Bodies of migrants and refugees washing up on the shores of beaches. Girls walking out of their school boycotting the decision to let a transgender person use the girls’ locker room. Planned Parenthood severing babies and selling their parts. Christians in Syria being told to convert or die.
While we may feel helpless in the face of these issues, this is not a time to be lukewarm. This is the time to be people of conviction, passion, and purpose.
This is what has been happening in our worldwithin the past week.
The world is changing rapidly, and it is plain to see. While we may feel helpless in the face of these issues, this is not a time to be lukewarm. This is the time to be people of conviction, passion, and purpose. In a world where every norm is being redefined and every truth is being challenged, we are being forced to pick a side. Remaining neutral is no longer an option. When lives are at stake, neutral does not exist.
We live in a time in which it is no longer acceptable to remain silent. We must fight for the truth to be known. We have to battle for the truth. We have to fight for it every day. This means we must hold fast to what we believe and stand up for the truth that is written on our hearts. This truth must be shared and shared often.
I enter this battle every week with the youth in our programs. The world is telling them lies, and they are believing them. These lies sink into the hearts of these precious kids and they begin to believe them as truth.
Amidst the lies the world feeds us about things such as sexuality and the sanctity of life, there are more deceptions arising that cut deep in the heart. It’s the lies we all fall prey to ourselves: We’re not good enough. We’ll just fail if we try. No one needs us. We’re not beautiful.
I witness these lies taking root in the hearts of the youth. We recently started taking pictures of the youth with registration, and it breaks my heart to see almost every single one of them vehemently rebelling against having their picture taken because they don’t even want to look at themselves. The world has gotten to them. They no longer see the beauty God has made them with.
We are at war with the world.
We are at war with the enemy.
The devil is on the other side of this fight, and his spiritual attack is real. Why else would Paul tell us to be on guard (1 Corinthians 16:13) and to put on the armor of Christ (Ephesians 6:11) ? Yes, this war between Heaven and Hell is alive and well. The devil is fighting for our souls, but he’s fighting a losing battle. The victory has already been won by Christ, and we are on the winning side. We have to claim this victory in Christ. That is how we defeat the enemy. By choosing to live a life of joy, we crush the devil’s head. By living a life of authentic truth, we help in liberating others from the lies in which they have been entrapped.
We must find out for ourselves what the truth is by turning to the Author of truth. We must remain loyal to this truth and refuse to be silent. We do this by having the tough conversations, by speaking the truth when given the opportunity. We do this by not shying away from the controversial topics because it’s uncomfortable. If we’re not willing to stand up for what we know is true, who will?
You are instrumental in this battle for truth.
Every single one of us is pivotal to this battle. There is no more hiding in the background. There is no room for excuses and convincing ourselves that someone else will do what needs to be done.
There is a battle to be fought.
You are instrumental in this battle for truth.
Will you stand up and fight?