TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• But whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father, who is in heaven. (Matthew 10:33 ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• My dog likes to make a liar out of me. I worry to my friends about how she hobbles around the house like an old woman… how her mobility is really going downhill… how her cataracts are making her struggle with navigating the stairs… And then… company comes over, and all of a sudden, her mobility and health issues are non-existent. She bounces around like a puppy rather than the arthritic senior citizen dog that she is. And ask anyone who has been around my dog — once she gets started, Beth likes to circle. And circle. And circle some more. She acts one way with Wayne and me. And acts another when other people are around.
My challenge to you today is to consider whether you do the same… We all have people with whom we are more comfortable talking about our faith. We can pray together without hesitation and share what we’re studying about God. We can easily invite those people to church or Bible studies.
But then, there’s another group of people. The people we may not speak up in front of… What about them? Are we worried about being judged? Are we worried that they will think we’re weird? Are we worried about offending them?
I admit, there was a time I didn’t like to talk about God publicly. I wouldn’t dare post a Bible verse on social media or ask for prayer. However, the older I get, the less I care what someone thinks of my faith. I’m a Christian, and if that bothers you, too bad. I answer to God and no one else. I was talking about this to my BFF in Texas yesterday…. Jesus said, “but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father, who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:33). This is the verse that scares her and my husband the most. And with good reason. It should terrify everyone.
We’re in a culture that, for all its claims of tolerance, has zero tolerance for a Bible-believing Christian. And for that reason, Christians may be retreating. But we should be doing the exact opposite. We should be charging. Because this is war. We already know the outcome (spoiler alert: Jesus wins), but that doesn’t mean that the battles aren’t fierce.
If you don’t realize there is a spiritual war going on this very moment, open your eyes! Get out your Bible and read! The persecution of Christians that happens throughout the world is coming to America. We may not be beaten and jailed for our faith at this time, but we are being persecuted. We worry about being judged while we are being judged! We worry about offending others while they don’t care how much they offend us for our beliefs!
But we have to be careful that we don’t see these people as the enemies. They are, in fact, the victims. Because they are believing the lies of the father of lies — Satan himself. We have to look at those who hate the name of Christianity and despise everything we believe in and realize that they desperately need our prayers. They desperately need us to show them the hands and feet of Jesus. Offending them should be the least of our worries. Besides, the Bible already tells us that the Word of God is offensive to those who don’t believe (1 Peter 2:7-8; 1 Corinthians 1:18).
So I encourage you today — be consistent. Don’t live life one way with some people and another way for others. Jesus said in Matthew 10:22, “And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Whatever consequences you deal with for proclaiming, your faith in Jesus will be well worth it. After all, for those of us who believe in Jesus, we know our destiny.
The unfortunate truth is, many who deny Him also deny their own destiny.
We need revival. Let’s do our part by sharing the Gospel with everyone. Let’s stop worrying about who we may offend because we may be “not offending” them straight to hell. I don’t want that on my conscious. In one of my worst nightmares, at the Judgement Seat of Christ, a non-believing friend stands before me with tears streaming down their face as they are dragged to hell, and they scream, “Why?? Why didn’t you tell me?!?!?!” That image absolutely terrifies me.
Today, as you pray, thank Jesus that He has already won this war. Ask the Holy Spirit to equip you for the battle and to be consistent in your faith. Ask Him to help you fearlessly share that you are a Christian, without hesitation, without reservation, and without fear!
SHARING ••• My Grace-Full Life is written by Denise Heidel. You are welcome to share anything I write, but please credit my writing and graphics accordingly. Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. Subscribe through my website to have My Grace-Full Life delivered to your email. You can unsubscribe at any time. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the ESV translation.
