3 Ways to Stand For Your Faith
The buzz around Hollywood these days, along with all the social media sites, is the story of a young actor who recently stood up for his beliefs in God by declaring that the sitcom he stars in, is nothing but filth. He is asking viewers and fans to turn off the show and quit feeding their minds with trash it dishes out. Now that's courage!
So, how do regular folks like you and me take a stand for our faith each and every day? Simple. We follow three simple steps:
1. Soak it in. Each of us have been given 24 hours every day, 7 days a week. We have a choice of when to get out of bed, what we should eat, which clothes to wear, and how to spend our time. Somewhere within our day, we should strive to carve out a portion of time to soak in God's Word and spend time with Him.
Even Jesus - as busy as He was, found time to get up early and spend moments with the Father. The Bible says that "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." Mark 1:35
Jesus recognized His need to plug into the source of His strength, wisdom and power; in essence, to soak in all the Father wanted to reveal to Him. If God's perfect Son needed to soak it up, then so do we.
2. Live it out. If we are a Christ follower, we have a responsibility to live out our faith very publicly. Do your children see you pray, or catch you spending time with God reading His Word? How about in public. Do you pray before your meal at restaurants? Is your speech full of words that build others up and glorify God, or do they tumble out haphazardly?
The Apostle Peter wrote, "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." 1 Peter 2:12
Finally...
3. Pour it on. Have you ever been around someone who's bathed themselves in perfume? Even after they leave the room, the fragrance still lingers.
We should be so bathed in Christ, that His presence and aroma envelops everyone we come in contact with.
2 Corinthians 2:14-16 says, "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?"
How is your smell today? Do you leave a fragrant offering of Jesus wherever you go?
Well, friends, I think it's about time we all have the courage to live out our faith just like the Hollywood actor. Who knows...it might make a difference in our own little circle of influence God has us in.
Blessings,
Kristi
So, how do regular folks like you and me take a stand for our faith each and every day? Simple. We follow three simple steps:
1. Soak it in. Each of us have been given 24 hours every day, 7 days a week. We have a choice of when to get out of bed, what we should eat, which clothes to wear, and how to spend our time. Somewhere within our day, we should strive to carve out a portion of time to soak in God's Word and spend time with Him.
Even Jesus - as busy as He was, found time to get up early and spend moments with the Father. The Bible says that "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." Mark 1:35
Jesus recognized His need to plug into the source of His strength, wisdom and power; in essence, to soak in all the Father wanted to reveal to Him. If God's perfect Son needed to soak it up, then so do we.
2. Live it out. If we are a Christ follower, we have a responsibility to live out our faith very publicly. Do your children see you pray, or catch you spending time with God reading His Word? How about in public. Do you pray before your meal at restaurants? Is your speech full of words that build others up and glorify God, or do they tumble out haphazardly?
The Apostle Peter wrote, "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." 1 Peter 2:12
Finally...
3. Pour it on. Have you ever been around someone who's bathed themselves in perfume? Even after they leave the room, the fragrance still lingers.
We should be so bathed in Christ, that His presence and aroma envelops everyone we come in contact with.
2 Corinthians 2:14-16 says, "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?"
How is your smell today? Do you leave a fragrant offering of Jesus wherever you go?
Well, friends, I think it's about time we all have the courage to live out our faith just like the Hollywood actor. Who knows...it might make a difference in our own little circle of influence God has us in.
Blessings,
Kristi
To say that his public profession of faith is a buzz is an understatement. Not only has he called the show what it is, but a show that he himself has been a part of for many years. Hollywood, in its darkness and corresponding lack of understanding, and with Satan providing the fuel, will ride this story for all it's worth. And sadly, with that courageous young actor as the target. He deserves our applause and our prayers.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you backed up (sorry for the police jargon - couldn't resist) each of your steps with scripture. Every verse perfectly supports each step you describe.
My work schedule is such that "very early in the morning" might be the middle of the afternoon for me. My rotating shifts sometimes have me wondering what planet I'm on, but I always make time to soak in. With God's grace I live it out, not always perfectly, but increasingly so. Likewise, I pour it on imperfectly, but pour it nonetheless.
Thank you for addressing the issue of publicly living out our faith. My prayers for saints everywhere is that they have the courage to live it out and pour it on.
Thanks, Matty. I'd like to say that for myself, I'm always on target with each of these things, but truthfully, I don't always live out my faith the way I know I should. I guess it's a process and one we all need a little encouragement in. :) Have a great day, my friend.
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