Charles Stanley - The Courage to Stand By Your Convictions (05/01/2017)
Dr. Stanley warns that our society is raising a generation without absolute moral truths, rejecting the Bible as outdated and leading to chaos and coming judgment. Using Daniel chapter 6, he shows how Daniel's unwavering biblical convictions brought God's deliverance and favor, even facing death in the lions' den, concluding that strong, uncompromising convictions rooted in God's Word build character and influence others for righteousness.
The Danger of a Generation Without Absolute Truth
One of the most frightening things that's happening today is the fact that we are raising a whole generation of young people who believe there are no absolute moral truths. That is, if you think it's wrong, it's wrong. If I think it's right, it's right. And so, therefore, let's cast the Bible out. Right and wrong depends upon my circumstance, my situation, and what I want and what I'm looking for in life. As a result of that, there's no absolute truth. There's no real standard. There's nothing solid to give guidance and direction. And as a result, our society has become unsafe, unhealthy, ungodly, immoral, and on and on the characteristics go that bring us to a place where, inevitably, God's judgment is going to come upon our nation.
We've decided this Book's outdated. In classrooms, in college, in high school, all across the country, this is outlawed. And you say, "Well, it's not outlawed." Yes, it is. And I'll tell you why. Someone this very week, their student in school was to write something, and they were going to mention Jesus and also mention the Bible. And the teacher said, "You absolutely cannot do that." So she goes to the principal, and the principal says, "Well, if I let them do that, I'll be fired." Where is conviction? Where are the standards? In other words, if this is no longer a standard, we have none. Then anything anybody believes is all right.
Tragedies Reflect a Deeper Moral Crisis
And if you'll think about all the tragedies that have happened in this country, all the way back for the last 10 or 12 years. Are these just accidents? No. Most people would say, "Well, you know, these are just natural things that happen." Well, the natural things that are happening are getting worse and worse, and more and more expensive, if you put it in those terms. What's happening in this country is very, very dangerous. Because a whole society will soon have this attitude: If I think it's right, it's right. If I think it's wrong, it's wrong. It's none of your business what I think. None of my business what you think. And so, we are all going to do what's right in our own eyes.
Look at our nation and where we are. We are in a very, very dangerous position. Because it's not getting better. It's getting worse. So, I want you to turn to the book of Daniel. And I want us to read, if you will, the sixth chapter for a few moments. And this is a part of the book of Daniel that most folks know by heart.
Daniel's Unwavering Conviction in the Face of Death
You'll recall for a moment that a decree had been made that anybody who does not bow down to this particular king and acknowledge that he's like God, and therefore, if they do not do so, then they're going to throw him in the lion's den. So, if you will, look at this beginning in verse 10, in the sixth chapter.
Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house now in his roof chamber. He had windows open toward Jerusalem. And he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day praying and giving thanks before God as he had been doing previously. Even though he was threatened to be thrown in the lion's den. And so, you recall what happened. And he continued to pray.
And ultimately, the king had to keep his word because the law of the Medes and Persians was if a king made a promise, he couldn't violate his promise. He had to do it. So, against his will, he does it. Then the king gave orders and Daniel was brought in and cast in the lion's den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Your God, whom you constantly serve, will himself deliver you."
A stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den. And the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel. Then the king went off to the palace and spent the night fasting and no entertainment was brought before him. And his sleep fled from him.
God's Miraculous Deliverance and the King's Decree
Then the king arose at dawn at the break of the day and went in haste to the lion's den. When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?"
Then Daniel spoke to the king, "O king, live forever. My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me inasmuch as I was found innocent before him. And also before you, O king, I have committed no crime."
Then of course, here's what happens in the 26th verse, "I make a decree," said the king, "that in all the dominion of my kingdom, men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel."
Now, I want us to think about this whole issue of our convictions. A conviction is something that I believe to be true, and something I will stand by. Something I don't believe just comes and goes. That is, it's a part of my life. And so, a conviction is a firm belief that something is true.
What True Biblical Conviction Really Means
To have a strong conviction is to be so thoroughly convinced, in your mind and heart, that something is true, that you're willing to take a stand for it, regardless of the consequences. So you can't be wishy-washy and be a person of conviction. And I would ask you, what is it that you believe that you do not compromise under any condition? What do you believe that you stand by? No matter how you may be threatened on your job or in your family, whatever it might be, you have certain beliefs that you're going to stand by because you know that they're absolutely true. And so they're part of your conviction.
