How to Have Uncommon Courage
By Rick Warren
“Stand up for me against world opinion and I’ll stand up for you before my Father in heaven.” Matthew 10:32 (The Message)
In a world full of ideas and beliefs that go against God’s Word, God wants you to have an uncommon courage and stand up for Christ. To do this effectively, you need to develop a Christian worldview.
What is a worldview? It’s the filter through which you see and understand the world. Everyone’s filter is a little bit different. Even when we all are looking at the same event, you may see it differently from those around you because of varying worldviews.
Your worldview influences how you see everything—including God, yourself, others, the past, the present, the future, money, time, good, and evil. Your worldview influences every choice you make. Every time you make a decision, you look at it through your worldview filter and make your choice based on the beliefs that make up your worldview.
But it’s true, too, that you can be profoundly influenced by the worldviews of others. Every time you have a conversation, you hear someone else’s worldview. You’re influenced by the worldviews of your parents, friends, and the media. Nothing is neutral—because everyone has a worldview.
It’s crucial, then, that you, as a follower of Jesus, base your worldview on the truth of God’s Word.
One national survey found that 62 percent of Americans claim they are “deeply spiritual.” When asked how that spirituality affects their decision making, 31 percent said they make moral choices based on “what feels right and comfortable,” 18 percent on “whatever is best for me,” 14 percent on “whatever causes the least conflict with others,” and only 16 percent on “what God’s Word says.”
What does that mean? It means most Christians have a non-Christian worldview. You may be a Christian and headed for heaven, but you can also have a non-Christian worldview because you’ve based it on what you’ve learned from the world and not from God’s Word.
Having a strong Christian worldview allows you to stand courageously as a believer—to be someone who stands up and speaks truth. Why does that matter so much? Matthew 10:32-33 says, “Stand up for me against world opinion and I’ll stand up for you before my Father in heaven. If you turn tail and run, do you think I’ll cover for you?” (The Message)
God expects you, as one of his followers, to stand for his truth. Taking that kind of stand requires an uncommon courage that is only available through a Christian worldview based in the knowledge and understanding of God’s Word.
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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