Shoulder To Shoulder #1274 -- 1/17/22 ---- "Facing The Future With Fortitude (part two -- With Conviction, Not Convenience)"
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER is a weekly letter of encouragement Bob has written since 1997, covering many topics selected to
motivate people to be strong students of the Word and courageous witnesses of Jesus Christ. It is a personal letter of
encouragement to you, written solely to help "lift up hands that hang down".
"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything." -- Albert Einstein
“There is a common, worldly kind of Christianity in this day, which many have, and think they have -- a cheap Christianity which offends nobody,
and requires no sacrifice, which costs nothing, -- and is worth nothing.” – J. C. Ryle
Shoulder To Shoulder #1274 -- 1/17/22
Title: "Facing The Future With Fortitude (part two -- With Conviction, Not Convenience)"
My Dear Friend and Pilgrim Partner:
Greetings on another sunny day in Yuma. After last week's letter in which I "toured" the region, I'll just content myself by saying it's predicted to reach 73 comfortable degrees on a sunny and cloudless day here. One "Shoulders" subscriber whom I have known for nearly thirty years e-mailed me regarding my last letter. He encouraged me greatly with the following comments:
"This is outstanding, Bob! So excellently built...the whole piece. I gave this word at a meeting last year about this time....but you've so expertly expanded on it...so much broader application. Thank you! And thank you for the mini-tour of Yuma. I feel like I've walked the streets already." -- PL
He was writing from a frigid eastern European country where he serves as a missionary. I remember those winter days -- and have no remorse whatsoever that it is now far beyond my reach.
I don't share "P's" comments in order to persuade you or to toot my own horn, but to acknowledge how often someone drops me a note at just the right time. I am always blessed when I get some kind of response from a reader -- even a corrective one. After all, I've been writing these letters -- every week, and early on two or three times a week -- since December, 1997. That means I've just begun my 26th year sharing my personal thought with other like you. I find that hard to comprehend. Little did I know I would last that long. But it has been one of the most enriching disciplines of my personal walk with Christ.
Often I have butchered "the king's English", and scores of times my spell check missed my numerous spelling errors. My actual writing style -- which is thoroughly conversational in nature -- makes my writing prone to destroying certain rules of grammar. But, the experience has both honed my use of grammar, has improved certain writing techniques, and has most definitely driven me into extensive researching and deepening Bible study. Even though Jo Ann patiently and graciously endures unending days of "Monday (and often Tuesday) widowhood", I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. Counting those earlier days when I used a different numbering system or wrote more than once in a week, I have written well over 1,460 letters these past years. What an amazing privilege!
We enjoyed another wonderful service Sunday at Chapel de Oro, with the highest attendance of the season so far. Even though it is far below the normal 175 to 190 by this time of year, the day was rich with God's presence. I cherish days like that, and they seem to come often. I ended up actually preaching on the topic about which I wrote to you in my last letter. God was clearly impacting lives. In that sermon I addressed the necessity of our facing such shakings with certain mindsets and spiritual backbone. I mentioned five, and today I want to follow-up with you by discussing one of them. Let's do that, right after you take a look at . . .
THIS 'N' THAT:
+ Tomb of the Kings: ---- In that history was one of my least interesting and most difficult classes in both high school and college, it fascinates me that I have had a nearly-fanatical interest in both the history of Israel and early American history for the past 40+ years. Here is a good overview article on the "Tomb of the Kings" in Jerusalem, its origin, use, occupant/s and current ownership. This adds some further insight into First Century Jewish history. Go to https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/the-tomb-of-the-kings-in-jerusalem/?fbclid=IwAR2pHddTxBZj0GeVKpGhbBtZSVW-QC8Rh7m2BZrLjhRdxoktdMX6vM8HwSA .
+ Canada's Persecution of Christians Bill: ---- A "controversial legislation, which went into effect Jan. 8 after being fast-tracked through the Canadian Parliament in December without extensive debate, describes as a 'myth"'the belief that heterosexuality and cisgender identity are preferable." Thousands of Canadian and U.S. pastor have gone on record warning that this bill is the mere beginning of coming laws that will outlaw evangelism and discipleship among Christians, and ultimately lead to even greater and sometimes more violent persecution of Christians. Read the details at https://www.foxnews.com/world/thousands-churches-raise-alarm-scope-new-canadian-conversion-therapy-ban .