There are people who are very ungodly who have convictions. They have convictions. The Bible is a false book and there's nothing to it. And so, people have all kinds of convictions. But a conviction based on the Word of God. And so, when you think about this, this isn't a conviction just based on something. It's convictions that you believe are absolutely true and so true, you are willing to risk whatever is necessary to stand by that.
Well, I want us to look at the life of Daniel because he is a perfect example of someone who had strong convictions and who lived by them. And I want you to see what was the result of Daniel living by his conviction all these years.
Daniel's Background and Rise to Authority
So, let's look at a little bit of the background for a moment. Daniel was one of the young Hebrews taken to Babylon as a result of King Nebuchadnezzar invading the nation of Israel and destroying much of Jerusalem. And he took some of the young people back with him and was going to train them to be Babylonians, I would say. And so, what they ate, what they drank, what they taught, learning their language, even changed their names.
And so, in the process of doing so, he took Daniel and three of his friends who are mentioned here. And what I want you to see is this. Daniel, taken there as a young teenager, he lived through the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, through the reign of his son Belshazzar, through the reign of Darius the Mede, and into the reign of Cyrus the Persian. He lived that many years through all of those different reigns.
And in each of these reigns, here's what happened to him. He became, though he was a foreigner, he was a Hebrew, he in each reign became a person of great authority. And so, it's interesting what happens, for example, in Daniel 2:48, listen to what the scripture says. Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him rule over the whole province of Babylon, and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.
Daniel's Consistent Favor Through Changing Kingdoms
And Daniel made request to the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the administration of the province of Babylon, while Daniel was at the king's court. Then if you look, for example, in the fifth chapter, and look, if you will, in the 29th verse. Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put necklaces of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.
But this is Nebuchadnezzar's son. And that night, Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain, so Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of 62. And then if you look in the sixth chapter, and the 28th verse, look what's happening. So this Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
And so, as a result of that, no matter what was going on, this young man, because he had convictions and stood by them, I want you to see what happened in his life.
Key Areas Where Daniel Stood Firm
And even more than that, I want you to see that his unwillingness to compromise his biblical convictions, being taught from the Book of Moses, which primarily was the Book of the Law, which was Deuteronomy. As a result of that, he stood very firm in his testimony before those kings. And as a result of that, the phrase "the God of Daniel" echoed in the chambers of Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius, and of Cyrus the king.
So, what is it about Daniel that made him different? And I would ask you this: What convictions do you hold personally that you wouldn't lay them down? You don't even have to struggle. You'd say, "No, I'm not going to participate in that." "No, I don't believe that." "Yes, I do believe this." "And whether anybody else believes it or not, I do believe this." "This is a solid, immovable, unalterable, unchangeable conviction that I have."
Convictions About God, Jesus, and Salvation
And so, for example, do you have convictions about God, who God is? Do you have convictions about who Jesus is? Do you have convictions about whether salvation is the result of works? Or is it the result of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God? What's the basis of your convictions?
If a person has no convictions, they wobble through life. They have no convictions, they really never know where they are. They have no convictions, they're changeable. They're easily convinced. They can be persuaded. You can buy them off. They don't have any real character. If you don't have any conviction, you don't have any real character.
And we're living in a day when people in places of great authority seemingly have laid aside their convictions. When they were placed in places of authority, they stood for something. And then thereafter, a while, you would think they had no convictions. They compromise. They give in. They yield because where they are is profitable, where they are is popular.
The Cost of Being Bought Off
And so what happens? They get bought off. Think about this. Nothing can make you cheaper than being able to buy you off for something physical or material when you're buying off a person's character and who they are.
So when I think about Daniel and the beautiful example he was to all the people of his day. Now, the areas in which Daniel courageously stood by his convictions, I want us to look at them for a moment. Now watch this first one because it is so very important.
He courageously stood by his convictions when he was taken from Jerusalem to Babylon, one of the first things they did is they wanted to change the way they ate, what they drank. They wanted to change their language, of course. They wanted to change their attitudes because they wanted them to become Babylonians. That is, think like Babylonians. And they studied like Babylonians. And so that was their perspective.
