Living FAITH Out Loud!

“No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV)

by Alexandra Copeland

Christians will inevitably encounter individuals that believe those who are followers of Jesus Christ and have made him Lord should also have sinless, mistake-free lives. There is both an up and down side to their perception. The upside sheds light on the transformative reality of our blessed Lord’s sacrifice and his redemptive, saving power. To fathom that a person can walk in the darkness of sadness and chaos, and then be transferred into the Kingdom of light by confessing their sins and accepting Christ as the head of their lives is beyond miraculous. The downside is the cloak that many Christians feel they have to wear in order to fit into what others feel a Christian ought to be and represent.

It can be a very fine line. On the one hand we have the perception of the unbelieving and our responsibility to be good witnesses, and on the other hand we have to keep it real. Transparency is the order of the day, because ultimately people can always sense when we’re NOT keeping it real and hiding behind a mask.

God tells us in Ephesians 6:10-11 (NLT), “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.” There is no wiggle room in this verse. To be strong in the Lord and in His might isn’t a suggestion, and He wouldn’t have told us to do it if it could not be done. God is well aware of what He’s provided us through His son, Jesus Christ. His spiritual gifts and goodies are rich and satisfying, providing enough sustenance to last an eternity. “To be…” is to rest in God’s provision. No need for second guessing or speculation. We’re to simply stand in the power of His might.

This is the context from which the Christian can live boldly. But lest we forget, God doesn’t tell us to be strong in Him without also telling us exactly how it is achieved. In verse 11 He told us to put on ALL of His armor so that we’re able to stand firmly anchored against the plans and plots of evil that the devil concocts to ensnare us.

When it comes to the transitions and changes that you and I must make, we should consider a very common sense truth, and it is this:  In order to put on some new stuff, it stands to reason that we’ll have to take off some old stuff.

This is where the rubber meets the road so to speak. Pulling off and stripping away our negative thoughts, habit patterns, and attitudes is the place where real traction and momentum in faith is built. And make no mistake about it, where there’s traction there’s heat. As things begin to melt away, they reveal some stuff that most of us would like to keep hidden.

We can’t think for one moment that God didn’t know and prepare for us to go through this. To stand boldly is also to CONFRONT with the same vigor and integrity. Truth will always require some level of courage, with an equal measure of confidence. Our response to our love and devotion to God is one of action—it’s one of obedience to His Word, because we realize that His Word is truth, and we also realize that we need reproof and correction that only His Word can provide. Correction is a pivotal piece of being a Christian. Jesus Christ said in John 14:15 (NKJV), “If you love me, keep My commandments.”  So as we walk out our love for him each day, there is bound to be some missteps that we cannot keep hidden as we are being perfected and corrected in him.

As Christians, we sometimes see it as our responsibility to always put on a happy face, but the truth of it is that we’re not happy all the time. Our pain is just as severe and challenging as the unbelieving. As a matter of fact, in many instances our trials and tribulations are much worse. The stronger our stand, the more the devil tries to squash our stamina and snuff out our lights, but these are just bluffs. A lion roars to intimidate its prey, and nine times out of ten the prey will freeze dead in its tracks. This is an intimidation tactic of the devil. He stirs up a situation with an intensity and volume as loud as a loin’s roar, but our faith ought to be louder.

God declared in Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV), “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” This is God backing us up every step of the way. Weapons will be formed. People will talk about us, say all manner of cruel things in our face and behind our backs. Friends will turn against us, and family members will betray us. These are incredibly hurtful situations, but God demands that we instantly renew our minds and remember His Word. He demands that we speak life into our situations, and not doom and gloom.

Our righteousness is of God. There isn’t any work—action—or deed that you and I could have done (or could ever do) as human beings that would have earned a suitable enough payment to purchase righteousness. Not even in a million years could we have earned enough brownie points. Righteousness was conferred upon us by our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV) tells us, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Jesus Christ paid the price so that we could stand before the presence of God with no sense of guilt, sin, or condemnation. We have right standing with God, and our work to realign our thoughts, behaviors, attitudes, and actions so that they affirm, expose, and convey our new birth reality begins. And we have to know that as we begin the housekeeping work of our souls, some parts of it that are still holding on to darkness will be exposed to the light of Christ. Resentment towards people who have wounded us will be exposed. Jealousy against certain individuals will be exposed. Deep seated anger and rage will be exposed…this and a whole lot more.

When it’s out in the open, and when I say ‘out in the open’, I’m referring to the mirror that we are personally forced to view of ourselves, we need not haul tail and run, or duck and hide. This is the time when God will do His most excellent work within us. This is food for great testimony. Philippians 1:6 (NKJV) tells us “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” We don’t belong to ourselves, we belong to God. He’s working things out for our good continually, and He told us in Isaiah 54:17 that every tongue that comes against us, we will condemn it. How will we accomplish this? We condemn those who seek to steal our shine and bring shade upon us by having confidence in God. He will never allow us to be brought to shame as long as pleasing Him is our goal.

Faith is a tremendous gift from God and it requires us to live out loud, and so shall our rewards be. It is too great of a light to be hid under a bushel. Yeah, people will see some of our stuff from time to time, and they may even stand in judgement of it, but this is not our issue; it’s not our cross to bear. God will take care of any harm that you might cause or endure because of your missteps and mishaps, just as He continues to take care of you. So don’t you dare be ashamed of any aspect of your desire and aim to be God’s best, and to get what He has for you. Be strong in the power of His might, and live your faith out loud every day. ■

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Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright ©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.