Power Lost In Proclamation

 

I just heard very recently what became of the prophet Isaiah.

This God fearing man would ensure the harshest kind of treatment from the people he had been called to preach.

As legend has it, and as scripture points to indirectly in Hebrews 11:37, it is believed that the prophet Isaiah suffered torture and death by being literally sawed in half.

The one who had been called to a nation of reckless unbelievers who would have, “ears, but would not hear, and would have eyes, yet would not see”, would suffer an unbelievable death at the hands of those same stubborn, rebellious people.

Oh that Isaiah would have counted the cost before his endeavor.

And yet he did.

God told him that he would be embarking upon a mighty call that would include hardship and rejection.

And Isaiah still said yes.

He still proclaimed the message of judgement for the sinful people God longed to rescue.

And he lived with the same bold message until his final breath.

As did Paul.
As did Peter.
As did our Jesus.

Each of these individuals considered their why… counted the cost… and proceeded with boldness into their callings.

These heroes of faith never allowed the power to be extinguished from their proclamation.  They were careful not to be a contradiction.  They lived with purpose and died with that same purpose.

Too often we see brave soldiers begin the uphill march into battle.  
And yet somewhere along the way, the conflict gets painful and the journey gets too difficult.

And what can happen is a sad reality in the end.
We say one thing, yet live in complete opposition.
Some call it believers atheism.

We unknowingly give way to the darkness by permitting the power to be zapped from our proclamation.

We are to be bold in our broadcast, yes, but we cannot allow our actions to contradict our advertisement.

How will others know if not for us?