In the face of unrelenting pressure to compromise, we must be bold and stand firm on the authority of Scripture. Growing up, peer pressure was a given. The desire to fit in, to be liked or even popular, is an enormous weight all people face as they go through their school years. I think we all thought once we moved into the “real world” that peer pressure would go away to a certain extent.
But it never goes away; it just manifests in different forms. The culture is always trying to conform us to its idyllic mold. The problem is their idea of “acceptable behavior and speech” is grounded in millennia of wrong thinking and sinful attitudes. To conform to the world is to live at odds with the one true God.
If our desire is to serve the Lord and honor Him in everything we do and say (1 Corinthians 10:31), we must be bold. I’m not convinced that being a casual Christian is a genuine possibility, but even if it is, why would you want to live that way? There’s nothing sadder than a life of mediocrity because God created you in His image (Genesis 1:27). If we know nothing else about God, we know He is not mediocre. As bearers of His image, how dare we live lives unworthy of Him? To conform to the world is to love the world, and if we love the world, we have no love for God (1 John 2:15).
Some think they can get by not conforming and at the same time refusing to be bold for their faith. Staying silent is not an option for those who have been transformed by Christ and have His Holy Spirit residing within them. You cannot hide the light of God (Matthew 5:14). That light within you cannot help but shine in the darkness of this world and its sin (Philippians 2:14-15). That means you are either fooling yourself about having the light (1 John 1:6) or you have no interest in the light. Both roads lead straight to Hell (Revelation 21:8).
It takes no special talent to be bold. It only takes surrendering to God’s will and standing in courage for the One who bled and died for you. We need not fear anything that man can do to us (Psalm 118:6). The worst they can do is send us to meet Jesus sooner (Philippians 1:21-24). Do you understand that? The worst that anyone can do to you will result in the greatest thing that can ever happen to you. What is there to fear? Any pain, persecution, ridicule, or assault is temporary (2 Corinthians 4:17). Life with Jesus is forever (John 10:28)!
As this generation of outspoken leaders passes away, we must be the ones who will stand in the gap and continue to proclaim God’s truth with boldness and without compromise. Don’t worry about what you will say, because the Lord will give you the words (Luke 12:11-12). Don’t be afraid of those who can never touch your soul (Matthew 10:28). Be strong, act like a man (or very strong woman if you are female!), and hold fast to your faith in the risen savior, Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 16:13). The world is desperate for the hope of the gospel, but they will never hear unless we tell them (Romans 10:14). Be bold, open your mouth, and shine the love of Jesus into the darkness of this world.