Agents of Shield

Psalm 139:1-145:21

“Seasons change. And old situation creeping up in a new season of our life can be more complicated than ever. We can think we’ve murdered that monster once and for all, and then it rises from the dead and its grown another head.” – Beth Moore, So Long, Insecurity You’ve Been a Bad Friend to Us

I have been looking for this book for months now! Ever since I realized that God wanted me focusing on Identity in Christ during this season of my life. When I had only just begun down that path God showed me with brilliant clarity that many of our fears, doubts, struggles and even our insecurities find their roots in how we identify ourselves with Christ. So I knew I just HAD to get my hands on this book because Beth Moore is one of my all time FAVORITE people on this planet! God has used her to teach me so much!

Anyway, yesterday I walked over to a free book table and whose sweet face did I see? On not one but TWO book covers of books that are both on my search list! Talk about excited! Hee hee!

It was a pretty big day at our house yesterday; Tuesday is Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. night! For the last six months I’ve missed Agents of SHIELD due to Greek class, but last week was our graduation, so last night was a BIG deal. We have not only been to every Marvel movie, we own them and watch them regularly too. This past Friday was our first day of Spring Break. What did we do? Sean took the day off work and we went to the very first showing of Captain America: The Winter Soldier!

Last night we had Sloppy Simmons, Fitz Fries, Coulson Corn and Skye Strawberries for dinner. We sat down and watched clips of each of the Agents of Shield characters online then pulled up last week’s episode on the DVR. Then we watched the new episode, it did NOT disappoint! I am so in awe of the genius that is Stan Lee and the people at Marvel. Their ability to create not just one compelling storyline, but several that ALL fit together seamlessly across several different modes of media! It’s storytelling at it’s best in my opinion.

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!

Anyway, in both the Winter Soldier and Agents of Shield you find out that the Hydra organization from the original Captain America movie has returned and is wreaking havoc like never before. And as Agents of Shield finished last night we were talking about the Hydra and the way it works. When you cut one head off two will replace it. The way to kill the Hydra is NOT to cut off its head, but to kill its heart. Like a dandelion, you can’t just pull off the top and expect it to go away; you have to kill the root.

And so it is, I’m finding, with our Fears, Doubts and Struggles. They are all heads of the Hydra of Insecurity in our Identity in Christ. While all of them are a big deal and need cutting off – cause boy do they have TEETH! None of them are the heart, or root, of the matter. How you view your identity in Christ is the heart of it all. And how you receive His love for you is the blood, the life force that fuels everything.

If we’re seeing our identity in Christ as something that it’s not, then Fear, Doubt and Struggles will bloom in our lives and grow into heads with teeth, fangs, that will shred our souls if we let them. However, when we see ourselves the way we really are, IN Christ, well that’s the way to really kill the Hydra.

According to Psalm 91 (and many others) Jesus is our shield and refuge. 2 Corinthians 3:20 tells us that “we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us.” That means that we’re His agents, here to do the work of furthering the Kingdom. So, if He is our shield and we are His agents, then we’re the Agents of Shield! And now this nerdy girl is very happy to have reached that conclusion and taken you there with me!

Hee hee! I know, I’m such a dork, but you love me anyway, right? 😉

So am I alone? Does anyone else out there just love everything Marvel? Does anyone want to join me in reading (and conquering) So Long, Insecurity You’ve Been a Bad Friend to Me? I’d love to have company in reading it!!!!