Ezekiel 22:30 "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before Me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.” (NIV)
You were created and called to have relationship with God. God desires to live His life through you out of your relationship with Him. The greatest result of living your life in Christ will be His righteousness being manifested in you. 1John 2:6 challenges us, “Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” Another result of living your life in Christ will be compassion for the lost and hurting. Your desire and passion to share the Gospel with others, help those in need, and respond to the hurting and wounded will grow as your intimacy with Christ increases. Jesus demonstrated this in Matthew 9:36 – “When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Your daily walk and relationship with Christ will reveal His personal ministry and work in you. As you live your life in Christ, He may place you in situations where you might be required “to stand in the gap” for Him – to stand against sin, injustice, compromise, false doctrine, moral decay, and to help those in need. Your natural tendency will be to walk away and live your own life. Be careful to not become calloused to how life confronts you, but to be sensitive to God’s prompting “to stand in the gap” for Him. Have a pliable and willing heart to rise up and speak truth, even when it involves sacrifice. Habakkuk 1:13b emphasizes this by saying, “Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?” The more vibrant your relationship with Christ, the more frequent these times of opportunity to represent and proclaim Him will occur. You will represent Jesus not out of judgment or self-righteousness, but because the heart Jesus is cultivating in you is becoming more aware of the destructive consequences that sin has on those around you. Pray for God to create a compassionate heart for the lost and courage to be His vessel for His righteousness!
Isaiah 6:8 “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’" (NIV)