(Isa) 57:11-13 CJB “Of whom have you been so afraid, so fearful that you lied? But me you don’t remember, you don’t give me a thought! I have held my peace so long that you no longer fear me. I will expose your [so-called] ‘righteousness’; and what you have done won’t help you. When you cry, will those [idols] you gathered rescue you? The wind will carry them all away, a puff of air will take them off. But whoever takes refuge in me will possess the land and inherit my holy mountain.”

If we want an honest explanation for the chaos, rebellion, and hostility toward God in our culture, Isaiah gives it to us plainly:

We have feared people more than we have feared God.

God confronts His people with a piercing question:
“Of whom have you been so afraid?”

Not, “Did you stop believing?”
Not, “Did you stop going to church?”
But: Who did you start fearing more than Me?

Israel hadn’t abandoned religion. They hadn’t stopped talking about righteousness. They hadn’t stopped performing spiritual routines. But they had stopped remembering God. They had stopped taking Him seriously. They had replaced reverence with convenience.

And God says, “I have held my peace so long that you no longer fear Me.”

Silence was mistaken for approval. Patience was confused with permission.

The same thing has happened in our generation.

In pulpits, boardrooms, classrooms, media platforms, and marketplaces, Christian leadership has too often chosen acceptance over obedience. We wanted to be loving. We wanted to be tolerant. We wanted to be liked.

So we stopped confronting sin.
We stopped rebuking evil.
We stopped calling people to repentance.
We stopped demanding obedience to Christ.

And we called it love.

But it wasn’t love.
It was fear.

Fear of losing money.
Fear of losing influence.
Fear of losing approval.
Fear of being labeled.

So God was quietly pushed out of public life, replaced by comfort, career, pleasure, and popularity.

Isaiah calls this what it is: idolatry.

We pacified our cowardice by telling ourselves, “We’re still good people. We go to church. We know the Ten Commandments.” But much of it became external and hollow—physical obedience without spiritual surrender.

A veneer of Christianity.

And God says He will expose it.

All false righteousness, all spiritual pretending, all religious performance without true allegiance will be swept away—like dust in the wind—when we stand before the King.

Our idols of comfort, pleasure, and approval will not save us.

Only those who have truly identified with Jesus—who have suffered for His name, laid down their lives, and lived unashamed of the gospel—will receive eternal reward.

Yes, we admire bold public Christians. We appreciate those who speak truth with courage. But admiration is not obedience. Too often, we cheer from the sidelines instead of stepping onto the field.

God is not looking for fans.
He is looking for faithful men.

And the good news is this: it is not too late.

Like Peter, who denied Jesus out of fear, we can be restored. Jesus didn’t discard him—He recommissioned him: “Feed My sheep.”

Failure is not final. Fear does not have to define us.

But restoration requires repentance.

It requires deciding today that we will no longer cower before men. We will no longer hide our allegiance. We will no longer dilute our obedience.

Identifying with Jesus does not mean being obnoxious.
It does not mean being rude.
It does not mean promoting political tribes.

It means being unmistakably His.

It means loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength—by obeying everything He has commanded.

It means living as visible students of Jesus.

It means going to people we know and lovingly calling them to follow Christ fully.

This is the Great Commission.
Not a suggestion.
Not a side project.
Our mission.

We go.
We share the gospel.
We teach obedience.
We model Christlike living.

And we do it unashamedly.

Because the man who takes refuge in the Lord will inherit what truly matters.

Run Today’s Play:

1. Identify Your Fear
Ask honestly: Where have I been silent because I wanted approval? Where have I compromised because I didn’t want conflict?

2. Tear Down an Idol
Name one comfort, habit, relationship, or ambition that competes with obedience—and surrender it to Christ today.

3. Speak One Truth in Love
Have one intentional conversation this week where you lovingly point someone toward repentance, faith, or obedience.

4. Reaffirm Your Allegiance
Tell God plainly in prayer: “I belong to You, not this world. I will not hide.”

Live as a man who fears God more than men.