“…I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”

— 1 Kings 19:14

God can use one man or woman of conviction, even while the rest cower in fear. Think of the great Athanasius who lived in the 300s. At the time, the deity of Christ had come under such enormous attack that it seems that the majority, even within the church, were denying the very deity of Christ. Athanasius, this bold defender of the deity of Christ, seemed to be the only one willing to take a stand. He was even banished from the Roman Empire five times, but he came back. It is possible that without his steadfast stance, we might not even know about our divine savior Jesus Christ.

If it weren’t for the boldness of Martin Luther, we might not even know about justification by faith. I think about William Carey, the first Protestant missionary who carried the Gospel to India. Carey said, “One thing I can do is plod,” and so with determination he plodded along and he translated the Bible into numerous different languages. One time one of those translations went up in flames, and he had no back up. But what did he do? Quit? No, he plodded with true determination, and he did it all over again.

Elijah thought he was the only one standing for God in the days of wicked Ahab, but God had reserved 7,000 who had not bowed the knee to Baal. May the Lord find us faithful, even if we are in the minority.

Almighty Father, thank You for raising up men and women through the centuries who have stood contra mundum. Raise up people in our time that will stand strong and show the world Your truth…

BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN
STAND AGAINST THE WORLD.