Speak Up!

"Whoever acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my Father in Heaven. Whoever rejects me before others I will reject before my Father in Heaven. Do not think that I have come to establish peace on earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword." - Matthew 10:32-34

I was watching the movie "Jesus of Nazareth" on Friday night and there's a part that really motivated me to be even more outspoken about my faith.
When Jesus is on trial before the Jewish high priests, they asked Him if He was the Son of God. His life depended on this answer and being as nervous and scared as He was, He said yes, knowing very well it will definitely lead to His death.

We're used to peaceful, vulnerable images of Jesus, but He was also very radical. He was someone that held firmly to His beliefs, no matter the costs and went the extra mile to defend what's right. He never allowed His fears or His doubts to disturb His faith. This is how we're called to be, in the face of any opposition, stand up for our faith in Jesus Christ. It's not easy to speak up when we want others to approve of us or when we feel we should say something to someone but we don't want to interfere with their lives. In reality, it shouldn't matter who mocks us, who puts us down, who laughs at us, or who doesn't think we're cool… we need to stand up for what we believe and if Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life for us, we need to be willing to voice it out. At any moment we could be scared or self-conscious about speaking up about our faith, but the one who we end up denying is God, and His is the only opinion that really means anything.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, send Your Holy Spirit upon me to strengthen me. Give me the courage You gave to Your apostles to speak out and put everything on the line for You. In Your Name we pray, amen.