+ The Hampton Court Conference's Impact on Christianity: ---- Tuesday is the 418th anniversary of the decision to translate the Bible into what we now call the King James Version -- January 17, 1604. It happened at the Hampton Court Conference in reaction to King James' abhorrence of the Geneva Bible, a translation he feared would undermine the "Episcopal" rule of the Church and the divine authority of the king. The motion read, "...that a translation be made of the whole Bible, as consonant as can be to the original Hebrew and Greek; and this to be set out and printed, without any marginal notes..." Read a very interesting encapsulated account of what transpired at https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1601-1700/the-king-james-authorized-version-11630051.html?utm_source=This%20Week%20in%20Christian%20History%20&utm_campaign=This%20Week%20in%20Church%20History%20-%20Christianity.com&utm_medium=email&utm_content=5907051&recip=521085018&aps=ee6ee118c65d61227d7de5c8fd96ff3df9e60ff816177dd8e91327686af0d297 .
"+ Martin Luther King Day: ---- January 17th this year was yesterday, and was Martin Luther King Day. One of Dr. King's personal heroes wrote, . . .
"I resolved that I would permit no man, no matter what his color might be, to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him. ... I pity from the bottom of my heart any individual who is so unfortunate as to get into the habit of holding race prejudice. ... In the sight of God there is no color line, and we want to cultivate a spirit that will make us forget that there is such a line anyway.
"There is a class of race problem solvers who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs and the hardships of the [black] race before the public ... Some of these people do not want the [black man] to lose his grievances because they do not want to lose their jobs ... They don't want the patient to get well ... Great men cultivate love ... only little men cherish a spirit of hatred." -- Booker T. Washington, founder of Tuskegee Institute (In Up From Slavery, 1901)
Read the article at https://americanminute.com/blogs/todays-american-minute/rev-martin-luther-king-jr-pastor-of-dexter-avenue-baptist-church-ebenezer-baptist-church-american-minute-with-bill-federer
QUOTES FOR THE WEEK:
> "God's call is an inner conviction given by the Holy Spirit and confirmed by the Word of God and the body of Christ." -- Erwin Lutzer
> "Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason. I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other - my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen." -- Martin Luther
> "Having convictions can be defined as being so thoroughly convinced that Christ and His Word are both objectively true and relationally meaningful that you act on your beliefs regardless of the consequences." -- Josh McDowell
> "Until you become completely obsessed with your mission, no one will take you seriously. Until the world understands that you’re not going away—that you are 100 percent committed and have complete and utter conviction and will persist in pursuing your project—you will not get the attention you need and the support you want.” -- Grant Cardone
> “Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” -- Sir Winston Churchill
> "We cannot live beyond our thoughts and convictions." -- Dr. Myles Munroe
> "Decide to be a man of conviction. Conviction of what you may ask? Have a conviction about the things God has called you. Have a conviction about the things you are supposed to accomplish in your lifetime. Have a conviction about the things that God has told you. Live by these convictions! Be prepared to give up anything so that you can fulfill your conviction." -- Dag Heward Mills
> "Whatever I am today is a product of that conviction that victory through Christ is victory indeed. The rest is history." -- T. B. Joshua
> “If you plan to build walls around me, know this—I will walk through them.” -- Richelle E. Goodrich
> "When a Christian’s convictions clash with the standard of tolerance set by society, the Christian is often labeled as 'intolerant,' 'bigoted,' or worse. Ironically, those who claim to be the most tolerant are the least tolerant of the Christian worldview." -- GotQuestions.com
> "We must obey God, rather than man." -- Simon Peter (Acts 5:29)
WHAT IS CONVICTION?
As I mentioned above, last Sunday I ended up preaching on the same subject about which I had written you in my last letter -- God currently shaking things up in preparation for Christ's return. Something I didn't address in my earlier letter were five things I believe are necessary in order for us to endure the shaking. If we don't have them, I don't think one can survive. Rather, lacking them would result in our living in fear, abandoning our faith, and giving in to the world's values and systems. Their absence will clearly be the demise of any Christian who does not embrace and practice them.
