Don’t be Intimidated

“Nevertheless, many of the leaders believed in Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue.” John 12:42 BSB

In a story titled "Transgender female cross-country runner dominating new competition after struggling against boys" published recently by Fox Sports, the following was reported: A year after finishing in 72nd place as a freshman in a boys cross-country race, the now-sophomore transgender female is dominating her new competition.The Seattle Academy student, a 5,000-meter runner, has two victories, including one in a conference championship, and three top-two finishes in eight races this season, having not finished worse than 22nd place. As an identified male, the student never finished ahead of 25th place. A coach in the student's conference later told Libs of TikTok, "Allowing [the student] to compete against biological girls deprives other girls' teams of the chance to compete at state [which is a big deal]. If [she] competed in the boys division, [she] would place 56th on the boys team." Another father told the outlet, "[The student] is larger than any of the other girls, and shamelessly takes first place on the podium. Now my daughter is competing against a male for scholarships. And we can’t even say anything. You can’t even approach it in a nice way without being labeled a hateful bigot. You will get threats against you."

And you know, when it comes to being intimidated by other people, the Bible gives us the story of some of the Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day who “believed in Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue.” You see, the leaders wanted to respond to the gospel, they knew it was the right thing to do, but they let the possibility of ridicule or persecution scare them into silence. They traded the approval of God for the approval of man and so shrunk back from doing the ‘right thing’. Pretty sad, don't you think? But isn't that what a lot of 'believers' are doing today?

So don’t let the fear of what man can do to you persuade you from doing or saying the ‘right thing’ my friend--keeping in mind that God hasn't given us a spirit of fear and is always by our side. With that knowledge then, let us be courageous and stand up for the truths laid out in the Bible regardless of the threats or consequences that are sure to follow. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that this is the time You warned us would come, the days when we will be persecuted for following You. In the midst of the coming confrontation and evil, help us to be rooted in our faith, bold in speaking the truth, and unwilling to waver in the face of hostility and intimidation. Let us live to please You rather than man. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!