“Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.”
– Rev. Billy Graham
We are living in a day of jellybackness. We are a people who don't believe in contending anymore. We've become politically correct so as to not offend. We are afraid of debate, and now our very words of truth are seen as violence. Opinion is not valued unless it's the opinion that agrees with the secular progressive thought of the day.
But one thing that will never change and will endure to the end is God's Word. There's no changing it up, editing it, or re-working it. The Word of God has stood the test of time and has never been found lacking.
My wife always says of the Word of God that if you will not stand on it, then at least hide behind it. The straight edge of Scripture is what should lead and guide every believer. Far too often, we are guilty of cherishing the opinions of man rather than the steadfast Word of God. But the Word of God is what causes us to be courageous, to be bold in our walk, and to be peacemakers instead of peacekeepers.
If we who are a part of the Body of Christ will not contend for the faith, then who will? While the wicked and the reprobate grow bolder in their wickedness, now is not the time for the followers of The Way to cower.
Armed with the Word of God and the precious Holy Spirit who infuses every believer with the power to stand in difficult times, we must stand firm and represent what we know to be true. Believer, don't quiet down when they tell you to shut up; it's this Christian witness that the world wants to silence. It's this conviction -- that the wages of sin is death and that the only way out of a totally depraved situation is through Christ Jesus -- that the enemy wants to silence. We cannot be silent.
Instead, we should do as the prophet Isaiah declared:
“Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.”
–Isaiah 58:1
The Body of Christ needs courage today. As this courage is displayed, I believe we will see that, as Rev. Graham stated, the spines of others in the Body will also be stiffened.
(This blog was first posted HERE on urbanfamilytalk.com)
