“Do right and risk the consequences.” ~ Sam Houston
Bu.. bu..but how can we all attain unity and harmony then?
Those words above from a brave Texan ring out like a clear church bell during our times known for confusion and chaos — not just as a call to courage, but as a summons to obedience unto God because that is what is right.
And obedience, if we’re honest, has always been risky business for God's people of every state and nation.
What's courageous to do? Live for Jesus. Highly above, so far FAR above.. everything else in this life, is turning from the wrongdoings (repentance unto biblical faith), going to and accepting Christ as Savior.. livin' the life and making Him known are the most important decisions you'll ever make.
Do right and there might be real and lasting consequences - so quickly, so very suddenly. Just ask Erika Kirk. Count the cast and do right anyways.. I pray about it thoroughly and do God's will.
If you have a simple prop, minister, about the topic or context, you'll be expositing from the word of God does it really help the people understand the Bible or get in the way of you getting the gospel Message across in an understandable way? Would it please the Lord and help the people or merely be a funny trendy impressive show?
"A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats!" ~ C.H. Spurgeon
The Apostle Paul did what was right, yep, repeatedly doing it in different locations for God's glory, and kept it pretty simple. He said, "And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom [using clever rhetoric], but [they were delivered] in demonstration of the [Holy] Spirit [operating through me] and of [His] power [stirring the minds of the listeners and persuading them], so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom and rhetoric of men, but on the power of God." 1 Corinthians 2:4-5
HE SIMPLE GOSPEL IN FOUR WORDS IF IT COULD BE PUT INTO 4.. 'JESUS TOOK MY PLACE;' IN THREE WORDS, IT'S 'HIM FOR ME;' IN TWO WORDS, IT'S 'SUBSTITUTIONARY ATONEMENT; IN ONE WORD, IT'S GRACE.
THANKS, FATHER FOR JESUS AND THANKS JESUS FOR TAKING MY PLACE ON THE CROSS AND THANKS FOR THE FREE MERCY AND GRACE AND FORGIVENESS.
So sorry for the Caps. Didn't plan caps here. Don't really want to yell.
OUR BATTLE IS NOT PRIMARILY A POLITICAL ONE, IT IS PRIMARILY SPIRITUAL.
SURE, I WANT TO BE SALT AND LIGHT WHERE I CAN HERE. I WANT TO BE LIKE A PRESERVANT OF SORTS IN A CORRUPTING, COLLAPSING SOCIETY IF I CAN WITH GOD'S HELP AND EXPOSE WHAT'S DESTROYING, HINDERING AND HURTING PEOPLE. I MAINLY WANT ALL PEOPLE TO TURN FROM SIN, THE WORTHLESS INFLUENCES, JUNK, AND LIES.. TO COME TO CHRIST.
What else have Texans said in this regard?
“We must not trim our message to fit the temper of the times. Truth is not up for a vote.” ~ W.A. Criswell“A nation can only be free, happy, and great in proportion to the virtue and intelligence of her people.” ~ Stephen F. Austin
“It takes courage to stand for the Word of God when the world calls it hate, but it is still the greatest love we can show.” ~ W.A. Criswell
“Courage is not bravado — it’s obedience. It’s doing what’s right because God said it, even when it costs you dearly.” ~ Chuck Swindoll
“Truth doesn’t bend to culture; culture must bow to truth.” ~ Chuck Swindoll
“Courage isn’t the absence of fear — it’s the decision that God’s truth is worth more than your comfort.” ~ Tony Evans
“If you’re going to stand on God’s Word, you’d better be ready to stand alone — because truth doesn’t travel in crowds.” ~ Tony Evans
“Always be sure you are right, then go ahead.” ~ Texas hero David Crockett, an Alamo defender and U.S. Congressman
“No man in the wrong can stand up against a fellow that’s in the right and keeps on a-comin’.” ~ Captain Bill McDonald, a Texas Ranger
“Bravery is just determination to do a job that you know has to be done.” ~ Audie Murphy from Kingston Texas, the most decorated U.S. soldier of WWII
“What the people want is simple. They want an America as good as its promise.” ~ Barbara Jordan, Texas Congresswoman,
“A lot of people don’t realize that courage doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid. Courage means you keep going even when you’re scared.” ~ Chuck Norris, a Christian Texan
“The cultivated mind is the guardian genius of democracy.. It is the only dictator that freemen acknowledge, and the only security they can rely on.” ~ Mirabeau B. Lamar, 2nd President of the Republic of Texas
“You always look ahead to go forward, you never look back.” ~ Ann Richards, Governor of Texas
Don't know all that much about her. I remember Mrs. Richards here in Downtown Dallas with the Queen and Prince Philip when I had the privilege of serving them at the Adolphus. She had some great ideas.
