Now this is a subject I'm an expert on! If there was or is a way to blow your witness I've probably already done so. Not that I'm proud of this sin. I'm just saying that maybe I've learned a lesson or two and could pass on those lessons to you so that you don't need to repeat my mistakes. The basic premise to having a witness is that we belong to Jesus and he lives through us. All of our life should reflect his living through us. People shouldn't see me; they should see Jesus. That being the basics we need to see our lives portraying as a witness for Christ. It's not the little or big things, the things done in private or public, and certainly is not our internal thoughts, actions and words. Portraying Christ means I should get out of the way so that He can live through me. That is the witness...being Christ to the world all the time. There's an old saying that bears repeating. "If being a Christian was a criminal offense (will be one day) deeming capital punishment, would there be enough evidence to convict you of the crime?" What I'm saying is do you let Christ live through you so that people have no doubt that you belong to Him? I'm not talking about wearing crosses or having bumper stickers that make a point. I'm talking about when you aren't looking. What do people believe about you when they see how you think, act and speak?
When we believe we are in private we are self deceived. However, Christians use the private times to sin. Sin reflects the condition of the heart. I know that I struggle from time to time with my thoughts and what I call "stinking thinking". It's so easy to go rogue and off track from what the "pure in heart" is really all about. Reading the first three verses of Psalm 1 shows the decline leading to sin. First you "walk by" those people, places or things and ignore them to the best of your ability. Then you stop and observe those same people, places or things. Then once your defenses have been cut away you sit down with those people, places and things that destroy our witness. While it would be nice to live in seclusion from the rest of the world, our sinful nature would find us there. What do we do to maintain our witness? We are a particular people called out of the world by God who then lives through us while we are in the world. So, as Paul says, "It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives within me." We are also enjoined to be in the Word and fellowship with other believers in order to have the Word as a shield and others as pray warriors helping our fight with the world around us. If you don't feel the attack of the enemy, you should really question first whether or not you are a Christian and secondly if you are doing anything for God.
It's been said that all that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. When we blow our witness we aren't good men, women or children. Evil triumphs with the downfall of the Christian. We need only look at the history of the church and of once Godly men and women to know this to be true. There are people dependent upon you and I to maintain our witness with Godly integrity. Your spouse, parents, friends, kids, grandkids, co-workers, and so many others are watching you whether or not you want to admit it. What do they see? Do they see the compromised life of someone who blows their witness or do they see Jesus. For the Christian there are no other choices. It's black and white. You either have surrendered or you have not. You either have Jesus living through you or you do not. You either have the Holy Spirit directing your life or you don't. Your name is either written in the book of life or it's not. All of this begs us to examine what our witness is and to whom. Your witness is always your choice.
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