Enough Faith to Speak Out?

We have to get used to living in a world we didn’t expect. As believers in Christ, we seem to be caught off guard by the current culture, but particularly by the chaos in our own cities and towns. But should we really be surprised? And more importantly, do you have enough faith to speak out? History shows us over and over the evil that Satan arouses in humans. Cain & Abel, Sodom & Gomorrah, these stories were just the beginning. And God surely tells us in scripture to be continually on the lookout for evil.

If you’ve been living under a rock, here is a headline that just popped up on my phone. “Biden states banning child sex-changes are ‘close to sinful’.” Let me put this in plain English. Our President believes that parents should help their children change their sex. The fact that the president thinks it is a sin to disallow sex-changes in minors shows how fully Satan has taken over the hearts and minds of many Americans.

Examples like this are scattered all over social media and the news. Drag queen story hour at your local library is one that comes to mind. Can I ask how you are handling all the evil noise that is coming to your ears and eyes every day? For me, it brings great sadness. I honestly can’t pay attention to the headlines too much or I just get overwhelmed by it all. That’s not how God wants us to respond. Ignoring the cultural lies isn’t how we should respond either. We need to have enough faith to speak out.

First, let me ask you if you are recognizing the lies, such as when you hear friends discussing issues like pornographic books in school libraries and dismissing it. Perhaps they think it is irrelevant to their own life so it doesn’t matter. Do you say anything, even if it might make them (and you) uncomfortable? God’s whisper can be hard to hear through all the noise.

Following God’s Whisper Instead of Your Desires

I have spent a lot of time recently thinking back on events in my life. There are some decisions I made that I am incredibly grateful I made. I listened to God’s whisper (and my husband’s nudging). One of those decisions was homeschooling our three kids. Homeschooling WAS NOT in my plan for raising a family, but God humbled my ego to take a road less traveled. This decision came when our oldest was beginning 2nd grade. The Christian school we were enrolled in wasn’t meeting our needs, and I honestly just wasn’t super comfortable with our daughter being there. My heart and mind were not all in on this decision, but I knew God was telling me to do something I really didn’t want to do. I needed to obey. Even if my friends thought I was weird and my parents and in-laws couldn’t understand.

We chose a hybrid homeschooling option. This meant I didn’t have to come up with lesson plans and curricula. After a a few years of becoming more confident, I completely homeschooled the boys a couple of years and taught all three kids the subjects I knew well and enjoyed, up through graduation.

But I do have regrets. I regret that I didn’t take more pride in what we were doing. Mostly, I regret that I was always so worried about offending others, that I didn’t share much about our life and experiences. When you keep silent about your life choices because you are afraid you will offend, something is off. Especially when those decisions are linked to your faith.

When we started our education journey in 2002, there was a homeschool community where we lived, but unfortunately none of our friends were part of that community. Many times it felt like we had two completely separate lives. Yes, I would try harder to connect these worlds if I could go back. But the point is to learn from our past and not be afraid to share the goodness God is working in our lives. By the way, this is why we shouldn’t erase and rewrite history. God helps equip us for tomorrow when we look at the past. This is one reason we have all the amazing stories in the Bible.

Culture Always Fights Against a Biblical World View

Looking back even further in my life, to high school, I had a couple of friends that chose to have abortions. Abortion in the ’80s was very different than today. No one talked about it much and I don’t think many in our small town really grasped the finality of it. That probably sounds strange based on the current world we live in. However, I did know it was wrong. I knew it wasn’t God’s plan. Even back then, it was hard to speak up, out of love, and share my thoughts with my friends. Especially when it wasn’t even talked about at church. My middle-school and high-school years were spent in a very secular community. It was hard being one of the few kids that went to church more than a few times a month on Sundays.

This reminds me that it is sooooo much more difficult for kids growing up today. The peer pressure is on overdrive and the stakes keep getting higher. Culture rules change daily and it is exhausting. We should be in prayer for this generation of youth every day! Praying that they can find God’s never-changing truth to combat the lies Satan is spreading.

What About You?

What about you? When’s the last time you were afraid to speak up about your faith and what you believe. Chances are, it might have been today. We are treading through difficult waters as people we know and love are losing the battle with evil. It’s hard to know where to start if you feel unequipped to fight the way God tells us to in Ephesians 6. How do we put on that full armor of God? What does it look like today?

First, you need to get in God’s Word. Are you reading it every day? Are you memorizing it? This is where you need to start. If you are in God’s Word, hiding it in your heart, he will give you the words you need to speak out. And his whisper will be right there, nudging you to be brave and unoffendable.

Secondly, there is a lot of other literature that can help equip you to recognize when something isn’t aligned with God’s word. Here are two that I highly recommend:

• Live Your Truth and Other Lies: Exposing Popular Deceptions That Make Us Anxious, Exhausted, and Self-Obsessed by Alisa Childers
• Faithfully Different: Regaining Biblical Clarity in a Secular Culture by Natasha Crain

Third, be aware of what’s happening in our country. Find a good news source. Your don’t have to read it every day but just check-in a few times a week. Satan wants us to be unaware. Turning a blind eye to what is happening around us hasn’t worked. We have to know what we are fighting to conquer it. For a quick 15 minute rundown of current cultural news, I recommend the podcast Morning Wire. You can find it on Spotify, Apple or the Daily Wire website.

And last, keep coming back here for encouragement and resources to help you keep growing your faith. I would love to hear from you about your faith journey. Comment or send me an email. One sharpens another, just as iron sharpens iron.

You are precious in His sight,