Do Not Be Afraid

Ezekiel 2:6

6And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, thought they are a rebellious house.

In one sentence God tells the prophet Ezekiel three times to not be afraid. God had called Ezekiel to speak on His behalf to the people of Israel. Israel was rebellious. But God said speak anyway. Israel would not listen, but God said speak anyway. The reason God told Ezekiel to speak anyway was because when He was ready to hand down the punishment they were warned about, they cannot say they did not know. The people of Israel could not claim ignorance.

What Some do not understand or know is that it takes a great deal of courage to say or write what God says to do so. We talked about this on the radio yesterday but it's been looming on my heart. It is difficult to share what God says to share. It takes a lot of courage because as humans, we do not like rejection. We do not want to be scorned for our words. Yet, when God says to speak, we must speak. When God says to write, we must write. When it is pressing on us til we cannot breathe, it must be said. Have you ever been afraid to tell someone the truth? Have you ever been afraid to say what was on your heart to say? Do you know that if God laid it on your heart, then it needs to be said at the time He has specified? If it is not accepted, God will make a way so that at the proper time it will be. If it is ignored, God will set things in motion so that at some point, it can no longer be ignored.

Do not be afraid. God is greater than what any man can say or do on earth. God ordains your steps, your waking up, your ability to breathe. As the word says, man withers like the grass. No one can outdo God. Do not be afraid.

Courage of Conviction

Daniel 1:8
8But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.

Daniel had the courage to stand on his convictions though he was in a foreign land. It was customary for the food in Babylon to be offered to idols before being set at the king's table. Daniel who loved God and followed Jewish law would not participate in this ritual no matter who's table he entertained. Daniel had a strict regimen and stuck with it. Even at the risk of getting into trouble with others. But indeed he asked the official to test him and his friends first to prove his point. And so Daniel's point was proven. The way he and his friends lived left them in a better condition than the others being prepared for the king's service. As followers of Christ, we can take a lesson from Daniel. If we have convictions rooted in our faith about the way we live, we ought not abandon them just because we are in a new place. We must have the courage, like Daniel, to risk the "fitting in" or being liked factor because it's for God that we live. When we are at the judgement seat, the others can not give an account for us as to what we've done. It's human to want to be liked or to want to fit in with the crowd. But God has said that we must stand out from the crowd. How else can He use us as a light to bring others to Christ if we keep our light dim to please man. Our main purpose is to please God.