I pointed out Sunday those five things that would be necessary in order to face the current and future "shaking". The first one was this: ----
"Live with Conviction -- not compromise or tolerance!"
Frankly, as I have been digging deeper into the subject, I'm being blown away by the comprehensiveness of it all. No wonder some people are so "driven" in their Christian living, and others are content with mediocrity, complacency -- and tolerance of the world's valued! I am discovering that "Conviction" is much like a multi-faceted diamond, each facet a prism that both reflects and refracts -- and far more valuable than a diamond . . . or many diamonds.
So, just what is "Conviction"? Years ago I remember preaching a sermon entitled, "I have my convictions!". Oddly, I don't remember much about it, and don't recall ever preaching it again.
So, what are we actually talking about when we discuss our convictions? What strikes you about the topic? Do you have any? What are they? Do they make a difference in your life at all? Are they really convictions? What is it that has shaped them for you?
Let's dig a little deeper into the matter.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary gives three definitions for "Conviction":
1. the act or process of finding a person guilty of a crime especially in a court of law
2. a, a strong persuasion or belief. And b, the state of being convinced
3. a, the act of convincing a person of error or of compelling the admission of a truth. And b, the state of being convinced of error or compelled to admit the truth
Dictionary.com lists five definitions:
1. a fixed or firm belief.
2. the act of convicting someone, as in a court of law; a declaration that a person is guilty of an offense.
3. the state of being convicted.
4. the act of convincing a person by argument or evidence.
5. the state of being convinced.
The Free Dictionary carries very similar definitions:
1. a fixed or firm belief.
2. the act of convicting.
3. the state of being convicted.
4. the state of being convinced.
5. the act of convincing.
As you can properly conclude, the word itself has numerous applications that tend to orbit around two thoughts -- "being found guilty" and "being thoroughly convinced". Yet, if you examine both thoughts, they are uniquely compatible. When one has been found guilty, it is because the jury weighed all the evidence and were convinced the accused was guilty. The guilty party was convicted because the jury was convincingly drawn to that conclusion so strongly that the members were willing to make the decision and stand by it, come what may.
It is the idea that one has reached the fact or condition of being without doubt, and is, therefore, seen as being true. Because it is true, it is believed. Because it is believed, it has become a conviction.
The Cambridge Dictionary lists nearly identical definitions. Synonyms would certainly include assurance, assuredness, certainty, certitude, confidence, positiveness, sureness, surety, steadfastness of belief.
But, what about the Biblical definition of Conviction? How is it described? Interestingly, there are but three Greek words used for "conviction". One is pronounced "seautou" and refers merely to one's own personal conviction or opinion. A second on is pronounced "plērophoria" and refers to a full assurance that has convinced beyond any doubt. It is an entire and complete confidence. This is what is used in I Thes 1:5. The third word is "elegchos", which means a proven assurance or something that has been tested and proven to be true. It is a test that proves it to be true. This is the word used in Heb 11:l.
So, conviction is far more than just having an opinion or being stubborn and hard headed, or having an unproven opinion to which you will not let go. True conviction is being absolutely convinced because of the evidence you see, to the point that you will neither compromise it nor abandon it. That is the kind of conviction you will need during the coming days of great global shaking. You can mark my word on that.
What is it, then, that creates such a tenacious unrelenting grip on a value or principle that you will refuse to loosen your grip on it even the slightest? I think that leads us to consider . . .
CONVICTION'S CORE:
The writer of Hebrews identifies beyond doubt what I see as the "core" or the "rebar" of conviction ---- it is faith.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Heb 11:1)
Some translations use "assurance" or "confidence" in place of "conviction", which tells us even more about the writer's assertion. The Amplified Bible, which I dearly love because it pulls together all meanings, reads, . . .
"NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]."
Paul made a similar statement to the persecuted believers in Rome:
The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God." (Rom 14:22a).