“The world has lost the power to blush over its sin. The church has lost the power to weep over it.” ~ Leonard Ravenhill
“The man who stands for nothing will fall for anything — but the man who stands for truth will stand when the world falls.” ~ Vance Havner
“It is better to walk alone with God in the dark than walk with a crowd in the light of their lies.” ~ Vance Havner
“A man who is intimate with God will never be intimidated by men.” ~ Leonard Ravenhill
“The worship of safety emasculates greatness.” ~ Max Lucado
“Bold love.. Unrelenting, woven through scripture.. God's works often encourage stepping out and trusting God rather than clinging to comfort.” ~ Max Lucado
“I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant.” ~ Max Lucado
But always remember, boldness with wisdom comes from God (so ask for both). Having both means following the Brave One (Jesus). It's about pressing forward with integrity and confidence, minus balking or regret.
Many Texans (not all) have been known for real bravery:“A man’s word is his bond — without truth, he’s nothing.”
“Stand your ground, even if you stand alone.”
It is much better to become divided by truth as a people than united in error. It is better to become hated for telling the truth than to become loved for telling a lie. Too many people and TV News networks lie. We need people with spines in the Body of Christ. You know, like steel. People who will stand in the pulpits and clearly proclaim, ‘Thus saith the Lord,’ from the Bible, even if everything around them is falling apart.“A backbone’s worth more than a wishbone.”
Courage is sort of contagious. When a brave Christian takes a stand, the spines of others are bettered -- they are often stiffened. And it is the duty of every believer to pray for boldness. We all need to take a stand for truth, even if we are to stand alone. You know we never truly stand all alone when we take a stand with and for Christ.
So many of Jesus’ sayings stopped people in their tracks—and still do. Few are more jarring than His words in Matthew 10:34: “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
Sup with those words? At first glance, it sounds as if Jesus contradicts everything else that He taught people. But Kurt, don't we call Jesus the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)? Sure, we do. He loves peace like we all should.
The Bible says, "Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many." Heb. 12:14-15
The Word urges us believers to live wisely, peacably, honorably, while loving even our enemies (See Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:27–28), to forgive freely (Matthew 6:14–15; 18:21–22; Mark 11:25; Luke 6:37), and to refuse revenge-retaliation (Matthew 5:38–39, 44; Luke 6:27–29). When Peter lashed out with a blade in Gethsemane, Jesus quickly rebuked him: “Put away your sword” (Matthew 26:52).
Man, so why speak of bringing a sword at all?
Let's read His words in context. Remember in Matthew 10, how Jesus commissions His disciples, sending them out to proclaim the arrival of God’s kingdom (vv. 6–7) and even to perform some miracles (v. 8). They weren't called regulars cuz they didn't happen all the time like some people want us to believe.
Yet alongside those real miracles comes a sober warning: “You will be hated by everyone because of Me” (v. 22). His message is not about bloodshed but about the inevitable division His truth often causes here among evil people. Do you believe that there are some evil spirits still here on who have influenced people to think and do evil? Look around. I'm not saying stay focused on them or fellowship with them.
The cross reconciles us to God, but it also divides humanity—those who bow to Christ and those who firmly will not.
Jesus has always been a dividing line here. Important decisions are being made daily. Divisions happen and did happen.. even among the religious leaders back in the day, “the Pharisees were divided” over Him (John 9:16).
Crowds were split: some called Him a good man, others a deceiver (John 7:12). The disciples reported this same type of confusion: “Some say John the Baptist; others Elijah; still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (Matthew 16:14).
