Taking a Stand!

On the surface this sounds like a 'Christian' thing to do doesn't it?  Let's all take a stand against (fill in the blank) here.  What are you and I standing against these days?  I was praying the other day and I started asking that very same question, perhaps to myself, and also to the Lord.  Lord, what are we standing against these days and is it the right thing to do?

What he revealed to me was a bit surprising, and shook me a bit as His Words resounded in my ears.  He revealed to me that by and large, His people were taking a stand against 'the great commission', 'the Kingdom of God' and 'our personal willingness to suffer for His Namesake'.  Wow, I thought, what is this?

It seems as though most of us are willing to go the extra mile, occasionally!  It seems as though we are willing to visit those in need if we can squeeze it into our daily routine!  It seems as though we are willing to give out of our abundance,when we have it, but giving out of our lack to someone who has a greater need than us at the time is something we generally won't do!  It seems as though we are unwilling to accept truth, even if it is the most logical decision to make, because we just don't want to surrender what we are used to!

It seems our comfort has become our idol!  It seems that our ambitions have become more important than the Lord's desires for our lives!  It seems that it is simply too hard to go against the natural grain of our culture and its practices, even though the Kingdom of God is vastly different, and the sad thing is "WE KNOW IT"!  It seems that our procrastination and our mindset of 'we'll get around to that later' has displaced His commandment of 'instant obedience', because it interrupts our plans or daily routine.

When I look across the vastness of what the Church has become, I see a great many ministers and Christians alike that are going along for the ride when its easy, when it doesn't cause any ripples, when it placates the world and those who would like to think that living this life is all about notoriety and comfort; but where are those who, like Jesus, cause a stir wherever they go? 

The Lord spoke to me about this; in essence, we would see much greater results if we had the courage to abandon all those things mentioned above, and simply live this life as if there really is an eternity.  We would be able to really celebrate and worship Him if we would stop pretending to be something we aren't! I can't tell you how many I see on the Internet claiming great things happening, giving credit to God, and yet we all know there isn't much happening there at all; and by the way, so does the world.  We would see much greater results if we learned to be honest people, not embellishers and showmen!  We would see much greater results if we would simply learn to tell the truth; both to ourselves and those we are trying to help avoid the ravages of hell.

This isn't a game show!  It isn't a theatrical production!  Most of those you and I are going to have an influence on will never step foot into your churches or attend your events!  You must go to them and prove to them that you really love them!  You and I must be authentic people, serving a real God who is alive and more than powerful enough to meet them right where they are and prove Himself to them!

We Must!