Thursday, June 4, 2009

Uncompromising Christianity

There are a lot of things that I am. Wife, mom, friend, sister, daughter, but the most important thing that I am is Christian. I am an uncompromising Christian. I think that sometimes there may be some doubt about my faith from fellow Christians, because I have a number of (very good) friends who are not Christian. This may leave people with the impression that I am wishy-washy or lukewarm in my faith. I am not.

Those who are close to me know this. Be they Christian or not, they understand that I believe in God as Sovereign and Jesus as my Savior. I never hedge in that assertion. Friends who are not Christian (I believe) respect my faith, as I respect theirs. I do not try to change their minds or argue my points with them. That doesn't mean I am lukewarm or compromising my beliefs. It just means that I respect that they believe differently than I.

I am not sure why my faith is questioned by my fellow Christians, nor do I know why I feel the need to explain or defend myself. My God knows my heart and he knows that it seeks after him. Yes, I falter in my deeds sometimes, as everyone does, but my faith has never wavered.

As much as I believe in God, I also believe in Satan and the powers of evil that he represents. Anything that is growing in God, he seeks to destroy it. We don't need to be destroyed by Satan's attacks though. 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 tells us that even though we are pressed in on all sides we are not broken because we know Jesus.

When this evil surrounds me, when people are questioning my motive and my faith I do as I the early Christians did in Acts 19:13 and command these seeds of doubt, anxiety, etc. to leave in Jesus name. This is the most powerful weapon I have against the enemy.

In Romans 16:17-20 I am told to not pay attention to those who try to cause division and put obstacles in the way because that is what Satan wants. He wants his followers to be divided by dogma and smooth talk. It is easier for him to conquer once he divides. I refuse to play into his hands let alone be his hands in his war against my God.

I am not of divided mind as some think. My mind is stayed on God. This does not prevent me from being close to and/or friendly with non-Christians. For some it would be too much of a distraction, I grant you that. If it is for another Christian, then by all means, they should avoid it. It has never caused me to compromise.

Like I said, I am not sure why I feel the need to explain this, but I think it is because I do not want there to be a division. I want my fellow Christians to understand that God is so complex that none of us even understand 1% of what there is to know about him. So, for anyone to try to assess another Christian's heart based on some sort of religious dogma is ludicrous and is only going to cause division.

I will not allow Satan and his minions to have that kind of control. The only way to stop him from his onslaught is to command him to leave in Jesus name. I believe that with all my heart.

Once we command him to leave we must bolster our own resolve to stay strong by putting on God's armor. Not so that we can use the word of God as a weapon against each other. We should not use it to wound or destroy each other; that is what causes the division in the first place. It is to be used as a defense against Satan.

I urge every uncompromising Christian to stand together with me as we fight against the devil. He is our enemy - not each other. It doesn't matter about the minutiae of scriptural interpretation, we are all one in Jesus.

© KDV 2009

Ephesians 6:10-18 (New International Version)

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

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