It is impossible for the Christian to divorce his convictions from what he believes and in whom (or what) he puts his trust. It's not so much about what he believes that is significant, but rather that which lies below the surface that causes him to believe what he believes so much so that he has driven down a stake and declared, "These are my convictions."
Paul made a profound statement to Titus in his letter to this young pastor: . . .
"This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently [with conviction], so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men" (Tit 3:8).
Look at the connection between faith and conviction. It was NOT that they believed IN God, but rather that they believed GOD Himself -- so much so that their convictions over what God had said actually drove them to action -- to obedience. I contend that it is not possible to have strong, lasting, profitable, and ethical convictions apart from unequivocally trusting God so absolutely that it shows in the way you live and act. Your convictions result in obedience to God.
I would propose that you can see the connection between faith and conviction when you read Hebrews 11, a chapter listing some of the "Heroes of faith". If we are not careful, it is far too easy to gloss over the real issue of the matter and miss the point. Look at the list of well-known followers of Old Testament days. Then look at what they did -- because of what they were convinced. Just look at the list.
Because they believed God and what He had said, . . .
Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain.
Enoch bypassed physical death.
Noah spent over 100 years building the ark, never seeing a drop of rain.
Abram left his homeland for "who knows where".
Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice, knowing Isaac had been chosen by God through whom to bless the world and fulfill the promise.
Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in spite of being deceived, convinced of the same thing.
Joseph insisted that his bones be returned to Canaan, believing the same thing.
Moses was kept safe from Pharaoh's baby-killing rampage.
Moses refused to be called an Egyptian and descendant to the throne.
Moses left Egypt for the unknown.
The Israelites believed God and observed the strange and new ritual of the Passover.
The list of God-followers whose faith was expressed through obedience is endless. But, in each of them, their conviction had been born, maintained, and expressed because they trusted God enough to obey Him.
Three times the Bible says that "Abraham believed God" and the end result was righteousness expressed in his life. In fact, James not only quotes that Old Testament passage, but goes further by saying because of his faith, Abraham was known as God's friend.
"For what does the Scripture say? "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." (Rom 4:3).
"Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." (Gal 3:6).
". . . and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS," and he was called the friend of God." (James 2:23).
If you think that "action" in response to faith is the message of these great warriors, I think you missed the point -- you overlooked the "bridge" that crosses the river of uncertainty, linking faith and action together. It is the bridge of "Conviction". Faith can only lead you to the bridge of conviction, never to the action. However, if when you are convinced that who and what you believe is true, then you will act.
May I even say that, when it comes to living as a Christian in general -- and in facing the many "shakings", both past, present, -- and future -- that your ability to stand by your convictions will be determined by your faith and trust in Christ's finished work, and in your confidence in the total accuracy and relevance of the Bible to your situation. If you distrust even one, your convictions not only will not last, but you really have no convictions in the first place. You merely have opinions, desires, and good intentions.
To get a handle on the nature and make-up of real faith, we need only look at the life of Abraham. The fourth chapter of Romans gives us an unprecedented look at how this man lived his life. His journey was not easy. Having spent 70+ years in the heart of pagan idolatry, then traveling nearly 5,000 miles from Ur to Canaan, dealing with hostile locals, being confronted by a prophecy he felt was impossible, having offered his son as a human sacrifice to God, . . . It's all beyond belief.
And yet, through it all, Abraham was committed to the conviction he had in his heart -- that what God had promised, God would do.
I have written about this in detail in the past, but let me mention five things about Abraham and his faith that enabled him to live by his heart's conviction that God was in charge, had a plan, and would carry it out to its fulfillment, no matter what distance he had to travel, how insurmountable the challenges would be, or how long it would take. Romans 4 shows us those five things. 1. His faith was confidence in a person; 2. His faith was conversant with the problems; 3. His faith was consistent in its progress; 4. His faith was convinced of God's promises; and 5. His faith was completed by performance. I will briefly comment on but two:
1. Abraham's faith was confidence in a person. You see, faith is only as valuable as its Object. Faith as mere human activity has no virtue, no merit, and contains no power. It isn't the amount of faith you have, but the object in which you have placed your faith. Jesus made that clear when He said that all you needed was faith the size of one of the smallest seeds in the world -- a mustard seed. A mustard seed is barely visible to the naked eye.
