What Every Hero Needs - A Cape?

"The Incredibles" is a great movie. And one of my favorite scenes is when Mr. Incredible needs a costume adjustment. He goes to visit costume extraordinaire, Edna, who declares that his old costume is a hobo suit, but she doesn't have time to make a new costume but secretly can't wait to get started, and finally caves. However, she won't make him a cape! "No capes!" she declares, and then explains how various other heroes had lost their lives due to their capes. One's cape is snagged on a missile, one is sucked into a jet engine, another caught in an elevator, and yet another sucked into a vortex. Capes are out of the question.

As a hero for Christ, I think capes can get you into trouble as well. Why? Because they have a tendency to make you LOOK heroic, while hiding what's going on, on the inside.

David was just a shepherd when he determined to fight Goliath. He certainly didn't look heroic. He probably didn't SMELL heroic either!

The problem was that the army of Israel, God's army, DID look heroic - but they weren't. Everyone in the army was trembling in fear as Goliath challenged someone to come and fight him. They sat around in their camp, shining their armor and polishing their swords, and talking about the great wealth that would be given to the man who defeated Goliath - but none of the trained warriors were willing to be the man!

David comes along, stinking of cheese and dirty sheep, and says "Bring it on!" He wasn't very heroic on the outside, but on the inside he was Israel's best dressed warrior.

Upon his declaration that he's willing to be the one to fight Goliath, they bring him to King Saul who laughs him off. But when he realizes that David's serious, he immediately goes to work on an extreme Hebrew makeover, complete with sword, shield, and armor. David looks in the mirror, and realizes he's already dead if he stays in this getup. Why? Because what he was bringing to the battle wasn't about exterior protection, but interior weapons. His best defense and offense was the Spirit of God inside of Him. That would be what would win the battle.

So Saul gives in, and let's David go with nothing more than his shepherd gear. David stops by the river to pick up some stones, and heads off to meet Goliath.

The other thing about capes is that they cover your back. David didn't need anything to cover his back. If you read the story in 1 Samuel 17, you'll see that the only running David does is forward - towards Goliath, not away from him. He knew that children of God are never meant to run away from the fight, but toward it. When you read about the armor of God, in Ephesians 6, you'll read that there is no part of the armor that covers your back. There is no defensive plan. Our best defense is not a GOOD offense, but a CONSTANT offense.

Jesus said it much more eloquently when Peter declared Him to be the Christ, "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it!" (Matthew 16:18)

David was offensive, in both senses of the word. He offended Israel's army by showing them up. They should have been the ones running to the battle. And he was offensive in his attack on Goliath. Goliath had everything a hero needs on the outside, but it didn't stand a chance against what David had on the inside. David made sure he knew it as he ran toward him, too: "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied." (1 Samuel 17:45)

If you're gonna be a hero, start on the inside, and work your way out. We've been given some incredible tools to fight hard, and win. Maybe you don't LOOK like a hero! But I guarantee you have it inside you!

Mighty Hero! The Lord is with you! You were born for such a time as this! You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you! So put on the full armor of God, so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil.