I Will Not Be Silent--I Will Stand Firm

All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. -Matthew 10:22

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. -1 Cor. 16:13

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place... -Ephesians 6:14

What images do these verses provoke? Is it the image of fear or of courage. The image of a mouse or a lion? A shout or a whisper?

Let me preface my post by saying that I know there are times when God calls us to be quiet, to be still, to whisper, to be mild as a lamb. I know that we are to approach all situations with love, compassion and understanding. With that being said let me continue.

I have noticed a trend among Christians today. It seems to be a passive  response to all the ails of today's society. If the Holy Spirit convicts us of something, telling us that it is a sin, that it grieves the Father, should we not try to reach others? Should we not try to share our message with children of our God or with those who are lost? I don't understand the attitude of not wanting to step on anyone's toes or offend anyone. True, as I said above, we have to do it with a spirit of love and gentleness but we still need to do it, no matter how uncomfortable it makes us or with those who we share the message. When Jesus threw of the tables in temple, was that wrong because it offended those who had made a mockery of His holy place? No, of course not! Our Savior constantly tested the waters, stirred the pot, ruffled feathers.

Let me approach this from a slightly different angle. Christ has called us to love others as we love ourselves. As a mom, I love my child deeply. Just because I simply love my child does not give him the direction he needs. The love exuding from my heart does not teach him right from wrong. I teach him these things because I love him. Does he always like them? Ok, rhetorical question there. Even though he doesn't like discipline, doesn't like to hear he is wrong, cries, gets angry, pouts and more when I have to show him the truth, it is worth it! It is worth it because I know that I am showing him the right way. It makes me uncomfortable, it makes him uncomfortable but I disciple and speak truth to my son out of genuine love for him.

Sisters in Christ, what I am simply trying to say here is that regardless of what society tells us, it is OKAY to make waves. It is OKAY to upset people sometimes by speaking your convictions. Furthermore, I am convinced that if you remain silent on your convictions you are not only hurting the people you do not share with, you are hurting our Father by not doing His will.

Lastly, let me just reiterate that I do believe there are times that we need to be silent because it is not the time or the place, because the Spirit has not moved us to speak. Yet, we cannot always remain silent because we don't want to make others uncomfortable, we must speak truth! Let me leave you with a few other verses.

Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. -Matthew 24:12-13

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. -Colossians 3:16

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. -2 Cor. 10:5

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. -John 4:23

 Please feel free to leave some feedback on this topic.
What are some examples of time you have remained silent, either with believers or unbelievers? What are some examples of times you have spoken up, even if it made every other person in the room (including yourself) uncomfortable?

Until next time, may Christ's love and blessing be upon you and yours.