True faith is authenticated by its object. It has nothing to do with how much faith you have, but only on where you have placed your faith. If there is no object, then there is no faith. You must believe SomeONE or SomeTHING because faith must have an object.
Too many people think the important thing is to believe. They don't realize that the thing that gives faith its value is the object in which they put their faith. Some people put their faith in their church, in their beliefs, or even in their own faith. Faith in your faith gets you nowhere. Faith is not just a magical potion. In Abraham's case, it says he believed God. Not IN God, but GOD, Himself.
If faith is only as good as the object in which you place your faith -- in Abraham's case, it was God -- then your knowledge of that object is of prime importance to your faith. Knowing God is of prime importance to your faith, particularly in that faith is what turns your opinions and desires into convictions. Abraham knew God! -- and Believed! So, the degree of my knowledge of God will determine the degree of my faith in Him.
Do you want your faith to be stronger? Then, get to know God better. Nothing will strengthen you faith more than drawing closer to God and getting to know Him better. Be like Moses -- don't be satisfied to know God's words and His works. Seek to know His ways.
Abraham knew two things about God. Knowing those two things brought Abraham to a point of personal conviction. He was convinced, therefore he developed a conviction that what God had promised, He would do. First, he knew the God who "gives life to the dead" (Rom 4:17b, 19), and, second, he knew the God Who "calls into being things that don't exist".
As a result, Abraham knew that, since it is God Who "gives life to the dead", his old age was of no consequence. And, because he knew the God Who "calls into being things that don't exist", Sara's inability to have children was of no concern. The end result was he lived by that conviction -- without wavering.
The same is true with you. What do YOU know about God? That's an important question that needs your answer, because it has everything to do with whether or not you will live according to your convictions during these days of shaking, and into the future.
2. Abraham's Faith was completed by performance. A better word is obedience. The writer in Heb 11:8-9 says that it was "By faith Abraham . . . obeyed . . . ". Daniel 11:32 says, " .. . The people who know their God will display strength and take action." Faith is never passive, nor is it stagnant. True faith is always active and is manifested through obedience. The Apostle James wrote in 2:22, "Faith without works is dead, being alone." Take time to read verses 14-26. There must be the outworking of the indwelling faith; otherwise it is not faith.
Hebrews 3:17-4:2 is a real expose' of what faith is and what it is not. The writer stated, . . .
"With whom was He angry for 40 years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? And so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.
"Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard."
You see, faith must be "perfected" or completed by some kind of an act of response. That response is found in the word, Obedience. But, it is a certain kind of obedience. It is absolutely not "performance" in the sense that you try to impress others with either your faith or your convictions. It is an obedience that first cooperates in that it both expresses our faith and also gives our faith expression. Obedience is both the purpose of our faith, and the proof of our faith.
So, the bottom line is this: ---- If your faith in God, in His Word, and in His provision is weak or inconsistent ("waffle-ish"), -- or, perish the thought, nonexistent -- it is highly improbable that you will develop any kind of lasting long-term convictions that will bear you up during current and future shakings. You will be more like the man who built his house on sand instead of on "The Rock" (Mt 7:24-27).
During one of Jeremiah's moments of exhaustion, God asked him a question: ---
"If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, Then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, How will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?" (Jer 12:5).
Perhaps God was trying to get Jeremiah's attention saying, "If you think it's tough now, Jeremiah, what are you going to do when it gets really hard?" If things today get you down and wear you out, something needs to happen to you spiritually if you are going to retain and maintain those convictions you claim to have. That might even be a question you will want to ask yourself ----
"If what I've gone through these past few years and exhausted me, then how will I fare when the shaking increases?"
It will be wise to do some testing and checking on the makeup of your faith -- while you have the chance. It's one thing to trust God when everything is "at ease in Zion", but quite another when the Goliath's with all their Philistine brothers come against you.
And that itself, causes us to consider . . .
CONVICTION'S SOURCE:
"For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; . . . ." (I Thes 1:5)
To be brief, the point is simple: ---- you can actually have convictions that will not stand the test, and you will abandon them if and when things get too difficult.
