LIVE BY YOUR CONVICTIONS

'Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.' NKJV The Bible says, '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' ( NKJV). This particular food and wine was offered to pagan gods as an act of worship, and for Daniel that was unacceptable. He was being asked to compromise his character, and he wouldn't do it. Daniel had good reasons if he had chosen to say yes. He was far from home and could do as he pleased. Nobody back home would ever 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, promoted and prospered in unthinkable ways. His philosophy was: 'When God says yes, I say yes. And when God says no, I say no.' And he had established his convictions before he got to Babylon. Question: have you decided what your core convictions are? Have you spent the good times determining what you will and won't do during the hard times? If not, you need to. Daniel's friends probably told him, 'Nobody will know.' But his thinking was: 'God will know, and so will I. I don't have to live with you, but I've got 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.

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'My conscience is clear...It is the Lord who judges me.' NIV Daniel was forced to decide if he was going to be a conformer or a transformer. What's the difference? Pressure controls a conformer. If you place enough pressure on them, they'll cave. If you put enough pressure on them, they will smoke the first joint, they will take the first drink, they will do what everybody else is doing. But principle governs a transformer. You say, 'Living that way is very demanding.' Yes; and it's very protective. God knows better than we do how to avoid pain, frustration and destruction in our lives. Because he sees the cliff's edge clearer than we do, he places guardrails next to the drop-off. And when we follow his commands we avoid heartache, pitfalls and the loss of our reputation. Daniel refusing to eat the king's meat was not a matter of his diet, but of his dedication to God. Now, we're not advocating the idea: 'let conscience be your guide'. Your conscience is not always a good guide. Just because you don't think something's wrong doesn't mean you shouldn't think it's wrong. Your conscience can be damaged and it can be burned. The Bible speaks of 'having [your] conscience seared with a hot iron' ( NKJV). Paul writes, 'My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me' ( NIV). Nevertheless, the conscience question is the first you should ask when faced with a difficult decision. Rarely do you make a good choice to do something if you know doing so will take your conscience on the dreaded guilt-trip. So, live by your convictions.

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