Daniel's First Test: Food Offered to Idols
And so, one of the interesting things in the very beginning of his time in Babylon was this. When they came to serve these young Hebrews, they were going to serve them food and drink that was dedicated to idols. That's what they served the king and his crowd. When it came to Daniel, he said, "No, I'm not going to eat that and drink that and my friends aren't either." Because it is against the law of Moses. It's against the word of God. It's what we've been taught all of our life. We're not going to do that.
And he said to the king's helper, they said, "Why don't we try something? Why don't you let us eat vegetables and drink water for 10 days and see if we don't look better than these folks over here who are going to eat the king's meat and drink his wine"?
Well, of course, first objection was, you know, the king will take my head. But finally, he convinced him. And he did so. And 10 days later, they looked better than everybody else. And immediately, they began to progress.
Now, I want you to watch. This is very important. The first test that he had was the test of a teenager. And the test was something sort of simple. What you eat and what you drink. And so, in the very beginning, Daniel said, "I'm not going to eat food offered to an idol. I'm not going to drink wine offered to an idol. That does not fit who I am as a follower of the one true God, Jehovah."
He began by holding to his convictions. And this is why it's so very important for us to teach our children and our grandchildren that holding to convictions will either destroy your character or it will build it. Depends upon what you're holding to.
Saying No to Disobedience, Yes to God
And so, as a result, he began his life in Babylon saying, "No to disobedience. Yes to Almighty God." He stood by his conviction by what he ate. Somebody says, "Oh, wait a minute now. Surely, eating the king's meat and drinking his wine." What's that got to do with his faith? Because the law of Moses said you're not to do it. You are a Hebrew. We are God's chosen people. And there's certain things we don't do.
And even though he was in a foreign country, under the edicts of a king, of a pagan, heathen king, and not knowing really what the consequences would be, he said, "No, I'm not going to do it."
The second thing I want you to notice about his convictions, and he courageously stood, was this. He was convicted that he should be a godly example to the others who had been taken to live in this heathen society. So, for him to be a good example to them, then he had to stay with the truth that he'd been taught. And so, once again, he was true to his convictions. And his convictions was to certainly impact and to influence them.
A third thing was this. He had a conviction about this. That God would hear and answer his prayers. And that was evident because when he talked to the king's representative and said, "We're not going to eat, we're not going to drink these things," they went to the Lord. And so, he had a conviction that God would hear and answer his prayers.
Do You Have Conviction About Prayer?
Let me ask you a question. Do you have a conviction or a wavering thought? Do you have a conviction that God will hear and answer your prayers when you come to him seeking guidance and direction or whatever it might be? Do you have a conviction about that? Or do you just hope? Or will you just think, "Well, maybe so. Well, I'm not too sure." Well, sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't.
Do you have a conviction that God is committed to answering the prayers of his children when we walk in obedience to him? If you don't have a conviction about it, then you'll wobble. If you don't have a conviction, then your faith will not be strong. A conviction is something that I believe, I stand by, and I hold to regardless of the consequences and the circumstances.
Then notice about him also. He was committed to being true to the Word of God no matter what the situation was. So here was one of the situations. And that is, you remember that Nebuchadnezzar had these dreams and all kind of things going on. So Daniel was called to interpret it.
Daniel's Courage to Speak Truth to Power
And listen to what he said. He talked about several things about it. For example, then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar. Now watch this. His name is Belteshazzar. That's not the same as Nebuchadnezzar's son, Belshazzar. It's Belteshazzar. He was appalled for a while as his thoughts alarmed him. The king responded and said, "Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or this interpretation alarm you."
And so he replied, "My lord, if only the dream had applied to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your adversaries, that would be one thing." But here's what he says. He says, "It is you, O king, for you have become great and grown strong, and your majesty has become great and reached to the sky and your dominion to the ends of the earth, in that the king saw an angelic watcher, a holy one, descending from heaven and saying, 'Chop down the tree,'" and so forth.
And then in verse 24, "This is the interpretation, O king." So what he's saying is, "Look, king, if this interpretation had been somebody you hate, that'd be one thing." But he's standing before the king, and his life is hanging in the balance because of what he's getting to say to him.