I think of a young man from the Middle East whom I had the privilege of baptizing in Ukraine following his conversion. His story was amazing. Our Farsi leader, "M", called me one Sunday morning telling me of a call he received from a young man at the train station who said he had heard that I was baptizing some people, and he wanted to be baptized because he had committed his life to Christ. We are always "wisely suspicious" when we hear such claims because some people know how to push the right buttons, say the right words, and pull the right strings in order to escape totalitarian and repressive regimes.
This was not the case with this young man. He was genuine. "M" went to the train station, met him, brought him to the services, others gave him a change of clothing, I baptized him, and he remained a faithful participant in our Farsi ministry a 12-hour train ride away. That is, until he returned to his home country.
When he stepped off the plane, authorities were waiting for him, arrested him, put him in prison, and prosecuted him for leaving his previous religion. They waited until he was 18 years old, and then sentenced him to death unless he recanted. At the urging and pleading of his father, he "recanted" his faith, thus avoiding death. Instead, he was sentenced to five years of probation and "re-education", and prohibited from fraternizing with any Christian, reading Christian literature including the Bible, and visiting any Christian website on the internet.
I cannot -- and I dare not -- try to judge this young man's true relationship with Christ. All I know is that, as a brand new baby Christian, he had not yet discovered and declared the type of conviction that would have sustained him to a refusal to recant his faith. Knowing a bit about how such regimes and religions work, I understand the use of fear and intimidation in their threats, and the great severity of their punishment against the infidels who have abandoned their past religious upbringing. I choose to believe he truly had become a Christian. Nonetheless, he did not yet have the conviction that would let him count the cost -- all the cost -- the entire cost.
The true source of such conviction comes only through the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Paul uses the term "full conviction". It is "pol-oos' play-rof-or-ee'-ah, that is, the "full, entire, large, complete, deep, sufficient confident assurance of certainty". That is the conviction we need now -- and certainly in the future.
He alone can teach us the truth, build our character, strengthen our weakness, build our courage, and sustain our will through such difficult times. He has done it in the past, He can do it now, and He will do it in the future. If we allow Him, He will give us that "full conviction" we will so desperately need in the days ahead -- be it next week or ninety years from now.
CONVICTION'S FORCE:
What is it like to have a conviction that has such a grip on you that nothing can tear it out of your heart? What is it that provides you such conviction that you are willing to live by it -- and die for it? What is it that gives you a tenacious uncompromising conviction that, like Job, . . .
"Though He slay me, I will hope in Him." (Job 13:15a)?
The Book of Habakkuk is a short but rich and powerful prophecy. God had raised him up to speak to the people regarding the threat of the Chaldeans. Chapter one describes two complaints Habakkuk had toward God for seemingly not hearing his prayers. Chapter two begins with Habakkuk's reminder that we live by faith alone and then covers his condemnation against the Chaldeans. But then chapter three sees Habakkuk remembering the rich history of God's faithfulness and goodness to Israel, and then concludes with his fresh commitment to God and the deep conviction God drove into his very being. He wrote, . . .
"Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the field and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exalt in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds feet, and makes me walk on my high places." (Hab 3:17-19)
That is a man who has learned of the faithfulness and sufficiency of God and has declared his conviction that, like Job, he will not flinch, retreat, nor deny his God. Paul was also convinced in such a way concerning God's love when he reminded the persecuted believers in Rome, writing, . .
"Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED." But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:35-39).
In writing to his young protege', Timothy, Paul explained the tenacity of his conviction about Christ. After all the hardship, disappointments, beatings, imprisonments, trials, and suffering he had experienced over some 20+ years of following and proclaiming Christ, his conviction had never changed. From the day he met Jesus on the Road to Damascus to the day he died, his conviction never waned. He explained it to Timothy, saying, . . .
"For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day." (II Tim 1:12).
That, my friend, is the force of true conviction. It is the evidence of true conviction. It is the type that takes you through every temptation every trial, every threat, and every disappointment -- all the way to the heaven's gates.
But, where in the world can one go in order to find, develop, and sustain such conviction. We need to look at . . .
