Deny Shy: No Turning Back

The one who is in the field, let him not turn back.

Luke 17:31 (NKJV)

Jesus said to him, 'No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.'

Luke 9:62 (NKJV)

Consider one definition of shy: 'To draw back, as from fear or caution' (American Heritage Dictionary).

Clearly, God doesn’t want us to draw back, look back, or turn back:

  • 'I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My Commandments' (1 Samuel 15:11).

  • 'Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies' (Joshua 7:12).

Instead, God points us in one direction: forward, toward Him!

  • 'Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith' (Hebrews 12:2).

The Apostle Paul said:

  • 'One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus' (Philippians 3:13-14).

As Naomi traveled to Bethlehem, she advised Ruth to turn back and go home…

  • 'Ruth replied, 'Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God' ' (Ruth 1:16).

Ruth's reward? Joy, prosperity, and Jesus, Himself… as the Descendant of Ruth and Boaz.

Actors, models, and talent for Christ: don't give the demon of shyness an inch: Rebuke him. Stomp on him, and throw him out!

He’s not a teddy bear you’re called to hug. Because timidity has horns and thorns. As you make yourself small (while squeezing him), as you turn away from your challenges, you’ll bleed, but it’s not the Blood of Jesus. It won’t protect you. It will cause you harm. 

Instead, move forward… on HIS path, in HIS strength, by YOUR courage. Through God, you’re BIG enough and TOUGH enough:

  • 'Through God, [you] shall do valiantly' (Psalm 60:12).

As you walk in the fields of media: a land of giants, called celebrities…

  • 'A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation. I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time' (Isaiah 60:22).

Its time is TODAY! This Verse is the Lord’s concluding promise in the very chapter of Isaiah that begins with your BOLD marching orders:

  • 'Arise, shine, for your light has come.' (Isaiah 60:1).

Forward is where your destiny awaits.

Deny Shy: No Turning Back (Part 2)

NOTE: This is a 2023 update of a 2014 Carey Lewis Devotion. You may see notes to 'Actors, Models & Talent for Christ.' If you think you're not in show business, think again. Shakespeare said, 'All the world's a stage and all its men and women merely players. Mostly true. But you're not merely players. You are messengers and ambassadors for the King of kings.

Carey Arban