Shh! Don't tell anyone, it's a secret!

Can people tell that you are a follower of Jesus? How much is God a part of your daily conversations with your family, friends, fellow students, and coworkers? Are you keeping your faith a secret?

It is not a secret that attacks on Christianity are on the rise. The expanse between believers and non-believers is widening each day around the world. Our country, which was founded upon Christian ideals, is moving further and further away from God. I watched a video that proved our country was founded by strong Christian men and women. John Adams is credited with this quote, "Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other." In the video, the person claimed it is no surprise that we have quite a division within our government. We have moved away from a religious, primarily Christian, society toward a secular, immoral society. Our form of government, justice, and truth won't work without God in the center. 

Because of this hostile environment, it is not easy to share our faith openly; at least, that is true for some people. As I was finishing the book of Esther today, I was reminded that God is not mentioned once within the ten chapters. AND, while the primary players in the story are Jewish, they are far from "godly" Jews. Esther and Mordecai were Jews, but they felt it was important to keep it a secret, and Esther compromised that faith by being a wife to a non-believer, King Xerxes. Yes, in the end, she rescued the Jewish nation, but it was done through the power of a Holy God, not by the faith of strong believers. 

Esther and Mordecai had to come forward, revealing their heritage. They could have been killed for doing so. God protected them. Eventually, you will have to declare your faith as well! Now is the time for boldness in defending your faith. It is not a time to keep your faith in Jesus a secret. I am not advocating an "in your face" style witness, but it is important to let people know where you get your strength, where you get your joy, where you get your peace and the ability to endure when times are difficult. If God is not evident in your life, why is that? Is it a weak faith, or is it just not recognizing his hand throughout your day. 

Your faith is NOT to be kept to yourself. God expects us to be his Ambassadors. One of my favorite scriptures:

"And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sins, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." (2 Corinthians 5:18-21)

Are we going to speak for Christ? You can't be an ambassador if you are not willing to share your faith. We may face persecution. We may be ostracised in our workplace. We may be shunned by our neighbors. We are still called to share our faith in the ONE TRUE GOD! Your faith should NOT be a secret. GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN!