DENIED

    We've heard of people standing up for what they believe in. We see a pastor imprisoned in a foreign land for his faith. He's relentless. We hear of others, teens that were said to have professed faith even while staring down the barrel of a gun during a school shooting. Their last profession... their last breaths. These aren't the only stories.  It's everywhere, stateside & abroad. Jesus told his disciples they would definitely face persecution... Even be killed for choosing him.  Yet, they followed, anyway.  Many of them were indeed martyred in the end.

See......Having faith is one thing...................Your faith having you............... is a complete other. 

    I've not been shackled. I haven't been threatened with violence. In fact most 'persecution' we see in my country, comes from 'other believers'... in my opinion. Generally speaking, the tendency here is to allow self-expression...whatever someone's faith may be. Which I personally agree with because faith can't be forced.  You either have it or you don't.  But just because it's not hyper prevalent here, doesn't mean that the fear of it happening isn't there. I'll admit I sometimes fear being ostracized because of my connection to Jesus. I consider how certain groups will perceive or whether they'll receive me.

I mean let's all be honest, for some reason, his name is 'the line in the sand'....

     Some of you may have already determined from this or previous posts that you can't get anything from this blog because of him. I would challenge you to try anyway. You might be surprised how many of Christ's teachings you're actually practicing on a regular basis without even realizing it.

    Anyway, I'll also admit that recently, I seriously considered denying my faith. Denial through concealment. And it bothered me. It did. It wasn't that someone drilled me with questions or even suggested doing me harm. It was simply between me and my thoughts.... I started it. By worrying about what could happen, if a group of people saw a stinking t-shirt. I went back & forth, a few times in between that fear & my faith. Now, I could minimize my "double mind" and say well it's not like What Judas did in his outright betrayal. Or even John who at one point began to doubt who Christ was enough to question him. Or maybe even Peter, who's denial was predicted with the timing of a rooster's crow. I could minimize it. It was just a shirt. But, it bothered me. And it's really no different.  Same problem, different package. 

    I'm glad to say that ultimately, faith was the winner. But that's not always the case...for me at least. And that's not why I write this. 

    I write because there are some of you out there with a similar story. Some of you, like me, have at times chosen the fear and yielded to it. So I write to let you know you are not the only one. I'm not the only one. The bible itself shows us, guys like John & Peter who had their moment as well. However, we can't stop there though. Peter & John's lives are not only recorded in scripture...they're both penmen of it! There's some hope if I've  ever seen it(: 

    These are just men, but their example points us to a God who is merciful...gracious. Who doesn't condemn us for a few poor choices. He still loves us, he's still with us, and he STILL wants to use us. Just like Peter & John.  

If you've experienced this & the guilt that can follow...I encourage you to get back in the game. He's waiting to write the rest of your story too! 

Have you ever denied your faith?

If so, how did you regain your perspective?

Helping the growth within, come out

Rodney