“Every serious kingdom follower eventually reaches the point where they have to choose Christ or choose the crowd. You have to choose God or the group. You must choose between the King or the culture. . . . Whatever the case, your choice will reveal your faith because it will reveal your loyalty and allegiance.”- Dr. Tony Evans
“And the men said to [Rahab], ‘Our life for yours, even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the LORD gives us the land, we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.”- Joshua 2:14 (ESV)
In Chapter 11 (“Rahab, a Woman Who Pleased God”) of Kingdom Heroes, Dr. Tony Evans notes the significance of Rahab’s decision to side with God. She based her radical decision to get out of danger based on what she’d heard about God.
Above all, Rahab’s decision involved a matter of life and death. Because choosing to side with her culture meant going down with the walls.
Furthermore, Dr. Evans stresses, Rahab received the kindness of divine covering. The word used for ‘kindly’ in Joshua 2:14 is the Hebrew word chesed – meaning ‘faithfulness, loyalty.’ Chesed served as God’s covenant word for how He’d cover His people. Most significantly, the Old Testament uses chesed over 240 times to define God’s love for His chosen people. However, Dr. Evans advises:
“The problem with far too many people today is that they seek to cut a deal that requires God to do His part first. But . . . that’s operating on sight. Rahab was willing to put herself and her family at risk because of her faith that God would be loyal in holding up His end of the bargain later. Her faith choice and actions preceded the conclusion of the deal.”
Finally, Dr. Evans exhorts, align yourself under the one, true God by the power of the Holy Spirit. Choosing Him over culture and the crowd. And you’ll discover God’s a master at taking a mess and turning it into a miracle!
Today’s question: When did you reach the point where you needed to choose Christ or choose the world? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Trusting God in the dark”