"This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord, the king, that you be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place be with the beasts of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle, and be drenched with the dew of heaven. And listen, seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whomever he will."
And in that it was commanded, and so forth, he talks about many other things. All this happened to Nebuchadnezzar, the king. Twelve months later, he was walking in the roof of the palace, and all of a sudden, he went crazy, in the field, hair long dew, all the things that he prophesied.
Standing Firm Even When Truth Is Painful
What I want you to see is, Daniel stood by his promise to be true to God. God gave him the interpretation, and it was a terrible interpretation because he said, "You're going to lose your mind. You're going to act like a beast. You're going to lose it all." But he told them anyway. And he had the courage to stand by what he knew was right, even though the king could have said, "I don't believe that," and eliminate this Daniel.
What is it that you believe that you're willing to suffer for because you know it's the truth? It is our lack of conviction that has weakened our nation. And we have been weakened to the point that, before long, we're going to suffer the judgment of God.
There is no way for God to overlook the way we have laid our convictions down about the Word of God, about Almighty God, about the Lord Jesus Christ, about morality. In other words, we have compromised so much of what's made us the nation that we are.
Compromise in Leadership Weakens a Nation
We send people to Washington who believe and we trust, and before long, they compromise the basic convictions. And all of us suffer the result of it. Listen, I'm going to say it again. If you can be bought off, you don't have any character. And if you have a place of authority that God has given you, and you let somebody buy you off, either it's by a threat or something financial to prosper you, there's something wrong with your character.
And so Daniel did not do that. He said to the king who could have taken his life at that moment, here's what's going to happen to you. And so, of course, he didn't take his life. And he understood that Daniel was telling him the truth, he didn't fully understand all that.
He also had a conviction that he was not going to bow down to any other God. You remember they built this statue and said, "You either bow down or you'll be thrown in the fiery furnace." I don't know where Daniel was at this point, but his three Hebrew friends, they didn't either.
The Fiery Furnace and Unwavering Faith
And I love what they said... there's some things in this passage of Scripture you need to write down or to memorize it. And the king said, "Here's what we're going to do to you." And so Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, "We do not need to give you an answer concerning this."
He's... we don't even need to answer your question, if we're going to bow down or not. "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if he does not," listen to that. Watch that. We're talking about conviction. "Even if he does not deliver us, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."
You want a beautiful example of absolute, unwavering courage and conviction. That's it. He said, "You know what? We don't even have to answer that. We don't... we don't have to even answer what you're asking us. We are not going to bow down before you. Throw us in the fiery furnace, and even if we're consumed in the instant or we come out clean, we're going to trust God."
What Does It Take to Make You Compromise?
Let me ask you a question. How much does it take to bow you off? What does it take to convince you to vote against something or for something that you know deep down in your heart, soul, mind, and body? It is absolutely wrong. How much authority do you desire? How much of a position are you willing to sacrifice your character and your convictions for?
Because when you lay your convictions down, the real you is gone. This is why we as parents and grandparents, we need to be strong and firm and unwavering in what we believe. Because this is the reason today people are where they are.
Whatever happened... whatever happened to your beliefs and my beliefs that made this nation the great nation it is? What's happened to our character that we can be bought off out of fear that somebody is going to take our job or whatever it might be?
Where there is no stand and where there is no... where there is no conviction, there's no character. And Daniel's buddies said, listen, we're not even going to answer this ridiculous question because we're standing for Almighty God, the Jehovah God that we learned back in Jerusalem. And deal with us what you want to, but we're not budging.
Dare to Be a Daniel
What is it that you believe so strongly? You can't be bought off, you can't be convinced, and you can't be frightened into doing something else. We're where we are because people have laid down their convictions, and it doesn't matter anymore. They'll say, well, you know, I don't want to be different. Well, if you're going to be a believer, you're going to have to be.
So, if you don't want to be different, then just lay it all down because then your life is worth what if you have no character? And so, when I look at this passage and see how God worked in the lives of these young guys, and then he was convinced as... he was fully persuaded that God would protect him no matter what.
