Stand with Confidence

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

I once heard a person say something like this, “I’m supposed to love everybody. And I do. I even love the devil.” I think that’s tolerance gone amuck! But that’s our culture. It deifies tolerance. Listen, neither love the devil nor everything everybody does. That is spiritual nonsense. Sure, Christ followers are commanded to love everyone, even our enemies, but that doesn’t mean we turn our eyes from unrighteousness.

On one occasion, Paul was summoned by a city official who wanted to meet him. A false prophet interrupted them. You can almost see the hair bristle on Paul’s neck when he said, "You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time." And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand” [Acts 13.10-11].

Wow! To borrow a baseball term, Paul really stepped up to the plate, and with grand-slam results. The official was stunned by the display of God’s power and Paul’s boldness, and believed.

Now, I’ve never faced a challenge like the one Paul faced, but there have been a few times in my life that I had to take a firm stand for righteousness. The result was not nearly as dramatic as Paul’s on Cyprus, but I can truthfully say that God honored my faith with near-invincible courage. 

God will do the same for you. When you stand for God, you stand with God. Therefore, you can stand with confidence.

For this reason, take up the whole armor of God so that you may be able to take a stand whenever evil comes. And when you have done everything you could, you will be able to stand firm.. Ephesians 6.13 (ISV)