I have been severely lacking in the exhortations department. However, a recent event has spurred me on, and I believe that I have the words to say.

Recently, someone went through a trying time. They reached out to their community for prayer and received it. They also received someone who was a Believer in Jesus who said they "would be thinking about them".

Let us be plain and ask ourselves, "What good does that do?" So we go further into it. Is this person simply well meaning, and hopes [to whom?] that things will go better? Why wouldn't they say they too would be praying, when it was possible for them? Is theirs a rigid faith that only allows prayer for "the important things"? Or do they just assume that since God knows everything, and others were already praying, they didn't have to?

Or, and this is my theory, are they not confident that their faith is their own?

Some people "grow up in Church" and come from Christian families, and yet have nothing to do[or at most the perfunctory relationship] with God. Since they know about Christianity, they are pressured to behave in a way acceptable to other people. They have not chosen to love, live for, die for, cry for, and persevere for Jesus Christ. They doubtless live "good lives" but aren't living for anything beyond themselves. Therefore, how can they beseech the Almighty on one's behalf? It must be a terrible feeling to know that so many people love a God they do not speak to; perhaps are afraid of approaching. However, I am not speaking to them at this time.

I'm speaking to the person who has chosen Jesus for themselves. Those that actually call themselves "Christian" [not just Catholic, Presbyterian, Mennonite, Pentecostal] because they follow Christ. I do know some people who are desperate to shrug off the name "Christian" because of the connotation associated it due to some way out there wrong thinkers. I disagree that this should be done, but that would be another post.

So, if you are a Christian, I am saying to be confident in your faith. You chose it for yourself and it means, in a nutshell, that you believe there is one God that created everything, and that He also came to Earth, lived here, preformed miracles, died because of your sins, and rose again from the dead and is coming back. That is a lot to believe, and poured out in front of a skeptic it might seem a little crazy, even to ourselves. Despite that, you still chose Christ. Therefore, you should act like it.

The Bible says to pray without ceasing [1 Sam 12:23 and 1 Thes. 5:17] for one another. Should we be ashamed to pray? Should we say, "I'll be thinking of you?" No, because we can not do anything by "thinking". We should say, and confidently, "I will pray for you brother [or sister!]" because you love them, and you love the Creator. It is not ok to, shall we say, "cop out" because you're afraid of looking stupid.

If you live a life where you try to keep your faith from most of your friends, you need to reevaluate your life. Embarrassing yourself comes last in the list of priorities when it comes to following Jesus. If a stranger in passing says, "God bless you!" you shouldn't shrink. You should respond, confidently, "May He bless you as well!" or "God bless you too!" for we are doing our brothers and sisters an enormous disservice by not blessing them. We are terrified of looking like some zealot to the point where we are embarrassed for the people who are more bold than we are. Should that be the case? I assure you, those people are not embarrassed; they are living closer to God than you or I.