The Audacity of Faith

Prologue Growing up in the West Indies during the 1970s and ’80s was like playing Russian roulette. My little country, a wildly popular vacation destination in the Caribbean, was plagued with political strife. A dictator ruled the land, and people could not plan for the future, as corrupt officials would unscrupulously pick their pockets through high or unnecessary taxation and price gouging. For this and many other reasons, people fled in hopes of a better life. My parents have always been industrious and resourceful people. In the West Indies, my father was a minister and factory worker, while my mom was a humble homemaker. No matter how hard they worked to put food on the table and to give us children a chance, it seemed like we never got ahead. The money always ran thin and barely covered our family’s growing needs. There were nine children in our family, all of us school age, but educating us in so disadvantaged a state was no easy feat. Education cost money, and though primary school was mandated, secondary education was not. Furthermore, after paying for the required education of the younger children, my parents, like many others, found it difficult to send their older children to school. As a result, my parents decided to immigrate to America—the land of opportunity where immigrants were told that they could work their way up. Though born a peon, one did not have to die a peon in America. A person could easily be a servant one day and a master the next. This was the opportunity that my parents envisioned and what I in turn desired. In my adolescent and young adult years, I dreamed of finding success. However, my ambitions were directly opposed by the unseen Enemy. Where I dreamed of accomplishment, he desired my destruction. When the love of God fills your spirit, challenges will always be at your doorstep. The Bible warns the people of God to be sober and vigilant, because our adversary the Devil is like a roaring lion seeking to devour us. I can offer several firsthand accounts testifying to the validity of this warning. The Enemy is at war with God’s children. He knows his time is short, and he is striving to destroy our hope, faith, and joy. As the son of a minister, I have always been a prime target for him. The Enemy knows that destroying my hope, faith, and joy will injure my parents’ hope, faith, and joy, thereby infecting God’s ministry. Consequently, as a youth I was challenged every day by extraordinary peer pressure. There was pressure to do or sell drugs, to skip classes or cut school, to become a wayward youth or a gangster, and to fail. There were days when I, like many in my high school, considered carrying a weapon to protect myself against the repercussions of not submitting to the pressure. Thankfully, I did not do this and never truly needed to make that decision. I clearly saw the results of submitting to peer pressure: my young friends and neighbors who surrendered to the streets wasted their lives on drugs. Because I was a prime target, the Devil’s assault did not stop in my adult years. I endured personal, financial, and spiritual trials. Each trial was supernaturally designed to attack my faith and attitude of praise. I lost many battles—especially after visiting the demonic lairs of a brother and close family friends. Yet, like a good shepherd, Christ was always present to rescue me and dust me off for the next scrimmage. As a result, I claim victory in the war for my life, because if God is for me, nothing can stand against me!