Who are we becoming… and who are we living for?

If you actually live this way… it will cost you something.

There’s a difference between punishment and persecution.
• Punishment is what happens when you do what’s wrong
• Persecution is what happens when you do what’s right

“…for doing right.”

Because Persecution reveals something.
It reveals whether you’re trying to blend in or whether you’re actually living different.

• Savior forgives you…
• Lord leads you.

• Savior comforts you…
• Lord calls you.

• Savior meets you where you are…
• Lord refuses to leave you there.

We want a cross we can wear… not a cross we have to carry.

Where is following Jesus costing you right now?

If our version of faith only works when it’s comfortable, is it the same faith?

• There are over 380 million Christians around the world face high levels of persecution for their faith. That equates to roughly 1 in 7 believers globally.
• In 2025, nearly 5,000 Christians were killed for their faith, averaging 13 per day.

Persecution is NOT…
• People don’t like my opinion.
• Someone pushed back on what I said.

Persecution IS…
• When living God’s way creates pressure in your life
• When doing what’s right costs you something real

Will I stay faithful when obedience costs me something real?

If your faith has never cost you anything… It might be because your faith hasn’t required anything.

“Eighty-six years I have served Christ, and He has done me no wrong. How can I deny my King who saved me?”

Action Steps for this Week:

Don’t let this stay in the room. Let’s take it into real life this week. Here are three ways to practice this starting today.

Action Steps:

1. Identify your “pressure point”
Ask yourself: Where is following Jesus costing me right now?
• At work?
• In a relationship?
• In a private habit?
• In a conversation I’ve been avoiding?

Write it down. Not in your head. Actually name it. Because you can’t be faithful in a moment you refuse to acknowledge.

2. Decide your response before the moment hits
Don’t wait until you’re in it. Based on what you identified, decide:
• What does obedience look like?
• What line am I not crossing?
• What will I say or do when the pressure shows up?

Finish this sentence: “If that moment comes this week… I will ______.”
Because you won’t rise to the moment… you’ll fall to your preparation.

3.Take one visible step of obedience
This week, act on it.
• Tell the truth when it would be easier not to
• Say no where you’ve been compromising
• Speak up when you’ve been silent
• Walk away from something you know isn’t right

It doesn’t have to be dramatic. It just has to be real. Because faith is built one decision at a time.