Four Steps to Victory in God’s Grace Part 2: Take Your Stand
Scripture Readings: Psalm 57:7, Luke 4:8, 1 Corinthians 15:58
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Have you ever felt like doing something, but you’re so frozen in fear or anxiety that you decide to take a pass? For example, deep water pools scared me When I was a young kid. I was afraid to learn how to swim out of fear of drowning. I was good in five-foot pools where I could touch the bottom, but any pool that was deeper than five feet was a no-go for me. Whenever anyone asked me if I wanted to learn how to swim, I’d say “I’ll pass” or say “I’m ok.” I’ll let the fear of drowning paralyze my ability to learn how to swim. It wasn’t until i was a bit older I told myself, “I am going to do this.” Yes, I was still full of fear, but i decided to take a stand against fear and learn how to swim in a pool where I couldn't easily touch the bottom.
In our Christian walk, there will be times when we face fear. The fear of rejection of preaching the Gospel, the fear of family members not wanting to have anything to do with you simply because you follow Christ and the commandments of his word. The persecution we face because the world thinks we’re “weird’ or out of touch with reality. The fact is, The Word of God is true and infallible, and quite frankly I’d rather be looked at by the world as “weird” but with truth, rather than be accepted by the world and without truth, and to live separate from God.
1 Corinthians 15:58 says, Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. If you are a born-again believer, it is our Christian duty to take a stand for your faith. Just as Paul said in this verse, we must be steadfast and unmoveable in performing the duty we are called to do. Like he said, this labor is not in vain. The work we do for the Lord will transform lives from iniquity to righteousness through the holy spirit. Remember It’s not that we love God, it's that He loved us first.
Jesus gave us the perfect example in taking a stand. In Luke chapter 4 we see Jesus fasting and praying to the Father for forty days, when the Devil tempts Him on the high mountain to worship him. In Luke 4:8 Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Jesus took a stand against the temptation of the devil. His focus was doing the will of His Father. My question to you is, are you taking a stand in your faith? Are you sharing the Gospel with those closest to you? Are you meeting the needs of your local Church? Are standing against politicians who are trying to introduce ungodly legislation in your town and state?
Taking a stand for the cause of Christ can be a fearful thing, but it's a duty we are all called to do. No one likes to be persecuted or rejected, but here’s some encouragement from 1 peter 3:14-15. It says “But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” Don't be afraid to take a stand for the Lord, this verse tells us that suffering for Christ is counted as Joy. Be bold, but be kind and do it with love and meekness. What God gave us is sufficient in all things. Your faith and trust in God will accomplish all things and will take the fear and worry away from taking your stand to doing God’s Work.
Conquer your fear with faith and take your stand to do God’s Work!