"I am who you say i am" Series Part One: An Approach to the World For Those Who are Chosen

​How to approach fitting into a secular world.

Often as Christian youths, we struggle with placing our faith out in the open among our non-Christian peers. We worry about their view of us.  Views such as: “He/she is boring and does nothing of interest; all he/she talks and cares about is God." In a world lacking faith, we are faced with the dilemma of curbing our faith to be accepted or exalting God at the chance of losing acceptance. We, at times, focus so much on being accepted that we strangle our faith.

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This past year I was the student leader of a club within my high school. When elected for this position, I was extremely elated because this was a position in which I would be able to influence my peers and interact with influential individuals. I was extremely focused on performing my duties. It was hard work. I had many sleepless nights. I even missed classes to fulfil this role, but, in this year of planning events, speeches and sharing my voice with my peers, I had not exalted my creator, the one who had brought me through those sleepless nights, even once. I just imagined the devil making a joke of it. It was ridiculous because I had done this, being mindful of their practices and being focused on professionalism and minimum acknowledgement of God, but, none of this would have been possible without him. In my mission for acceptance from my peers, I had exalted a man-made mission, ignoring what may be the greatest mission known to man.

Other men are chosen to by man but, we are called a chosen people by Christ-like Samson, who began to deliver the lives of the Israelites out of the hands of the evil Philistines, and Jonah, who God sent to speak with the people of Nineveh in hopes of sparing many lives. 

 1 Peter 2:9 ESV says, "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." ​

​We are called by Jesus as ambassadors for him, officials on a mission to bring those of the world towards his loving name.  We are officials of a King of Kings. We are chosen not of this world. We do not need to fit into the narrative of this world as the Lord calls us to stand out.

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Romans 12:2 ESV / 36 says not to conform to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind \that by testing you may discern what is the will of God and what is good, acceptable and perfect.

The standard of the world is different from God's, but God's standard is greater.

​We are chosen warriors of God.
​Imagine a valiant knight dressed in the armor of silver and gold. Who are knights? They are men chosen by the royalty of this world, unlike Christians. Your armor is the protection of God. So in this mission, you must not take up the actions of those who do not know God, for in your mission, he is your armor. The story of Samson and Delilah and the story of the three Hebrew boys are evidence of the difference of those who take up the actions of those who are not of God and those who proudly stand up for God. 

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The Lord will stand up for those who stand up for him.

​Keep on reading to learn more to help you be more like a jewel on God´s crown
¨ The LORD their God will save his people on that day as a shepherd saves his flock. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown.¨ Zechariah 9:16 NIV

​Author

Tyrese Edmond