There is something lacking in the world of Christianity, something that has diminished before our very eyes in just the last few decades. The battle has escalated, and those who were not willing to endure the hardships of it are being weeded out, the combatants on the side of the Lord are becoming fewer and fewer. It was to be expected, too many thought that just by attending to the least of what was expected of them, the cause of the just would be expanded, but they were wrong, evil begets evil, and those who have not been willing to stand against it are fleeing from the battle.
What is lacking is confidence, a Holy confidence that should emit from every believer on this planet, from everyone who claims Christ as Lord. There are those of course that are still standing, though they be wounded in body and spirit at times, they have on the armor of God and never take it off, but that is not the prevalent Christian these days. Some have chosen a cause, and hopefully it is one that the Lord has led them to, alcohol, drugs, abortion, these are some of the factors within the world that the world has chosen as correct and admitted within many societies, at least to one degree or another. But do those who fight against them advance the kingdom of God, are they admonishing’s from followers of Christ to bring to the knowledge of our fellow human being’s what is right and wrong in His eyes. Causes can seem just on both sides of the fence; you do not need to be saved to know whether something is correct in the eyes of most of mankind.
If your calling is to help individuals to overcome drug abuse, and you do not bring up the truths of Scripture when doing so, what good have you done? Granted, if your words and techniques are successful and that one no longer is in bondage to the slavery of addiction in this area, wonderful, but he will still die in his sins if he is not given the Word of God by the power and leading of the Holy Spirit, you have done nothing but extend his life until his final day, his final place in eternity will not have changed one bit. Causes for the sake of man are a wonderful thing, they show compassion, but without Christ all they show are the compassions of man, and even the lost are capable of this feat, though their love is not in truth. Again, if someone can save the life of an unborn baby from the abortion clinic, praise God, but if the mother is not told that it is Christ that is leading the one who has helped them in this endeavor, what eternal purpose has been achieved, you have saved two lives, but led no one to the Lord for the salvation of their souls, much less even mentioned the One who gave life to them in the first place.
Herein is where the followers of Christ have failed miserably in many parts of the world in the recent past, the Holy confidence that they are to have within them at all times has been replaced with the fear of men, of the possible retributions of their words and actions. They have begun to seek the praise of men instead of the fear of God, a reverential and abiding trust in His leading in nearly all areas of their lives has been lost to them, except that which they keep hidden within themselves. The plan is working perfectly, do not bring up the issues of the evils in the world that are abounding to those who are committing them, we are to always love, never correct, only in words of love are we able to convince others, never in correction and reproof, always be understanding, never forceful in your convictions. “Thus saith the Lord” are old words that do not belong in today’s society. If you speak the truths of the Words of God, if you stand upon the Holy convictions that you know to be correct, then you will face the possibility of being called intolerant, and perhaps even more. You might be taken to court and accused of being bigoted and narrow minded, of trying to force your views and ideologies upon the public and upon those within it that do not agree with you, you know, just like our Lord was.
Why has this happened? Easy, because the Word of God said it was going to. “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;” (2nd Thess. 2:3) The Holy conviction that we are to have within ourselves to stand for the truths of the Scriptures are as falling leaves to far too many who are following Christ today, we have even come up with a new name for these people, “carnal Christians.” They are not only trying to keep one foot in the world while they profess Christ, but will do all within their power never to offend, and that includes not speaking the truths of the Word when it is necessary to do so. They have found a strange sort of defining line between reproof and correction, and silence, a silence that they hope will be interpreted as love, but will give no admonishing, for the statement may be misinterpreted. Even the proper Scripture verses for the occasion are left to lay on the ground, what would these think of us if they knew for a fact that we are standing on the truths of the Word of God, no matter the consequences to ourselves, or how might they feel about them, why, we might come across as if we were better than them and we cannot have that.
But it is not even so much that reasoning for why this confidence has left the life of many who call themselves Christian, it is fear, fear of the possible retribution of man, and that type of fear denies the power of Christ within us, and is blasphemous to His name. I know I have stated this numerous times, but it bears repeating, we are to be ambassadors of the kingdom of God, heirs to the glories of heaven, servants of the Most High God, so behave accordingly. Behave in a manner that is honoring and pleasing to your master, the Lord Jesus Christ, and stop concerning yourself with what people might think about you if you are confident in the promises of the truths of His Word. These individuals have trusted the Lord for their salvation, but they expect a life of ease, one with no negative consequences whatsoever, and so their mouths no longer speak up against that which they know to be evil, wickedness is allowed to flourish when good men do nothing. “If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works.” (Prov 24:11-12) Are there those with whom God has an inverse of Hebrews 11:16 for, are there those that are His children that He is ashamed of, this I will leave to your determination.
Our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is shown in our trust in Him, our trust is revealed in the confidence that we have in Him, and those whose confidence is lacking are those who will not speak of truth when they know that they are being led to. And why will they not do this, because they do not believe the verse that says that perfect love, the perfect love that He has for us, casts out all fear. (1st John 4:18) Where then instead have they fled to? They have begun to fulfill the words of Proverbs 24:10, “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” For the ones who realize this and hate it within themselves, there is hope, hope that the Lord will strengthen them in the times of adversity, and that by His leading they will obtain the Holy confidence that can only come from Him. And supply He will, far beyond anything that they ever imagined, and what will come at that moment will be the realization that this confidence was in them all the time, and the reasons why they would not apply it will then become apparent.
We have the Holy Spirit of the Living God within us, we have been called out by the Most High Himself by an unimaginable love, we are written in the palms of the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ, what more could fill you with confidence. “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” (John 12:25) If you feel bad about yourself when these instances come up, and you in fear turn away from the Holy confidence that you were supposed to express, good, that is the Holy Spirit of God beginning to convict you. The question is, how many times will He need to do that before you finally trust in this verse, before you come to the realization that you are to hate your life in this world. We are to hate our lives in this world if we are still trying to live in it, if we are still attempting to keep one foot in this place, if we are seeking the praise of men, instead of the things of God.
That is the structure of the apostacy my friends, itchy ears and frightened believers, those that are afraid of man, and have lost sight of He whom we are to fear. Pick a cause if you are so led, but check to make sure that that cause is for Christ, not just for the betterment of mankind, not one that will make you feel better, not something that will keep you out of the spotlight. We are to be a light unto the world because it is in darkness, lights are meant to call those in darkness to it, not be hidden, and are always to be held firmly in confidence. The holy confidence that we are speaking of here leads to firm convictions, and if they are of the Word of God, they can be trusted and held in complete faith, love your neighbor as you have been commanded to, but do not back away from the truth, ever, be fervent in your resolve to always portray a Christ-like image, no matter if it is the part of Jesus that they like or not. You are not here to please them or you, you are here to serve Christ.
