For The One: Who is Scared to Stand Out for Christ

For the One: Who is Scared to Stand Out for Christ

Some of you may read this and think, “that could never could never be me.” However, if you are anything like me you may have found yourself in situations where your actions say otherwise. In middle school and throughout high school, I constantly found myself battling between wanting to fit in and being accepted or living as God calls us to.

When you don’t want to be labeled as weird or an outcast for not doing what everyone else is doing, you quickly realize that following Jesus and living a biblical lifestyle isn’t the most popular thing to do. I never wanted to feel left out or alone. I was living my life searching for fulfillment in all the wrong places. I craved the need to belong so badly that my worth came from my relationships with my friends, athletic teams, relationships with boys, anything that would satisfy the feeling of connection. I believed I had to be someone else to be loved. My identity was rooted in lies from the enemy instead of being rooted in the Creator of the universe. 

When I look back on that time, I don’t regret the parties I didn’t attend, but all the people I let slip by without bringing them to know Jesus. Just like a lot of you reading, I let FOMO guide my decisions instead of The Bible. One lie I was led to believe was that The Bible is not relevant to our time, so why should I miss out? I was constantly looking to non-believers and social media for Godly advice instead of going straight to the source, The Bible. Oh, if I could have told myself what I know now. 

In Ecclesiastes 1:9 it states, “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.” God knows. There is nothing that He doesn’t understand. Jesus was abandoned by some of His closest friends because of their own fear. He understands what it feels like to be lonely. On the night before Jesus died all of the disciples fell asleep. How lonely is that?! Imagine walking up on the worst day of your life to your friends “sleeping it off” instead of them being there for you. No one knows loneliness better than Him. 

It is easy to say you are a Christian until you realize that it is more than being in a church pew on Sunday and posting a bible verse on instagram. Don’t get me wrong, if you do post bible verses on social media, the prior sentence isn’t passing judgment. (We have started posting one every Wednesday so that The Gospel continues to be proclaimed.) What I mean by this is, being a Christian isn't as picturesque as it is painted on instagram. In fact, we are guaranteed it will be difficult. Standing out for Christ means actively dying to yourself and your desires every single day. To give up things of this world so that you can focus on God’s desires. Sometimes this means stepping away from certain friendships, getting out of an ungodly relationship, having that uncomfortable conversation with a family member, getting out of a toxic work environment, finally going on that mission trip you have been scared to take. All of these things can make life seem super lonely at times.  For example, look at Noah’s story in Genesis 6-9. The World was so evil that only one man of righteousness stood out to God. I can assure you that it was very lonely for Noah and his family. On the flip side, can you imagine just for a moment, that Noah had joined everyone else in the crowd, the blessings He would have missed out on, the blessings the World would have missed out on? Galatians 1:10 says, “For am I now trying to persuade people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” God saw the faith of one man and chose to save mankind. One man who stood out and stood apart. One man who chose to live only for God. Noah made a choice to remain loyal to God, and because of his faith, God used him in a mighty way. When we remain close to God, the blessings of our faithfulness can’t compare to the things we think we are missing out on. Let’s quit worrying about what people might say or think. At the end of the day, the only thing we can bring to heaven with us is people and can you imagine how incredible it is going to be when you get to Heaven and someone comes up to you and says “I am here because of you.” 

My prayer and encouragement for each of you is this, that you will stand up and stand out for Christ, that in the loneliness His presence will be tangibly felt, that you will not be tied down by the thoughts of others, but instead you will hold onto the blessings God has for you.

This week’s memory verses:

Galatians 1:10

"For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Love,

Jacqui

FTO Co-founder