And so, when I look at Daniel's character, I just think, God, make us like Daniel. And there's a song. I remember when I was a kid growing up in Sunday school, "Dare to be a Daniel." I didn't know what it meant then, but I know what it means now. "Dare to be a Daniel." That is, dare to have convictions you will not sell, you can't be bought off, you can't be frightened into, and you can't be scared to death because of what somebody says they're going to do. As long as it's right and based on the Word of God.
What Motivated Daniel's Strong Convictions
Now, what's the motivation that compelled him to do this? What is it about Daniel that motivated him this way? First of all, he was taught by his parents. He was over in Jerusalem. He was taught by his parents to obey the law of God. Which, in essence, would have been, for example, the Mosaic law, which was the book of Deuteronomy. He was taught by his parents.
Secondly, he studied the Word of God. He knew the Word, so when he was questioned about something, he knew exactly what the Scriptures said. And so, he wasn't frightened by anything.
Thirdly, his love and devotion to God. The reason he stood by his convictions? He loved God. He loved the Word of God. And he was committed to it.
And fourthly, his commitment to obey God. He didn't just study the Word of God. He didn't just hear it. He didn't just love God. He was committed to being obedient to Almighty God.
And I would ask you a question. Are you that committed? And you hear me say over and over again, "Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him." Are you, listen, are you committed to the Word of God, to obey the Word and walk by it no matter what?
The High Cost of Compromising Convictions
And people can give all kinds of reasons for, listen, for compromising their conviction. Listen carefully, when you compromise your biblically based convictions, you give away a part of yourself. Your character is diminished.
And think about this, and I've watched this over the years. When I've seen people compromise their conviction and go the way of the crowd, it's almost instantaneously they have little respect for them.
I can still remember sitting on the street corner under the street light when I was a teenager with one of my friends. I'll ever forget it because it taught me a great lesson. He really influenced my life to some degree, and it wasn't good. I was in the drumming bugle corps, and he's the one who taught me to play drums, and so I had a lot of relationship with him, and he was, I thought, a fine young fellow, but he wasn't a Christian, now that I look back and think about it.
And one day he said to me, they call me Stanley, "Stanley, you used to be a pretty good," and he used another word, "fella, until you started running around with me." I couldn't sleep for days.
Because what he said to me, "You claim to be a Christian, but you're becoming more like me than I becoming more like you." I can still remember exactly where I was sitting, exactly under that street light. I will never forget it. It taught me a lesson, and took me a while to get forgiveness from God, it's not that he didn't forgive me to begin with, but I had to forgive myself.
A Personal Lesson in Compromise
And I thought, "What have I done? I didn't drink, I didn't smoke, I didn't run around and do any of that, but I must have done something." And I never could quite figure out what it was. But somehow in his mind, he was disappointed in me that I didn't stand as strong because I went to the Pentecostal Holiness Church, and I believed the Word of God, and he knew what I believed, but he also knew somewhere along the way how I must have acted. I didn't use profanity. I couldn't figure out what it was, but it was something that absolutely just destroyed his confidence in me as a follower of Jesus Christ.
It taught me a lesson about conviction, and about being obedient to God, no matter what. And when I look at the Scriptures and see how Daniel lived his life, his parents taught him. He studied it. He loved God. He was committed to God. And he had a strong desire to influence others to believe what he believed. He had to be different in order to do that.
And so, his faith in God that he would be able to wisely counsel the king. In other words, when I look at what motivated him, he was motivated by things built on truth, not things built on untruth.
Now, and this is the most important thing. That is, the consequences of Daniel courageously standing by his conviction. What were the consequences?
The Blessings of Standing Firm in Conviction
Now, once somebody says, "Well, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, I'm not Daniel." No, you're not. You live in the 21st century, which is an awesome century to live in, with the greatest opportunities any century of people have ever had. With truth, the gospel truth that can be spread across the world. With opportunities, with blessings of God. With the ability to be able to look in the word of God and know the truth. Know what eternity is about. What living and dying is about. In other words, we are the most blessed of all people.
So, what are our convictions? So listen to this for a moment. When I look at the consequences in Daniel's life, first of all, the first consequence was this. He won in his first battle of standing for his conviction. He said to the representative from the king, "No, we're not going to drink and eat what's been offered to an idol."
Now, I'll give you a suggestion. If you let us just eat peas and beans and vegetables and drink water, I'll show you that we are right. But he took a stand. He had an alternative, but look at this alternative. His alternative did not violate his conviction. He just said, "Here's another way for us to look our best."
