If you get on your knees before God, you can stand before any man.
And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. Philippians 1:14
Today I read a comment from someone on their stance on the vaccine mandate. Their response was intelligent, compassionate, and aligned pretty much to my thoughts. After I read it my cursor floated over the “LIKE” button. It hovered because I was afraid to hit like and tie myself to the statement. Time passed and the statement hung out there like the proverbial “elephant in the room” on the forum. This person’s idea was contrary to the accepted narrative. However, I believe that more people align to this thought but because we fear backlash, threats, potential job loss and alienation in our communities, we keep it to ourselves.
Finally, one brave person hit “LIKE” and then a rapid succession of thumbs up began. The boldness of one person gave the rest of us the courage. I thought about this incident for the rest of the day. We have become conditioned to worry about the consequences of expressing ourselves we have chosen to sit on the sidelines silent. As Christians, we have our own mandate to declare the gospel to all.
Jesus was not always very popular himself. Though he taught thousands there were thousands more that refused his message. He was driven out of towns, in fact his hometown. The truth is not always the popular narrative, but truth cannot be silent, and neither can we. If we cannot have the boldness to hit a button how will we face the coming days? The time is coming when you will have to decide to boldly say you stand with Jesus or with his enemy. If we cannot speak up for truth now, how will we stand for it later?
Each of us face times when we struggle and are reluctant to share our faith. We do not have to muster up courage but rely on the Spirit that is within each of us. Through studying the Word and coming to God in repentance and prayer He will embolden us to proclaim the gospel without fear.
Boldness is contagious. When we are bold for Christ, it provokes others to do the same.
Typist for Jesus
Mustard Seeds, Modern Parables 