By Theresa Leavitt
I am concerned and not a little confused that so many times even Christians seem to become angry over Biblical Truths. Not judgements of others, or perceived judgements, but the sharing of the Word of God. Some seem scared of the Truth found in the Bible; not the interpretations of man, but the Complete Word of our Lord. How can we, as Christians, hope to guide the lost to Christ, when we ourselves are intimidated or scared of His Truth?
We must become Truth Warriors. We must realize that the Word of God is the only Authority. We must not shrink from His Commands. We must not hide from His Instruction. We must embrace His Laws. So what is a Truth Warrior? A Truth Warrior is one who does not pick fights, nor does he / she enjoying hurting people. Truth Warriors are people who take on the world, accept the challenge, live for Christ each day.
Truth Warriors stand firm in His Truth. Are not timid. Warriors wear Armor (see Ephesians 6:11-20). If we are to stand in the Word, grow in the Word, spread the Word, we must be Warriors.
So many times Christians try to "keep the peace", after all, we are a peaceful sort, aren?t we? And yet, this "peace keeping" is stifling the spread of God?s Glorious Word, His Promises. No one, while in the muck and mire of the world, wants to be told they are living in muck and mire.
They know, they don?t think there is anything else, and so to be polite, too many times, we are silent. They might, after all, think we are a zealot or something. Heaven forbid!
I have found that as I grow in Christ, I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut. I?m tired. Tired of trying not to offend. I have not only rights, but also responsibilities. For example, when I was saved, the job I had was somewhat flexible. We could read while things were slow, and the dress was casual. I took my Bible to work with me. I had a favorite T-shirt that I wore. The front says "The Lord?s Gym Bench press this!" with a picture of Christ carrying the cross.
The back says "His Pain - Your gain".
I got SO much flack regarding my reading material, and was told my T-shirt was inappropriate. Here I am, reading the Holy Bible, and it is inappropriate. The guy next too me was constantly reading manuals about Dungeons and Dragons. My T-shirt was inappropriate, but the Budweiser frogs worn by others was considered "cute". I had to beg for one day off to be baptized, and yet everyone else had no problem getting two days off to celebrate St. Patrick?s day, and recover from his or her hangovers.
So what should I do? I started out quietly keeping the Bible put away until break time, and not wearing my T-shirt. I kept silent. I didn?t "advertise" my faith. Then I read:
Isaiah 59:19 "So they will fear the name of the Lord from the west And His glory from the rising of the sun, For He will come like a rushing stream, Which the wind of the Lord drives."
What did this tell me? They were scared. They were uncomfortable. So after that, I wore my T-shirt. I read my Bible. I took the day off to be baptized. Does that make me a troublemaker? Or does that open the door to Championing the Truth of our Lord? I hungered to learn. I stood against them as long as I could. I was such a baby in Christ, that quickly the pressure got to me. I quit the job.
I?ve grown since then. And yet that taught me a valuable lesson. I refuse to allow the "constitutional rights" other proclaim to deny me of the same rights I have under the same constitution. You see, so many proclaim the right to freedom of religion, to justify other religions. They attempt to use that clause to deny Christians of the same rights they cling to. The constitution allows for freedom of speech. So many claim their right to speak, and deny our right to proclaim our Lord and Savior.
They pick and chose. The Bible gives me, and you, the Right, the Responsibility, to practice our religion by worshipping our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Bible gives us the Right, the Responsibility to Proclaim His name. To Worship unto Him.
And He tells us that what we will face is not only opposition, but also Warfare. We will become targets.
Isaiah 59:15 "Yes, truth is lacking; And he who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey."Ephesians 6:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."
Why do we need to be Warriors? To stand against those who will work to deceive our fellow brethren, and us.Isaiah 32:6 "For a fool speaks nonsense, And his heart inclines toward wickedness, To practice ungodliness and to speak error against the Lord, To keep the hungry person unsatisfied And to withhold drink from the thirsty."
Hebrews 13:9 "Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings;"
Romans 16:18 "For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting."
So what do we do? How do we become Warriors? Go to the Bible. Look to the Bible for direction. This keeps us from having to defend our positions or ourselves. If there is an issue with what we pass on, all one has to do is go to the Bible. Look it up. And as my husband says, if they don?t like what we have to say, "Take it up with the Author".
We?re on the front lines. It will not be getting easier; it will be getting more uncomfortable. Put on His Armor. On the front line one cannot be weak.
Ephesians 6:11-20 "Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 6:16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.