And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on
speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to
harm you, for I have many in this city who are my
people.” (ESV)
Not
many of us have the courage of Paul to speak the truth about Jesus in the face
of deadly opposition. I wilt like a sun-baked
flower if I think people will not like me.
Yet even Paul needed encouragement from God, and how did the Lord
strengthen him? He reminded him that he
was not alone, that there were brothers and sisters in Christ who had his back
and would stand with him.
I
experienced this not long ago. At a
conference of educators, I discovered that several were believers. They did not wear this information on their
shirts, but it came out in subtle ways, and when it did, I was encouraged to be
bolder in speaking about my faith.
Draw
strength from those in your work, in your neighborhood, in your groups who,
like you, serve Jesus Christ. Do not
hesitate to speak the truth in love. In
addition to sharing the gospel with someone who needs to hear it, you may be encouraging
other Christians who need support to be bold.
Copyright © 2014 by Steven R. Perkins
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