Under Attack

It does not take long for We the People, regardless of where we live, to see that we are under attack. Yes, that’s true in terms of politics and traditional values but also, and perhaps more so, religion and the beliefs and values that we hold as sacred. This has become evident to me since I have joined the ministry and accepted my calling from Christ.

When I was younger, I believed in God but I never saw myself in the ministry or writing books or articles and being on radio for Christ. Personally, I loved sports and politics and wanted to cover both and while my faith was important, it was not something that I ever saw a part of my professional life. That is, my beliefs and my profession would be separate but that was then, not now, as my calling allows me to live my convictions both in my personal life and my professional life.

This may scare some people to do this but thankfully, I am a part of different ministries that allow me to do so but there have been different people that have tried to discourage me from do so. With that said, I do not entertain them unless I am debunking their belief systems. However, the sad reality is that the Christian faith is under attack and no, this is not a campaign slogan trying to win voters but a warn warning that must be heeded. This is one that Christ warned about long ago while He was on Earth and one that is playing out right now: “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).

Christ told us long ago that if we live for Him then He will face persecution and be under attack and again, we are seeing this play out right in front of our eyes, therefore, we should not be surprised. The battle is not new and the movement is not going to stop with us as it’s going to continue to spread until the end of time. Probably the best place to view this is the political realm where nearly aspect of our lives are, in some form, impacted and many politicians have tried to take away the religious freedoms of the people and while some cite this comes from the constitution— when they say this—it must be understood that they are wrong and/or know very little of history:

When our Founding Fathers passed the First Amendment, they sought to protect churches from government interference. They never intended to construct a wall of hostility between government and the concept of religious belief itself”

–President Ronald Reagan

1 John 3:18 lets each of us know that we are to stand in truth despite what it means: “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” President Washington is famous for these few words “It is better to be alone than in bad company” which is exactly what scripture repeats: “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Corinthians 15:33). There is no question that the children of God are supposed to live within truth and while there are often questions about what truth actually is, as Christians, we know that the truth is God and we find the answers in His word and God loves knowing that we walk in truth: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 John 1:4).

Regardless of what we believe politically or in any other aspect of life, if it contradicts scripture then it goes against God and that’s the truth. However, too many people have been led to believe in a false doctrine or false Gospel which is filled with anything but truth. While it is okay to listen to people, it is not okay to be duped into a false belief system because it sounds good and while it is easier now than ever before to be led down the wrong path because we have come under attack, we must know the word of God and not be afraid to spread it regardless of who it might offend. In other words, we must stand on the word of God and do so proudly but we cannot deceive ourselves into thinking that God is pleased with half truths: “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth” (1 John 1:6).

Despite being under attack, we must stand strong in our faith and walk with Christ even if it costs us relationships with people we are close with. We must not be afraid of those who do not want to hear the truth. If they are free to speak what they believe then we should have the same right and not be shamed. After all, we grow in God when we do so: “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ” (Ephesians 4:5). Last but certainly not least, we should think on all things that are virtuous which comes from above despite them being under attack: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8).