by Jimmy Jividen

One of the greatest tools of the devil is intimidation. If he can cause people to be afraid of social rejection or physical persecution, he is satisfied. A man who will not stand up for what he believes will soon stop believing at all. A man's faith does not fail all at once, it is lost one compromise at a time. One little compromise will lead to another, until there is nothing left to compromise.

In many social circles it is discomforting to speak of one's faith in God, of love for Jesus, or of faith in the Scriptures. It does not seem like the time or the place to discuss spiritual things. Social intimidation causes one to remain quiet when others profane God's name or sneer at His teachings. It is hypocritical to confess faith before an approving audience and then keep silent when others would be disapproving.

One of the most cowardly groups recorded in Scriptures were faint-hearted Jewish rulers. John says about them, "Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God" (Jn. 12:42,43).

These rulers had faith, but they wanted to keep it a secret. A secret faith cannot last. The secrecy will destroy the faith, or faith will overcome the secrecy.

Peter was bold to confess his faith when summoned before the Council. Forbidden by the rulers to speak anymore in the name of Jesus, he said, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:19,20).

Those who believe in someone or something strongly enough will welcome the opportunity to speak up. If you are a Christian, stand up for Jesus and His teachings.