and Kenneth Copeland's TV show. He has also been a regular guest on TBN's Praise The Lord show and has been featured in America's top newspapers and magazines, including a seven page feature story in Charisma magazine in April 1999, Moody Magazine, Guidepost Magazine (Sept. 1998), Kenneth Copeland's Believer's Voice of Victory magazine, as well as appearances on TV programs in Australia, England, Holland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, and Wales.