I love it when I see someone standing up for the right things. I appreciate the love of goodness in the world and the bravery it takes to speak out and to resist strong opposition.
As Christians, we are supposed to defend goodness and truth, especially the Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ—a kingdom in which righteousness dwells.
As the Kingdom of Heaven grows within our hearts, we cannot help but stand up for what is good. We will also learn to prioritize according to our individual calling in Christ, because there are many evils in this world.
One thing I strongly believe that we should make priority is meekness—or gentleness—and self-control. We should prioritize patience with our fellow man, seek understanding of where they are coming from, and try to persuade others rather than tear them down.
We should prioritize faith in God, knowing that all things are part of His plan—including things that are not aligned with His perfect and pleasing will—and these things have no place in the Kingdom of Heaven; He will deal with it in His time.
The theme I keep going back to is this: When Jesus returns, we do not want to be found “drunk with the drunken and beating our fellow servants.”
So, we should stand up for what is right—but we should do so in the right way—or else the right we think we are doing is wickedness, and a wickedness of the most deceitful kind because we feel completely justified in what we are doing. I know because I’ve been there. I’ve been there a lot.
In whatever calling we have, whether we are standing up for what is right in our families, in our communities, in our churches, in the realms of societal ideations, politics, and so forth, we should do our best to be mindful of “what spirit we are of.”
The Holy Spirit will show us what is good and true, and the Spirit will also help us grow in wisdom so that we can apply that truth more precisely and effectively.
There are times for sharp words. Jesus spoke sharp words. Paul the apostle spoke sharp words. Steven, when he was being stoned, spoke sharp words. The Spirit is not always soft-spoken, and we do not want to be like the “women who sew pillows on the arms of God.”
However, being sharp should not be our go-to position because when it is, we are often dealing in a “spirit” that is not of God—but of Satan. We are accusing, slandering, and murdering. We are proud, vain, and self-serving. We are fearful and unbelieving.
None of us are immune to the devices of our enemy, but we should not be ignorant of them either.
We do not want to be among those who would “kill thinking they do God’s service.”
So, stand up for what is right, but do so in the right way by seeking Jesus often in prayer and through regular self-assessment of your own sin and the spirit you are doing things in.
The more we are exercised in this, the stronger we will get. We will get bolder, wiser, and more effective for the Kingdom of Heaven. We will also learn when to speak and in what manner, and when to be silent and watch the Lord work in a different way. We will make mistakes, but we will grow in the right direction.
Also, when making a stand for what is good and true, we don’t have to do some big thing. The most important stand we take is with ourselves.
We should not stand for any sin in our lives. We do not want to claim to be sinless and we want to be honest with our sin. However, sin is still severe and we should not grow complacent in our fight against sin with faith in the power of Jesus to help us overcome.
The more sin we have in our life, the more clouded our judgment is and the more damage we are able to do without realizing it because we do not know our God as we aught to.
“Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God, but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.”
We can all grow in our knowledge of God, especially through the person of Jesus as we form a better relationship with Him and learn to walk in the Spirit.
In all the fighting against evil that we do, standing on-guard against the corruptions of our own heart is what matters most, and this is an on-going focus we should carry until the end of our life or the coming of our Lord, Jesus.
In all things, keep moving forward and trust in Jesus. ❤
Jesus Alone 