By Steven Bouley – Temple Ministry in Christ

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

An inspiring story, relevant to the tormenting pressures of our current day, is told by Henry Ward Beecher, who as a boy, had a teacher named Mr. Moody.  During a geography class, Mr. Moody asked a question of a student named Bob Henderson about the great state of Tennessee.  The boy answered quickly and confidently to what seemed a simple question.  What happened next was puzzling.  Mr. Moody seemed totally annoyed at his answer and yelled at the young man to sit down.  The humiliated student did just that — he sat down.

Other students were asked the same question and they all gave the same apparent answer; they too were yelled at in a disapproving voice by Mr. Moody and also told to sit down.  Like dominoes, they all retreated safely in the fear of their wayward class authority.

Finally, Henry Ward Beecher was called to give the answer and his answer was the same as the other students.  When the teacher screamed at him to sit down like he did with the others, Beecher held his ground and insisted his answer was correct. The teacher stormed at him for what seemed like forever, ranting and raving in the most intimidating and controlling way.  After Mr. Moody was finally convinced that Henry Ward Beecher would not sit down, he smiled and said, “Well, class, you were all correct, but Beecher here was the only one with the courage to stay standing to defend his answer.”  He not only had the right answer but was willing to stick to it through thick and thin.

Well family and friends, we are in more than troubling thick and thin times in our culture. We are facing angry and determined secular voices that are ranting and raving that those of us who believe and declare that Jesus Christ is Truth and God must sit down and be quiet.  Not only must we know that God is real in our head, we must believe and be prepared to courageously represent that eternal truth and act accordingly from the depths of our God-loving heart.

As the great Biblical character Joshua so courageously modeled, let’s determine and resolve right now to answer boldly and stand our ground in the face of all angry and deceived voices that come our way. Remember, remember, remember… “…As for me and my house we will serve the Lord!!” Joshua 24:15