This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
I John 1:5-7
As an American I am privileged to not have seen war on this soil in my lifetime. It’s been over 150 years since the blood of combat was shed here, but there has been an unseen war raging since the beginning of time. It is depicted in literature and modern day movies as the forces of good and evil are pitted against one another to decide who or what shall prevail. Over and over history repeats itself as man tries to define a new utopia where everything is permitted as long as it seems good to one’s self. Our nation is now a place where perversion is disguised as fairness and confusion prevails in the weak minded who conduct themselves without convictions and can’t reason for themselves. I ask myself daily will I be able to stand and am reminded of a Rwandan man who was given the opportunity to renounce Christ, to say that he didn’t believe, to be given his life back by just agreeing with the prevailing thought of the day, to say he would stand on the side of the ruling authorities. Here is what he wrote on the eve of his choice:
“I am a part of the fellowship of the Unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.
“I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.
“My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
“I won’t give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I’ve preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes.
“And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear for “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes..” (Romans 1:16).”
This is my prayer:
Lord,
Knowing I cannot on my own, but with You,
that I could and would have even the smallest grain of this kind of conviction
to be out of the darkness and unashamed.
This is so convicting, and an excellent way to begin the week!