Speak Up Against Wrongdoing No Matter How Uncomfortable

Ezekiel 3:18 NIV

Verse 18, “When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. Verse 19, But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.”

In Ezekiel 3:18, the Lord is speaking to Ezekiel and telling him what he is to do with the information He gives to him. When God points out someone who is doing wrong, if Ezekiel doesn’t warn the person then he is held responsible for that person’s death in sin. The next verse says if Ezekiel does speak up and warn the person then no matter what happens, Ezekiel is not held accountable. So what do these verses mean for us? When we see a wrong, when we see an injustice and God has laid it on our hearts to speak, then we must speak out or we will be at fault as much as the person doing the wrong.

Now there are two key elements here. The first is that what we speak must be what the Lord has laid on our hearts to speak.

Just as He gave Ezekiel the words, He will also guide us in our words if we let Him. Too often people speak out following their own promptings or society’s instead of asking the Lord or listening to what the Lord desires us to speak. We often get caught up in the moment and speak out paying no heed to how our words are harming the situation. We say or write things that can potentially make things worse. When we see an injustice or a wrong, we first need to go to the Lord and seek His guidance in what to say and do to help.

The second element is that we must speak out no matter how uncomfortable it may be. We may have to speak out against a friend, a family member, or a co-worker. We have to say the hard thing, but we must say it with love and not anger or hate. We have to be bold and be eternity minded, for if we don’t speak we will be accountable for that person’s continued sin.

God calls us to share the truth with those He brings to us, to show them the right path. They may or may not listen, but if we keep quiet then we are as wrong as they are. It is important to share God’s truths, but it is also important to make sure the truth is His and not what we think it should be.

The world is in turmoil over injustice across our nation and other nations. Ask God what He is wanting you to do and say about it. He may say to pray; He may say to speak to an individual; He may say write an article. Seek first His words and then be bold and do what He has asked, don’t keep quiet if He is telling you to speak!

“God calls us to share the truth with those He brings to us, to show them the right path. They may or may not listen, but if we keep quiet then we are as wrong as they are.”