Romans 5:1-3 (NASB) says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance.”

This past week has been very solemn for the United States of America in the assassination, or even martyrdom, of Charlie Kirk. Regardless of whether or not you disagreed with him on certain things he said, the basis of his stance was for his LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ. He was, is and forever will be a brother in Christ. Many of his beliefs concerning marriage, family and gender were rooted in scripture and his faith in God, and a great number (not all) of his political views did have some form of basis in the Bible. Like all of us, Charlie was not perfect as we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, but the calling on his life was evident, and his boldness and courage in today’s generation seems noticeably unmatched as he went into the lion’s den of college campuses to discuss hot topics such as politics and religion. People no doubt hated him, even taking things out of context to try to make an excuse for their hatred. Whether you followed him or not, his murder should have never taken place, and his wife and children are experiencing a pain that I can never fathom. The people who have cheered his death has opened the world’s eyes to truly how evil exists, even to the core.

What should our response be? First of all, pray! The only way our land can be healed is if we humble ourselves before God, pray, seek His face and turn from every wicked way (2 Chronicles 7:14). We must repent by returning to the heart of God and fix our eyes on Jesus. We must surrender any hatred or bitterness and pray that what the enemy meant for evil, God will turn around and make it good! Pray for Charlie’s wife, Erika, their children and all of the family for comfort, courage and strength to navigate through this horrific season in their lives. Pray for those who were involved not only in his assassination, but also through pure hatred have cheered and rejoiced over it, that they will experience the fearless and tangible love of God themselves and be transformed! Pray the flames of revival spread through the political arena and college campuses because we need it now more than ever!

Secondly, we need to love our neighbor as ourselves. This can only be done through the Holy Spirit, and we must be able to speak the truth in love, even if it hurts. Love is not condoning or affirming everyone in everything they want to do, say or be. It is not tolerating things while knowing the danger of where certain decisions can lead, which includes not only in this life but also in eternity. Love is a fruit of the Spirit, meaning it takes the seed of God’s Word being sown into our hearts, which allows God to fill our hearts with His love to demonstrate towards others! We will show it through prayer, kindness, listening to the pains of our generation and pointing them to Jesus Christ!

Finally, we must stand for the faith! You may have seen the video where Evangelist Samuel Rodriguez was asked by church leadership how he leaned, whether to the right or left. He said that “we don’t lean, but we stand!” We must stand firm on the uncompromising truths of the gospel. We have no time to lean and compromise with any culture filled with hatred and evil, but we must and firm on the faith. Our loyalty to God supersedes any loyalty to a political affiliation, period! It doesn’t matter if it is Democrat, Republican, or anything else.

The first Christian martyr, Stephen, seen Jesus “standing” at the right hand of the Father while he was being stoned. Simply put, when you stand for God, God is going to stand for you! It becomes easier to stand when you know you have the backing of heaven. Just like Abel, through “being dead yet he speaks” (Hebrews 11:4). This is legacy on display! It is not just making a difference through the life you have lived, but the impact you make even after you breathe your last breath! There is no greater example of this than Jesus Christ Himself!

So, when you feel like quitting or your faith is threatened and you have done all that you know to do, STAND! (Ephesians 6:13) Stand on God’s faithfulness and promises! Stand on the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ! Stand for what is right, even if you feel as though you are not in the majority! You have the majority when God is on your side!