Will They Know?

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Have you ever felt the need to speak God’s truth to someone who was acting in an inappropriate manner? Have you ever felt called to correct another Christian who was speaking out in a godless or at least less than truthful way? What if the one who needs this correction is a friend, co-worker or family member; how would you respond? When this happens, do you speak up, or simply look the other way? Please read more.

2 Timothy 2:15 states the following: “Be eager to present yourself as acceptable to God, a workman who causes no disgrace, imparting the word of truth without deviation.” Are we willing to be God’s workman and speak the truth?

Let’s face it, most people prefer to avoid conflict if possible. Therefore, when situations present themselves whereby we feel the need to correct someone, who from a spiritual perspective is out of line, doing so can make us quite uncomfortable. We might hear the call, but be reluctant to act.

The list of these types of situations is endless. Here are just a few examples:

• A co-worker is using God’s name in vain and you feel called to ask them to stop
• A family member is drinking too much or driving after drinking and you feel God calling you to bring it to their attention
• A family member has stopped going to church on Sunday and says it isn’t important, and you feel convicted to speak to them about it
• A friend is misusing pain medications and you think they may have an addiction and you feel the need to confront them
• Your neighbor routinely gossips about other neighbors to their detriment, you feel called to ask them to quit
• A friend believes there is nothing wrong with viewing pornography and does so regularly, but you feel God has put it on your heart to tell them why it is wrong
• A local newspaper article disparaged Christianity, and God had moved you to write the editor
• The list goes on………

Before I address what we might do in these situations, let’s take a look at why we need to be bold and take actions when we find ourselves facing these situations. Again let’s look to 2 Timothy 2:14-19. If we fail to confront people when God puts it on our hearts to do so, their actions, over time, can become more and more godless. Their misguided beliefs and positions can spread like gangrene.

Physically speaking, gangrene starts small, but it eventually can lead to necrosis which becomes smelly as tissue dies. In time, limbs or organs can be lost, and if unchecked it can lead to death. The same is true spiritually. If we fail to act when God prompts us to do so, things can begin to spiral out of control.

I have put together a short list that we can use as a guide when we find ourselves being called to take action. My list is based on my reading of EZ 2:2-5. Let first look at this passage:

EZ 2:2-5

“As the LORD spoke to me, the spirit entered into me

and set me on my feet,

and I heard the one who was speaking say to me:

Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites,

rebels who have rebelled against me;

they and their ancestors have revolted against me to this very day.

Hard of face and obstinate of heart

are they to whom I am sending you.

But you shall say to them: Thus says the LORD GOD!

And whether they heed or resist—for they are a rebellious house—

they shall know that a prophet has been among them.”

What can we draw from this reading? What did Ezekiel do?

1. He LISTENED: Are we listening for the prompts God gives us to act? Do we spend time in silence with God so we can hear Him?
2. He RESPONDED: If today you hear God’s voice will you take action or ignore His call?
3. He knowingly went into HOSTILE TERITORY: Will our preference to avoid confrontation keep us from doing what God asks us to do? Will we choose not to act because we perceive that the people won’t want to hear the message?
4. He SPOKE THE TRUTH: Ezekiel was told to say: “Thus says the Lord.” Will we tell the other person God’s truth, or will we water it down with our own version of truth so as to not offend them?
5. He was BOLD and he TRUSTED GOD: If God prompts us, we must trust that God will not lead us astray.
6. He knew that THE OUTCOME WAS NOT UP TO HIM: It is not our responsibility to make the other person comply. Often our only role is to share the message that God gave us to share. The rest is up to God, not us.

God told Ezekiel that the people WILL KNOW that a prophet has been among them. If we fail to act, will the people who need the message God has put on our heart know that a Christian has been among them? I will leave you with this question: WILL THEY KNOW?

Lord, give me the courage to answer your call to action, even if it makes me uncomfortable in the face of confrontation. Lord God, I place my trust in you, amen.

As always, I love to read your comments below as well as hear from you personally by clicking here.

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Brian Pusateri

Brian is a Christian author and speaker. Brian, a lifelong Catholic, felt his life was forever changed when God spoke to his heart while attending an eight day silent Christian retreat in November of 2011. Soon after that retreat Brian founded 4th Day Letters and Broken Door Ministries. With the God inspired message of mercy and unconditional love that was placed on his heart during that retreat, Brian has been impacting others all over the country and around the world with his weekly letters, his talks, and his all day Christian retreats. In June of 2014, Brian’s life was again impacted in a very dramatic way when his eyesight suddenly became permanently impaired. The initial diagnosis was Multiple Scleroses (MS) but in December of 2019 the diagnosis was corrected to MOG antibody disease, a rare neurological disease. This health challenge has only served to draw Brian closer to God and bolster the importance of this timely yet ageless message.

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