Truth, by its very nature, separates itself from falsehood. By faith, you can choose to appropriate and exercise real discernment.
That is the sword Christ brings—not a weapon of steel, but the piercing edge of truth that slices through pretense, fake news, loyalty, and even family bonds. “I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother.. a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household” (Matthew 10:35–36, quoting Micah 7:6). Paul spoke of this spiritual separation in 2 Corinthians 6:14–16: “What fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?” Many people have foolishly chosen to serve different idols even in our day, but there is no middle ground in this regard. “No one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24).
This reality is not theoretical. Nabeel Qureshi, a former Muslim who actually came to faith in Christ, described his conversion as “the most difficult decision” of his life. In losing his family and close community, he once prayed that God would just take his life. Yet his story mirrors this principle of Matthew 10:34 for us. Yes, with painful clarity: the truth cost him everything—but it was SO worth it. He'll tell you it is.
We can pray so that this will happen more, and lives will be spared. We love muslims and do want the best for them as well as those they live around!
Yes, in cultures that call themselves “Christian,” this sword still cuts through. The believer who follows Christ Jesus wholeheartedly may be mocked, may be misunderstood in their respectful dialogue (think Charlie Kirk), may be shot in the neck, or may be quietly avoided.
Nominal religious milktoast faith makes few enemies here, but authentic discipleship always has a cost. It demands earnest, honest prayer, reordered priorities, self-denial, and a willingness to go tell while being perhaps misunderstood—even by those we love most.
Christ, however, does not ask of us what He Himself has not given. Like a bridegroom seeking a bride’s whole heart, pure-hearted Jesus first pledged Himself fully—shedding His blood to seal the marriage covenant. The Holy Spirit now empowers us to respond with the same wholehearted devotion to God the Father.
Far from discouraging us, Jesus’ words should exhort, encourage, and steady us through life. The division we encounter is no accident; He foretold it. There were words of warning so we would count the cost early.
The hostility we face is really no surprise; Jesus endured it first. And the glory that awaits us will outweigh every loss. Until that day, we keep living the life empowered by the Spirit. We keep loving our spouses, our families, zealously praying for the lost, and holding out the bad news (that all have sinned) and the Good News that Jesus alone saves.
The sword of Christ may wound some people for a moment so to speak, but it cuts only to heal em. It divides—but only so that truth might stand clear, MORE SO THAN BEFORE TO THEM, and love might have its full weight.
Unchanging truth — not tyranny — that is what must guide a people’s courage in the right way. There is to be a proper timing, tempo, and tone about it.
Some people will divide themselves away from you, but take heart. Courage rooted in truth instead of in fake news always prevails.
Perhaps you remember how brave Daniel and his friends lived their lives? Prayerfully. Daniel refused to disobey the Lord. Why? It was because he had cultivated this relationship and loved him so much.
The Apostle Paul (see in Acts and the Epistles): Paul consistently took risks in spreading the Gospel, facing imprisonment and persecution for his righteous mission. He prayed and thought about reaching into regions beyond.
Think about God's Deliverance in Risk: While it's not guaranteed for us here, the stories of Daniel and others show that God is more than able to deliver the righteous from the consequences of their choices (like when we hopefully obey Him), highlighting God's protection for those who act righteously.
Think about Christ's Beatitudes (in Matthew 5:10): Jesus said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven".
Think about the Sowing and Reaping Principle: While not a direct endorsement of all types of risk-taking with the respective consequences, this principle, that "A man reaps what he sows" (Galatians 6:7), informs us that one will face certain outcomes of their own actions.
Sam Houston gives us all a clarion call to courage in an age addicted to safety (at all costs), to sweets, and to comfort.
It will cost you everything, Christian. We give up our own way and selfish desires -- let Him rule On the inside without any rival.
The apostles well understood this. When commanded by flawed deligated authorities to stop preaching in the name of Jesus, Peter answered simply, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). They were beaten, imprisoned, and threatened — and yet “they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name” (Acts 5:41). The risk was real, but the reward in the Lord was far greater: obedience to the One who had already conquered death.