So, when I think about the fact that he remained obedient to God, that was one of the results.
Secondly, he influenced his companions to do the same thing. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said, "No, we're not eating it either. We're not drinking it either. We're standing with Daniel." So he had a good influence and testimony upon them.
Opening Doors Through Obedience
Thirdly, this opened the doors of opportunity for Daniel to counsel and influence kings. Here's what I want you to see. Suppose he just said, "Well, let's forget it. Why, listen, we are already in Babylon. We are slaves to some degree. We'll probably never go home again. This is Babylon." We just got to fade into the society. You'd have never heard from him.
He wasn't interested in fading in society. He was interested in standing true to God. You know why? Because he knew who God was. He had an experience with Almighty God. Now, he didn't have Jesus as we do because Jesus wasn't there at that particular point, but the Spirit of God was. He knew enough about Jehovah God, he wasn't about to compromise his convictions.
And as a result, look at what God did in his life. Now, I want you to see what God did in his life. He's not going to do the same in your life. And listen to this. He's going to do things that are equal to that in the 21st century that who we are living in the society in which we are living.
We are living in a fallen society, in a rebellious society. Unhealthy, unsafe, ungodly, reckless, immoral, you name it. This is the society we live in. So therefore, it's equally as important for us to stand for what we believe and know what we believe.
Training the Next Generation to Stand Firm
And this is why I don't just preach sermons. What I do is try to teach principles of the Word of God that when you walk out of here Sunday after Sunday, you've got something to live by if you're willing to listen to it and to follow it.
So, one of the results is that he began to influence kings. Now, watch this. Suppose he just said, "Nah, we just, we're going to do what everybody else does." He wouldn't have influenced anybody. First of all, they wouldn't have been asking him anything.
This is why, listen carefully, this is why it's so very, very, very important. That we train our children early in life to stand for the truth no matter what. And that we teach our grandchildren, stand for the truth no matter what. And that we, husbands and wives, men and women, stand for truth that is uncompromising no matter what.
Do you think God's just going to ignore that? No. Do you say, "Well, does that mean that I'm not going to hurt, not going to suffer anything, not going to lose anything?" No, I wouldn't say that. But I'd say this. Character. Character is far more important than what you gain. Character is far more important than what you lose.
Character. Being a godly person. Listen, being a servant of the living God. And every follower of Jesus is called to be a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Influence Through Godly Character
And you see, you're going to be able to touch people I couldn't touch because they're not going to come to church. But you live around people, you work around people who are watching your life as that young man was watching mine. I still remember his name and I'll never forget what he said to me. Because it changed my whole attitude about my life as a believer. That I'm to be obedient to God and not try to be like my friend.
Look at the influence that he had. Then I think about the fact that God gave him favor with the kings, the God of Daniel. Every single one of them, after Daniel had borne witness, uncompromising in his conviction. Every single one of them, listen, through the halls of four kingdoms resounded this truth. The God of Daniel, the God of Daniel, the God of Daniel.
And here he was, he was still a foreigner, he was still a Hebrew. Now he's in a foreign country in what? He has the place of authority second only to the king.
Suppose he had eaten and drank what they offered him at first, it would never have happened. Somebody says, "Well, look, I've been compromising all my life." Say, "It won't make a difference to me." Yes, it will.
If you've been compromising, decide today before you walk out of this place, "I have compromised enough. I've given myself away. I've sold myself. I've sold my convictions. I've sold my conscience. I'm not doing it anymore. I'm going to be the person God wants me to be. And from this point on, I'm not for sale, and you can't bargain what I believe."
That is the important thing. And he fearlessly confronted these kings. Fearlessly. And look, what I want you to see is, every one of them back down. Listen, instead of persecuting him, they raised him up and made him second only to themselves.
Fearless in the Face of Death
And when he had to throw him in the lion's den, he threw him in the lion's den and couldn't sleep and fasted all night and prayed to this God of Daniel. And he said, "I do believe that your God will deliver you." And sure enough, he did.
And all the folks who had him thrown in there, they and their families were destroyed. Listen to this. You don't have to worry about the people who try to convince you and persuade you. You be true to God. God knows how to deal with the people who would lead you astray. And who would cause you to do things that you know in your heart absolutely not right.
