Keep pressing on
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by shattered expectations – whether encountered in the political arena, the workplace, or personal lives. No one likes to lose, and when we feel defeated, it’s tempting to give up our goals and dreams. It’s simple to sit down and wallow in vanquishment. It’s harder to get up and keep pressing on – despite the obstacles before us. Yet that’s precisely what we’re called to do as servants of the most high God.
While Christians are concerned about the potential for future persecution in America, we have suffered little compared to those who’ve preceded us in the faith.
- Early Christians were tortured, enslaved, or brutally massacred in the Roman coliseum.
- All of Christ’s disciples but John were martyred and suffered horrific deaths at the hands of their enemies.
- The monk Telemachus was stoned to death by patrons of the gladiatorial games when he attempted to stop the fighting.
- John Huss, a Czech reformer and predecessor of Martin Luther, was burned at the stake for his outspokenness against the Catholic church.
- Protestants were tortured and burned to death during the reign of Queen Mary Tudor.
- William Tyndale, who translated the Bible to English, was martyred for denouncing the divorce of King Henry VIII. He was, ultimately, killed by strangulation, with his body later burned at the stake.
- Dietrick Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor who dared to speak out against Adolf Hitler, was hung to death just two weeks before American forces liberated the camp where he was held.
In America, tolerance seems to apply to everything but Christianity. Most attribute the start of the decline to be the removal of prayer from schools in 1962. More recently, we’ve seen massive lawsuits awarded against those who dared pray in Jesus’ name, crosses removed from areas where they were formerly erected as sacred memorials, and nativity scenes banned from the public square during Christmas.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, “Drag Queen story hours” are celebrated in children’s libraries, teens are afforded abortions without parental consent, and pastors have been arrested or threatened and fined for holding church services during COVID restrictions.
But does this mean that Christians should be discouraged? Certainly not. Times of testing serve to strengthen the mettle of our faith and force us to dig deeper into our Christian values. Just as the death of Christ and his disciples did not abolish Christianity, neither should any opposition in today’s society keep us from holding firm to our beliefs and values. Now is the time to strengthen our witness and bolster our resolve to remain true to what we believe.
“So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:7)
Jesus called His followers to stand firm in their faith, despite any obstacles against it. We don’t have to win by worldly standards to be victors for Christ. The world can do nothing that God, Himself, doesn’t allow. His Word and His approval should be all we worry about.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5: 11-12)
Now is the time for boldness in our testimonies. We can’t give in to fear of persecution or isolation. The “Cancel Culture” may threaten to remove our social standing, but what is that in comparison to approval by our Creator?
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)
As Christians, it’s long past time to put on the armor of the Lord and stand firm against the “flaming arrows of the evil one “(Ephesians 6:16).
Be strong, beloved, and stand firm in your faith. The time to prepare for battle is before it is upon you. Stay rooted in God’s Word. Stay true to your convictions. And never waver in your beliefs.
God is in control, and He will equip you for the fight. No matter what skirmish you may lose today, never forget that “The LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” (Deuteronomy 20:4)