“If our God Whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we shall not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up!” Dan 3:17-18 (Amplified)
There is something about righteousness that riles the wicked and which forces them to want to destroy the righteous in order to operate freely and achieve their wicked ends. This is because by its very essence, righteousness pronounces God’s judgement on the works of the wicked, which in turn makes the unrepentant wicked want to justify his acts as well as push away the repercussions of those acts and so be able to feel good about themselves. The bible alludes to this vile reaction of the wicked by saying that those that shall live righteously in this world shall suffer persecution. Persecution is not always overt as to result in out and out violence, but covert or subtle with varying degrees of pressure being applied to us to force us to compromise the tenets of our faith on different levels. So, while our lives may be safe from the threat of extinction, our careers or relationships might be on the line as we are confronted with the choice of holding on to our faith or holding on to our jobs. We are told to either deny God or as repercussion be denied our jobs and means of feeding ourselves or maintaining an acceptable standard of living or social acceptance.
The three Hebrew men – Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were told they had to choose between bowing down in worship to a statue and obeying God’s law, which stridently proscribes such idolatrous action. If they did the former, they would live and if the latter, they would be roasted alive. Their response to this ultimatum is recorded for posterity. Thankfully, God’s response of faithfulness to their courageous act of faith is also recorded for all to read. Their contention was that a life in which God’s influence and benevolence is absent is no life at all. Like Paul, they must have individually reasoned that – “For me to live is Christ; to die is gain.” By choosing to die for their belief, they demonstrated total yieldedness to God and the cause of His kingdom. The contemporary version of their defiant response was “You can take my job or anything the world can afford or sanction me however you like, but you can never get me to recant or stop serving my God. You can do your worst. My God is up to the task and will cause all things to work for my good because I love Him”.
So, if your Christian profession is raising the ire of the wicked, determine in your heart that there will be no compromise on your part for that is the only way to keep on God’s side and guarantee His deliverance in trouble. Just as the bible says, there is no trouble presently afflicting you that is out of the ordinary and more importantly, God has already made a way out for you. Trust Him with all of your life and He will reveal that path to safety to you and guide you into His blessings. Understand that God has reserved His very best for those who courageously defy the enemy and stand their ground. So, keep the faith and the God of faith will keep you. Quid pro quo.
Prayer:
Father Lord, your word assures me that you have given me all that is needful for life and godliness. I receive strength to face down and defy the works of the enemy in my life today and decree that your righteousness shall exalt me and deliver me from the machinations of the evil one. I claim victory in Jesus name. Amen.