Courage part 5

 January 22, 2021 devotional

 

  How can you and I be sure that resisting the pressures of our society, refusing to follow man-made laws, and standing firm in our convictions are all within God’s will?  How did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Daniel, Peter, and John know they were standing courageously rather than merely being stubborn?  I suppose we could say that history has proven them to be correct, but that doesn’t offer us any guidance.

In each of these three cases, the people were pressured to deny God or deny Jesus.  So, this becomes our first sign that we need to take a courageous stand.  When we are called to turn our backs to God or to deny Jesus, we know we must stand firm and be courageous.

For example, consider Peter outside the High Priests house while Jesus was on trial (Matthew 26:69-74) or Pilate who surrendered to the mob (John 19:12-16).  Even though he knew Jesus was innocent, Pilate gave in to pressure. 

I’ll admit that first one was easy; it’s a “no brainer!”  But this other issue – the call to rethink long-held beliefs – is rather difficult.

As I mentioned yesterday, some Christian denominations are calling believers to make compromises on specific doctrines that have been the very foundation of our faith.  I’ve have heard denominational leaders challenge the belief that Jesus was truly God in the flesh.  He was said to be nothing more than a good teacher who modeled a way of living.  I know one denomination that “seeks the mind of Christ” to determine beliefs and practices.  And what that means is that when people want to understand scripture or establish doctrines, the majority rules.  God’s word is not consulted. And, as I said before, I want to make sure I am taking a courageous stand for God’s will and not resisting the Spirit’s conviction through the hearts of other believers.

When should we stand firm and when should we change?

Here are the tools we need to guide us in that discernment process.

1.     Know God’s word.  Your Bible is the key to knowing God’s character, God’s heart, and God’s will.  Part of the reason many Christians have been swept away by the world’s philosophy is because they don’t know what God has said.

2.     Rely on the Hop Spirit.  In John 14:6, the Lord promises us that the Holy Spirit will help us understand the Word of God.  When one allows the Spirit to reveal the Word, they have the ability to know when some new teaching or some reinterpretation of Scripture contradicts what God has already said.

3.     Remember what Jesus has said about the Spirit in John 16:13.  The Holy Spirit will not say something new to the church today.  That’s not His role.  So, when someone comes along and says the Spirit has given them a new revelation or a new interpretation of scripture, you can be sure what they say is not true.  The Holy Spirit will never reveal something to you that contradicts what the Word of God has already said.

For nearly 2,000 years, Christians have been reading scripture and attempting to live a life according to the Word.  Yet, in their arrogance, some religious leader comes along today and claims they have a new understanding of something, and it just happens to contradict what Christians have been claiming almost since the beginning?  How arrogant can someone be?  Really, they know better than all the faithful who have gone before them?

4.     Keep in mind what John wrote in 1 John 4:1-5.  Don’t believe everything you are told.  If the person who is pressuring the Church to compromise or change their beliefs cannot confess Jesus is God in the flesh, then you can be certain that they don’t speak for God.  You can stand firm and resist their teaching courageously.  In fact, if the new theology or doctrine being proclaimed by some Christian organizations is widely accepted by the world, then you know it is something false (see verse 5-6).

The bottom line is this; I would rather err on the side of God than on the teachings of Men.  If I am wrong about a certain belief or doctrine, God will hold me accountable.  The Spirit will continue to convict; that’s what He does.

Remember: greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.