CONVICTIONS' CONSTRUCTION:
Where do we go to create, develop, and maintain our convictions? Most people go to the world -- it's pleasures, its literature, its history, its traditions, its values, its governing systems. Sadly, many Christians turn there and buy into the many lies found only in that sphere. In the world there is always a mixture of good and bad, and it is far to easy to mistake the two, for Satan -- a liar, the father of all lies, and the great deceiver -- is highly skilled in distorting truth, infecting values, and searing the conscience.
For the Christian, there is only one place to which to turn -- the Bible, God's Word. This is exactly what the early Apostles faced -- even from their current religious system when it tried to shut them down. With great courage Peter voiced the conviction of all of them when he declared before the threatening religious rulers, "
We must obey God rather than man" (Acts 5:29).
Peter didn't waste time declaring they would disobey the authorities. He simply stated that obedience to God was their deep conviction that they intended to keep.
When Daniel and his three friends were given the ultimatum of bowing down before the king and acknowledging his deity, they courteously but yet confidently refused, and turned to God's instruction about dietary principles to offer evidential proof to the king that their God had a better plan.
Even with political upheaval, economic dangers, and the pandemic's chaos, we must go to the right source for the convictions we make and the stand we take. That right source is God's Word. The Bible is crystal clear about sin, righteousness, honesty, integrity, marriage, abortion, taxes, power, racial strife, and all the rest that makes up life's experiences for us.
You have a choice -- a choice that no one can take from you. If you are to make it wisely and properly, your primary source must always be the truth of God's Word. If you go to man, you get an opinion. If you go to God's Word, yet get truth.
Upon which of these do you want to build your life's convictions? Like Joshua, . . .
""See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it.
"But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it.
"I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them." (Deut 30:15-20).
CONVICTION'S PURPOSE:
What would you identify in your life as your driving purpose? Years ago Rick Warren wrote a best seller entitled, The Purpose Driven Life. Each of us has a sense of purpose -- a "this one thing I do" anchor point that impacts all that we do. The primary factor that establishes and sustains our conviction over something, is that driving purpose deeply embedded in our minds.
What is it that gets you up, gets you going, and keeps you going? -- and perhaps even keeps you up at night long after you should be asleep?
The purpose of having convictions is that you can life with conviction. You can be a "this one thing I do" person. What is the goal you want to reach in life? What is the mark you want to make? What do you want people to say about you after you have died? What is the impact you want to make in your part of the world?
Is it money that you can lose? Is it things you can accumulate? It is fame that can be destroyed in a word?
What is it that drives you? What is it that so grips you that it becomes a deep conviction? What is your life's purpose?
Are you driven by Popularity? Or Privilege? Or Power? Or Possessions? Are you like the guy who said he was going to "Get all I can, can all I get, sit on the lid, and poison the rest!"? Have you spent all your life building bigger barns? Are you driven by the very things against which John warned us?
"Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
"he world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." (I Jn 2:15-17).
FINALLY:
It is my simple prayer that you and I will both be faithful to live with convictions by conviction. Perhaps we can rise to the point of declaring what Paul proclaimed:
"But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
"Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
"Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
"Let us therefore, as many as are [mature], have this attitude; . . . let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained. Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.
"For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.
"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself." (Phil 37-21).
If you are going to face the current and coming shakings, you must live by Conviction, and not merely by Convenience.
Before you is life and death -- blessing and curses. Conviction, or Convenience. Choose wisely.
And, you Will choose. The neutral zone has evaporated. The sidelines no longer exist. "To not choose, is to have chosen."
In His Bond, By His Grace, and for His Kingdom,
Bob Tolliver -- Romans 1:11
"Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness,
examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so." -- Dr. Luke (Acts 17:11)
"A fire kept burning on the hearthstone of my heart, and I took up the burden of the day with fresh courage and hope." -- Charles F. McKoy
Life Unlimited Ministries
LUMglobal
[email protected]
Copyright January, 2022
"If Jesus had preached the same message that many ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified." -- Leonard Ravenhill
"The time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the Church will have clowns entertaining the goats." -- Charles H. Spurgeon
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