Day 2313 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.

Ephesians 6:12 NIV

As we talked about yesterday, this is a war. It's serious. It's important. It's truly a matter of life and death. Sin ain't all fun and games like many in this world make it seem. These days wrong is celebrated as right. Darkness is made to seem enjoyable. Wickedness has become a competition with people trying to out-do one another. It's like the world is in a race to do as much evil as it can all while spreading this vile message that it's all okay. So it only stands to reason that when we share the truth that stands in opposition to those lies, it's probably going to be a fight!

The hard part is that people take it personally. When we speak up against the lies that people have believed they think we're attacking them. What makes matters even worse is that we're living in a world that is so easily offended and ready to fight against anyone who disagrees with the popular opinions. Heaven help anyone who's bold enough to stand up and say something isn't right! That kind of thing takes more courage than a lot of people have these days. Folks are comfortable with the lies that they've believed, and anyone who stands up and says something isn't okay will be shunned.

But that's alright, it's better to share God's message knowing that it will help those who take it to heart than to stay quiet and wonder why things aren't getting any better. If we want this world to be a better place, if we want people to turn from their evil ways then we're gonna have to fight for it! That's what we talked about yesterday. That's kind of what we've been talking about for a long time now. Sin sells the lies that people want to hear. It offers this grand illusion of having no responsibilities. And people are just eating it up! Easy to see what makes it so popular.

What folks need to understand is that we're not fighting against people. We're not at war with one another. We're fighting against the evil in this world. We're at war against the darkness that is holding our brothers and sisters hostage. The issue that makes this battle so much harder is that people think we hate them when we're really trying to help them. People have been taught to assume that everyone else is judging them. They think that anyone who disagrees with their opinion must just hate them. They think that someone who points out the errors they're making is just being mean. Feelings have become more important than truth.

Oddly enough, we not only don't hate others, we love them more than they realize. We love them enough to tell them what they need to hear, not what they'd prefer to hear. We love them enough to try and help them see the darkness around them so they can leave it behind for something better. We love people enough to be willing to go to war against the filth and evil that is holding them down so that they can experience true freedom in Christ. But they can't see that because they're so entrenched in our world's glorification of sin.

The bottom line is that we're not trying to hurt anyone. The truth does hurt at first because it forces people to realize their flaws and weaknesses. But once that initial sting has faded, it's clear to see that the truth actually brings healing and freedom. Just to clear this up again: we're not judging people, we're judging the sin that keeps us separated from our Father. We're fighting against the darkness that we see enveloping the world around us. We're going to war against the powers of darkness that will lead people to a whole lot of suffering that just doesn't have to happen.

We can't just sit idly by hoping that things get better. If we want to see change, we have to be the change. We have to stand up against the evil in this place. It's not just going to go away. This battle will be won, it has already been won! You and I are just the messengers telling that truth to the world so that everyone has a chance to leave the shadows behind and accept the salvation that Christ offers them. So never stop sharing His message. It is the only thing that can break the chains that are holding so many captive!

#LeaveNoSoulUntold