Matthew 10:32,33 – “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”
I have used this passage for years to encourage people to openly confess their allegiance to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I’m sure there are other applications however I can think of nothing stronger in a new believer’s life than to not be ashamed of their faith.
Several verses later, in verse 39, Jesus said, “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” This seems difficult to understand until you couple it with the verses above. When you acknowledge Jesus before other people (publicly confess Him) you immediately lose your life. You are not prioritizing your personal identity but now you align yourself with Christ and all that He represents. Some will ridicule you for it and others may admire you. But one thing is for sure, when you do so you have chosen sides. You are declaring what many throughout history have died for and what some in the future will give their lives for in the Book of Revelation. Don’t be ashamed; it’s who you are. Confess it; announce it; declare it and whatever you do never deny it!