So I would simply ask you this. Are there things that you won't drink? Do you have any conviction about what you drink? Do you have any conviction about what you eat? Do you have any convictions about where you go? Do you have any convictions about who your friends are? Do you have any convictions about what you watch on television?
What are the convictions in your life? If your son or your grandson walked up to you and said, Gramps or Grandpa or Papa, whatever they call you, tell me what you believe. Would you violate what you believe?
Listen, what they're asking is this. They're saying, Papa, whatever they call you, do you have any character that can't be changed by fear of loss or prosperity? Tell me who you are deep down inside. Because when you give in, you give up your character.
Convictions That Guide Daily Life
And you can, listen, people can, they can argue with you, they can give you all kind of excuses for disobeying God, but you know what? Deep down inside, they know better.
And when I look at how God blessed him, he fearlessly confronted these kings. He was promoted to the highest places of authority in every single kingdom. He could remain fearless in the presence of certain death. Every time he objected to what they wanted to do, it was fear of certain death, but not with him.
Here's why. Watch this carefully. You listen and say amen. Amen. He died as a teenager to what the world had to offer. And so he didn't have to go through life saying, shall I do this? Shall I not do this? Shall I do this? Shall I not do that? He died to all that.
So I'd ask you this question. Do you have anything that you absolutely are so committed to, nobody can convince you to do it? When the people all around you work with you, for example, when they say, I'll tell you this lady's joke I've heard, and it's nasty as it can be. What do you say? You say, oh yeah. Is that what you say? Or do you walk off saying, you know what? That's not who I am. That doesn't fit who I am.
You say, well, they can name you anything they want to, but you remember this, God's already named you. Child of God. That means obedience and holiness and righteousness is a part of our life. It doesn't make any difference what they think.
The Rewards of Uncompromising Faith
And you know, I think about people who are so concerned about what other folks think rather than what God thinks. And what happens? They're your neighbor, let's say for example, your friend, and about a month from then, they move all the way across the country and you never see them again. And you sold out your conviction for somebody who doesn't care about you and that you'll never see again.
And I think about people who commit immorality of all sorts. And people who say, well, nobody's perfect, that's not the issue. The issue is, what does the word of God say? He says, abstain from all sexual immorality. Abstain from it. That means stay away from it.
No amount of arguing, reasoning, talking about what other people do. And nowhere in the Bible is it to say, look around and do what other people do. The Bible says, come out from among them and be separate, saith the Lord, so that there's something about that.
You say, well, I'll lose my friends. You got the wrong kind. If you lose friends because of what you believe, you believe the word of God, you have the wrong kind of friends and God's just cleaning house so he can give you some friends that help you to become the person God wants you to be.
He enjoyed success in every one of these reigns and God endowed him with one of the most important... Listen, most important prophecies in the word of God. Listen, you go through the scriptures and you'll come to that sixth chapter and the seventh chapter and the rest of the... Watch this. The rest of the chapters in the book of Daniel all the way through the twelfth chapter is one long prophecy of future things that's repeated nowhere else in the Bible and if you don't understand that, you will never understand the book of the Revelation.
And he gave it to Daniel. Why did he give it to him? Because he was a trustworthy servant of God.
Why God Trusted Daniel with Great Revelation
And in all those many years he lived in Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, under Cyrus and all these kingdoms in spite of all of that, he stood remaining the obedient servant of God. And the most important prophecy in the Old Testament and the longest one and the one without which you will not understand future things he gave to Daniel.
Why? I'll tell you why. Because as a teenager he said, I'm not going to drink it and I'm not going to eat it. Period. When he said to Nebuchadnezzar, here's what's going to happen to you. You're going to act like a crazy man. You're going to be out there with the beast in the field. Your hair's going to be soaking wet. It's going to be long. The dew is going to be on you. You're going to eat like cattle and your life won't be fit for anything.
It's because he and those Hebrew children said, you can throw us in the fiery furnace if you want to. We're ready to go but we're not going to do what you tell us to do. Because they took a stand. They believed something with all of their heart. And they got tested and tried in every way.
