In today’s devotional, Dr. Michael Youssef shows that faith encompasses the past, present, and future.
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[00:00:00] You are listening to My Devotional, the Daily Devotional from Dr. Michael Youssef and Leading
[00:00:06] The Way.
[00:00:09] Standing Up by Dr. Michael Youssef
[00:00:12] Have you ever been ashamed of the gospel?
[00:00:15] It's not something Christians like to admit, but we all have experienced this feeling
[00:00:20] at some point.
[00:00:21] Sometimes it's easier to hide our faith than to stand up to the pressure around us.
[00:00:26] We may keep quiet when nonbelievers criticize Christianity or the church.
[00:00:31] We may back down from our stand on sin when someone calls us narrow-minded or judgmental.
[00:00:38] We may feel embarrassed when our godly lifestyle sets us apart from our peers.
[00:00:43] Even Jesus' disciple Peter succumbed to the temptation to publicly hide his faith in
[00:00:49] the face of antagonism.
[00:00:52] After Jesus' arrest, Peter denied even knowing him, I don't know the man.
[00:00:57] But as we see in the book of Romans, once we fully understand the power of the gospel,
[00:01:02] we will be less concerned about the approval of other people and more concerned with living
[00:01:07] for God.
[00:01:08] Because the apostle Paul's identity was in Christ, he knew that being a servant of
[00:01:13] Christ Jesus was an honor, not a reason for shame.
[00:01:17] Paul tells us about the transforming power, for I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is
[00:01:24] the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the
[00:01:30] Gentile.
[00:01:31] For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith
[00:01:37] from first to last, just as it is written, the righteous will live by faith.
[00:01:45] Because of the gospel Paul was confident in his mission here on earth and he understood
[00:01:49] the importance of carrying out God's purposes.
[00:01:52] He knew that faith is not a one-time act, but something that encompasses past, present, and
[00:01:58] future.
[00:02:00] Because of this sure foundation, Paul found strength instead of shame when he faced
[00:02:05] opposition and persecution.
[00:02:08] Let's pray together.
[00:02:09] And help us to be more concerned with your approval than the approval of man.
[00:02:15] May we never be ashamed of the gospel.
[00:02:19] We pray this in the name of Jesus.
[00:02:21] Amen.
[00:02:23] To take a deeper dive into today's devotional topic, check the show notes for links to
[00:02:27] additional resources.
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[00:02:34] an episode.
[00:02:37] My Devotional is a ministry of leading the way with Dr. Michael Yusef.
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