02/06/2008: "Standing Up For What You Believe"
-Deuteronomy 31: 7-8
My father preached a message a while back, citing two major fears of most people nowadays. One is dying, fear of death and the other is speaking in front of a crowd. I don't know how many people would agree with that, but I know I do. I also know that a couple of years ago, I would even choose to die ten times over than I would have chosen speaking in front of a crowd. I am the type of person who preferred to shy into the background and would be absolutely mortified if a teacher would call me to read out loud or give an answer in class.
All the same, it was very hard for me to be verbal about my opinions and beliefs of God. How many times have I stood by when atheist friends would say terrible things about God in front of me? And because I was afraid of voicing my own opinion of the God I know, I was basically letting them run me over. It was the same sort of feeling I had if someone was talking mess about a family member or a really close friend. I wanted so desperately to find that strength inside of me to stand up for what I believe in.
I have gone through several stages in my life where God has challenged me to leave my comfort zones and dare to be someone different in Him, dare to be someone more bolder and stronger and more loving in His name. "He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed." So while people's opinions may make or break you in this world, in all honesty, it doesn't matter what they think. God will never hate us or ignore us because we said something bad or didn't like a certain band. He won't leave us because we prefer one flavor over another or disagree on politics. Having that great friend and comforter has given me the courage to stand up for what I believe in and that is Christ himself.