Jesus never softened the call. “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). That’s not a metaphor for mild inconvenience — it’s a summons to costly discipleship. “Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25).
Church history is written in the ink of such bold obedience. Polycarp, threatened with death if he would deny Christ, answered, “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King and Savior?” He was burned alive — but his faithfulness still preaches centuries later.
And then there’s the story of Jim Elliot, the young missionary martyred in Ecuador while reaching an unreached tribe. He wrote before his death, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” His courage sparked a missionary movement that reached thousands.
Obedience often looks less dramatic but no less costly in daily life. It’s the student who refuses to compromise biblical truth and loses popularity. It’s the believer who speaks the gospel gently but boldly in a hostile workplace. It’s the business owner who sacrifices profit rather than participate in dishonesty. These are the quiet acts of bravery heaven celebrates.
The Bible is filled with promises for those who risk everything for obedience (see contexts):
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid… for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).
“The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe” (Proverbs 29:25).
“Do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord… but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God” (2 Timothy 1:8).
“Those who honor Me I will honor” (1 Samuel 2:30).
Paul’s own heart burned with this bold holy resolve: “I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus” (Acts 20:24). His words remind us that courage isn’t reckless — it’s rooted in trust. Do you feel afraid? Stop and pray. Courage.. said its prayers first. It’s not about proving our own strength, but about walking in His — it’s about relying on God’s enabling from the Holy Spirit.
Go the distance with Him leading you. When we choose God and His will, when we choose obedience over our own comfort, we join a long and unbroken line of believers who get it. Who understood that the safest place in the universe is really the center of God’s will — even if that will leads through a fire. “Be faithful unto death,” Christ promises, “and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).
So let’s do right in a right relationship with God — not because it’s super easy, but because it’s fully good and righteous. Let’s risk the consequences — not because we’re fearless, or from Texas, but because we know the One who holds the final outcome. For in the end, obedience to Christ is never really a gamble at all. In Him and His will for us (individually), it’s the only sure life Worth living.
"The tomb is empty, and the throne is full — Jesus is alive. Because Jesus lives, we live. Hope lives. Joy lives." ~ Shane Pruitt
“If you’ve been bought by the blood of Jesus and have the Holy Spirit, you are called to live on mission today. Wherever your feet are, that’s your mission field.” ~ Shane Pruitt
"God’s not looking for all-stars; He already has one, His name is Jesus. He’s looking for people who are willing to go all in." ~ Shane Pruitt
“Jesus never taught that Christianity is an automatic exemption from trials. In fact, difficulties are part of the price we pay for living in this world.. ‘Take courage; I have overcome the world.’” ~ Robert Jeffress
“Like never before, it’s time for the people of First Baptist Dallas to be a voice for truth in a darkening culture; to transform our world with God’s Word.. one life at a time.” ~ Robert Jeffress
God's Word challenges believers to live courageously even in suffering. Yes, ask for boldness -- then boldly live by faith for truth in a culture He sees as drifting away from absolute truth.
"To lift Him up, to preach His name, and to invite souls to love Him and to follow Him is the highest, heavenliest privilege of human life".
"The greatest, finest, noblest sermon any pastor ever delivers is that of his own example".
"When our trials come, when we feel pain and suffering, when our tears flow again, it is our joy and comfort to lift our faces heavenward and to go on, standing on the promises of God".
"For me to live is Christ, and to die is a gain".
"God will finish the work, and He will do it quickly, 'a short work, a quick work will the Lord do upon the earth'".
George W. Truett said:
"There is no failure in God's will, and no success outside of God's will... I find no fault in Him.'.. You can find fault in anyone else, but you can find no fault in Jesus. Holy, harmless, undefiled, sinless: there He is! Christ is God's way to man; Christ is man's way to God. Christ is the true Jacob's ladder. By Him the penitent sinner, the believing soul, the redeemed child of God may come unto the Father and enter into the house of many mansions."
"Christ was born in the first century, yet he belongs to all centuries. He was born a Jew, yet He belongs to all races. He was born in Bethlehem, yet He belongs to all countries."
Be brave in the Lord. Bold-hearted men have always called “mean- spirited” by lame cowards.
