I have often wondered how I would respond if I had the barrel of a loaded rifle indenting my skull and my captor giving me the choice to “Renounce my faith in Jesus Christ or be killed”. I would hope that I would remain strong and be willing to die for Christ because of my deep love for Him. The following is one of my most favorite quotes spoken by Jim Elliot, one of the five missionaries martyred by the Ecuadorian Auca Indian tribe in 1956: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Hundreds of thousands of Christians are among those who have fled Iraq and Syria in the midst of Islamic extremism. Isis has declared Christianity as their number one enemy. Millions of Christians live in countries where they are physically persecuted because of their faith. Even in a traditional Christian country, like America, there is sometimes hostility towards vibrant Christianity. It seems that almost daily I feel “gut punched” when I read or hear directives from our government that are contrary to what God’s Word says. On occasion we also face hostility from friends and family members because of our faith. How can we survive and even thrive in the midst of such hostility?

In the first three chapters of Exodus, we read of the birth of Moses and how he chose to endure hostility. Moses was the adopted grandson of Pharaoh and, as such, would have had money, sex, and power at his disposal in abundance. But he chose to obey God’s call and identify himself with God’s people who were in slavery under Pharaoh’s rule. He chose to be ill-treated along with his Jewish brothers and sisters, the people of God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time because he regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as greater value than the treasures of Egypt.

At the heart of Moses’ obedience is the recognition of who God is. God revealed Himself to Moses in verse 12 of Exodus 3 where He tells Moses that “I will certainly be with you” and in verse 14 where God declares His character as “I AM WHO I AM”. May we truly know who God is and claim His promise to always be with us and remain strong as we face the challenges of living in a hostile worldly environment.