Undaunted.Life: A Man's DevotionalSample

SPIRITUAL, Day 2: Fearless Spirit

The ashamed drug addict becomes an elite warrior…

There are not very many stories that have that kind of trajectory. Yet, that is the exact story of Navy SEAL Chief (SOC) Adam Brown.

Like many young boys who grew up in Arkansas, Adam loved the outdoors and anything that might get him dirty. As a child, he was known not just for climbing on top of tall things but also for jumping off of them after he got to the peak.

Throughout Adam’s childhood and on into his teenage and early adulthood years, many people used a single word to describe him: fearless. Whether going up against much larger players on the football field or facing down the two barrels of a shotgun during a back roads fight, Adam was undaunted.

His life took a turn for the worse when he started experimenting with hard drugs during a dark and confusing period in his life. His drug habit led him down a path where he began stealing from loved ones to support his habit, and he ended up isolating himself from just about every truly important person in his life. His path eventually landed him in jail. It was at this time when he realized he had hit rock bottom, and he cried out for God’s help and mercy. In the form of Jesus Christ, help and mercy was granted.

His life really began to turn around when he found a higher calling and purpose for his life: the United States Navy SEALs. With the assistance of a loving wife and revered Navy officers, Adam was able to make it through BUD/S, Hell Week, and other extensive combat training to earn his SEAL Trident.

His SEAL career was not without its trials, however. He took a training round directly to his right eye that led to the removal of that eye, and he had his right hand completely crushed in a friendly Humvee accident while deployed. This forced him to retrain his brain and body to shoot with his non-dominant hand and eye. He was able to overcome all of those trials and circumstances to complete two of the most difficult training programs in all of the military: Naval Special Warfare Sniper School and Close Quarters Battle training. Adam said that without God’s strength working through him, constant Bible study, and a lifestyle of incessant prayer that he would never have been able to conquer those obstacles.

Additionally, Adam was able to earn his way into the most elite fighting force in all of the US Navy: the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU) or SEAL Team SIX.

If you ask Adam’s fellow SEALs to describe him in a single word, most of them would pick this familiar one: fearless. Whether in the woods of Arkansas or the mountains of Afghanistan, he operated with fearless ferocity. His fearless, can-do attitude put him directly in the line of fire deep inside enemy territory on March 17th, 2010. On this night, while jumping into the fray to protect his teammates, Adam suffered multiple catastrophic gunshot wounds that ended up claiming his life. He died a hero and a patriot.

Being undaunted in the face of trials and dangers is a mark of the Holy Spirit’s influence in our lives. As Christians, we should know that cowardice and timidity are not characteristics God has given to his people.

In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, Paul was doing his best to encourage Timothy to embrace this undaunted spirit at a time when that may have been in short supply. He was urging Timothy to live out the strength that the Lord had already bestowed upon him.

Men, let Paul’s words sink into your hearts the same way they did for Timothy.

How can you live a life that is defined by fearlessness in the face of worldly trials?