Daniel was tested and tried in every way. Threw him in a lion's den. Most people said, well, I love God, but. And you know, there are people today who have paid the ultimate price because of their conviction. They didn't all live in the Old Testament and New Testament days.
The question is not what other people are doing. What are we doing? And I would ask you as you claim to be a follower of Jesus, do you have convictions that are immovable, unchangeable, and nothing anybody says whether it's threats or pay off, you will not sacrifice or compromise your godly convictions. Is that the kind of person you are? That's the kind of person God's looking for.
Questions to Examine Your Own Convictions
So I want you to look for just a moment. What convictions do you hold that guide your conduct? And I pray that you'll write that down so when you go home before you come back next Sunday, I'm not going to have a test and ask you to tell me, but write down what convictions do you hold that guide your conduct?
And you say, oh, well, I'll think of it. Let me tell you something. If you won't write them down, you're afraid to write them down. What convictions do you hold that guide your conduct? Is it absolute, moral faithfulness to a husband or wife? Is it that you are truthful with your finances? We can run down the list.
Secondly, what convictions do you hold that you're not willing to compromise? In other words, no matter what happens, no compromise. You don't just do a little bit, no compromise any whatsoever. They can't convince you, can't pay you off, whatever it might be.
Questions to ask yourself. The third one. When confronted by unbelievers or carnal Christians, that is people living in sin, do you have the courage to stand even when facing threatening consequences?
Well, if you don't, listen, if you don't do this, you're going to lose your job. If you don't do this, I'm not going to pass you. If you don't, if you'll do this, here's what I'll do.
You see, listen carefully. Not only should the eyes of a believer be sanctified, what we look at and what we think. But the ears of a believer need to be sanctified, what we will not listen to under any condition. Our feet need to be sanctified where they take us. There's some places, no Christian ought to be found. None.
Sanctified Senses and Godly Boundaries
Do you have a conviction about some places you won't go? And some people you won't go with? What kind of friends are you looking for? Are you looking for friends who believe the Word of God? You're looking for friends who are committed to living a godly life.
You're looking for friends... Listen, are you looking for friends who will influence your wife for righteousness or tempt her? Are you looking for friends who will influence your husband or tempt him? What are you looking for?
Godly character, godly character has godly convictions that absolutely are not transferable and are not bargainable.
Then, listen, if not, you don't have them, why not? Watch this. Somebody says, "Well, you sort of hit me hard." No, I'm not trying to hit you hard. I want to say, they're one of four reasons why you give in, and here they are.
You fear criticism, rejection, failure, or loss. Now, if you don't get any rest of that down, write those four words down. If I give in, if I violate my convictions, it's because I fear criticism, rejection, failure, or loss.
So that's a simple question. Criticism, rejection, failure, or loss versus obedience and the blessing of God. What is it?
The Root Causes of Compromise
This is so very, very, very important. Because more than likely, many of you are living right where we're talking about. Oh, the Lord wouldn't have laid this message on my heart so strongly.
And when I think about the people in every aspect of our nation, whatever their relationship, and whatever business it is, whether it's politics or just the daily business, if a person has no solid, unwavering, unchangeable convictions, they're weak.
And the thing that's bringing this nation down is moral weakness. And dishonesty is immorality.
And so the question is this. How will you live your life? Will you live it obediently before God and stand when you need to stand for something? Or will you compromise your convictions?
Watch this carefully. You don't know who's watching. You don't know who's watching you. And somebody may be watching you. Listen. Watching you and hoping and praying to God that you're who they think you are. They don't want you to. They don't want you to. In other words, when people are searching off notes, they don't want you to violate your convictions.
And so the issue is, am I going to be a man of character? Or am I going to compromise what I know is right?
One strong, non-compromising, obedient child of God is a powerhouse for influencing and impacting our nation. And my prayer to God is that you and all of us will be that.
And Father, how grateful we are that we have you standing by our side, living on the inside of us in the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit. And how we do pray today, dear Father, that all of us, and every person who hears this, not only in this country but around the world, will take a fresh, new stand about their convictions, about their beliefs. And Father, we know that there are multitudes of people who have lost their lives because of their conviction and their unwillingness to deny that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord. So Father, in every area of our life, we ask you to so enable us to walk obediently and to relate to others in an obedient fashion. In Jesus' name. Amen.