66. Having the Courage of Your Convictions. 1 Cor 4:4.

What are your convictions? And why should you live by them? Convictions are the mental attitudes that we believe, understand, agree with and choose to live by. These should be closely connected and directed by a well informed conscience. I believe to lead a peaceful life we need to have both, a well informed conscience, and live by our subsequent convictions. If we are Christians, with a consistent prayer life, God’s Holy Spirit will lead, guide and protect us as we build our convictions. The very first of which should be-:Will what I am about to do or say Glorify God or gratify me and my fleshly attitudes, instincts and lusts ? Answering that question truthfully may not always keep us out of trouble, but, it will always keep us under the protection of God. And “If God is for us who can be against us.” So our moto ought to be TRUTH. We have a God-given duty and responsibility to seek out truth, get convicted and live by it In Daniel (1:8) we read, Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank” This particular wine and food was offered to pagan gods as an act of worship, and for Daniel that was incompatible with his convictions. He was being asked to compromise his character and for Daniel that was unacceptable. Seeing he was so far away from home, and he could do as he pleased; nobody at home needed to know whether he followed God’s Word or not. But he still wouldn’t do it, Daniel could have complied and done as the king wanted, so, if he had chosen to say yes to the king’s order and could do as he pleased. Nobody back home would ever have to know it. Plus, if he didn’t eat it, he would be insulting the king – not a good career move! But, Daniel knew God’s word was clear when it came to idol worship, and God blessed Him for it. He ended up being protected, preserved and promoted in unthinkable ways. His philosophy was--; When God says Yes, I say Yes. And when God says No, I say No. and he had this convictions long before he came to Babylon. Here’s a question, Have you established what your core convictions are? Have you spent the good times determining what you will and wont do in the hard times? If not, you need to. Daniel’s friends probably told him, No body will know. But his thinking was, God will know, and so will I. ‘I don’t have to live with you, but I do have to live with me’. Your thoughts and ideas must always be open to change and improvement, but your core convictions must be non-negotiable So live by your convictions. They will form your character. Daniel was forced to decide whether he was going to be a conformer or a transformer. What’s the difference? You ask, Pressure! Pressure controls a conformer.’ If you place enough pressure on them they will cave in’ . If you put enough pressure on them they will smoke the first joint, they will take the first drink, they will do, think and say what everybody else is doing thinking and saying. But a transformer is governed by principals. You may say “Living that way is very demanding.” Yes, it is, and it’s very protective as well, God knows better than we do, how to avoid pain, frustration and destruction in our lives. Because He sees the cliffs edge clearer than we do, He places guardrails next to the drop-off point, and when we follow His commands we avoid heartaches, pitfalls and loss of reputation. Daniels refusal to eat the kings food was not a matter of his diet, but of his dedication to God. Now, I am not advocating the idea of “let your conscience be your guide,” No! Your conscience is not always a good and perfect guide. Just because you don’t think something is wrong, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t think it could be wrong. (Perhaps further guidance is required) Your conscience can be damaged or burned. The Bible in (1 Timothy 4:2) speaks of “ (your) conscience being seared with a hot iron” and Paul writes in (1Corinthians 4:4) “My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is The Lord who judges me” Nevertheless, the conscience should be your first port of call when faced with a difficult decision. Rarely will you make a good choice to do something if you know doing so will take your conscience on a dreaded guilt-trip . So set your convictions on The Bible and live by them. That’s the safe way to go. Jesus said:”He who is not against Me is for Me”. And in anther place He said:- “Whoever stands up for Me before man, I will stand up for him before my Father in Heaven”. So let’s get of that fence, and have the courage of our convictions, because being neither Hot nor Cold will make Jesus sick and cause Him to vomit us out of His mouth. Some questions to ask yourself. What are my convictions on:- Alcohol, Drugs, Sex before marriage, Divorce Abortion, Euthanasia, Tax evasion, Tithing, Gambling, LGBTQ. Trans Genderism, kidnapping, Child trafficking etc. Think very seriously about these things and get convicted. These are very real issues and problems in our world today and God expects His people to stand-up and defend His laws at every opportunity instead of keeping quiet which is taken to mean we are condoning what is taking place. Think about it!!! Thank you for reading my thoughts on “Having the Courage of our Convictions, living and standing up for them.” That’s what Jesus said, did and lived by. If they are ‘Bible Based’ and “God Trusted ‘ you will, “By the Power of The Holy Spirit” lead a Godly life of honesty and integrity like Daniel did. Then you will be trusted and honoured by both God and your fellow human beings And that’s what will matter in the end. God bless us all as we try to live the life of Integrity to which we were called. Phaline