Becoming a Hero With Lisa BevereSample

Heroes Discover Superhuman Power

There is a pattern that plays out in almost every superhero’s story. It is the struggle that reveals a power greater than the individual. This happens when the hero is confronted by an enemy or a limitation, only to discover a hidden deeper source of power they didn’t know they had. In the case of Superman, he discovers deeper wells of strength when he overcomes evil by a virtuous act.

With that in mind, consider this verse in Psalms:

The godly people in the land
are my true heroes!
I take pleasure in them! (Psalm 16:3, NLT)

I love this verse because it equates godliness with heroism. What does it mean to be godly? Some of the words that define godly are holy, heavenly, transcendent, and superhuman. As we echo our Father’s nature we are empowered by His Spirit. This means again that we operate:

Not by might, nor by power,
but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6)

Thankfully, our hero status is not dependent on our human might or power or even our human spirit; it comes from the power of his Spirit. We can help the endangered and frightened when we understand He is our ultimate source of power.

Imagining that any of us can be a hero in our own strength will not take us very far, and like superheroes, we will always be held back by our own limitations and weaknesses. But when God is our power source, and we allow ourselves to be accountable to the One who empowers us, we discover hidden reserves of joy, endurance, peace, patience, courage, empathy and love.