We live in a world where there is tremendous pressure to conform to the world’s system, beliefs and agenda.  These stand in direct opposition to the word of God and how God has called us to live as believers.  In fact, scripture tells us not to conform to this world.  So what do we do when faced with situations that try to force us to compromise our beliefs as Christians?  How do we stand firm for God? 

In the Bible, we see a story that addresses this very issue.  Daniel Chapter 3 unfolds the story of Daniel’s three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  They found themselves in a terrifying situation.  King Nebuchadnezzar had issued a decree forcing everyone to bow down to worship an idol.  As children of God, they knew they could not do this so they stood strong and refused. As a result, they were thrown into a fiery furnace but God miraculously saved them.

Daniel 3: 16 – 18 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.  If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.  But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” 

Have you ever thought how truly terrifying this situation must have been for these three men? From our perspective, we know how the story ends. However these three friends didn’t know at the time how things would pan out.  They trusted God to deliver them but had no certainty that everything would work out for them. This leads us to wonder what made them so determined and able to stand firm. What helped them to not compromise under such intense pressure? 

FEAR GOD ABOVE ALL

As I pondered this question, the Lord clearly helped me to see that they were able to stand firm because they feared God more than they feared man.  And there’s such wisdom in that isn’t there? Man can hurt us and even kill us, but we should only fear God. Why? Because He is the only one who can destroy both soul and body in hell.  Whether He delivers us or we die for Him we need to have a deep reverence, respect and fear of the Lord.  This is what will help to stand firm for Him even when no one else does.  And we need to have this settled firmly in our hearts long before the times of tribulation come.

So that’s the encouragement for each one of us today.  Make sure that you fear and revere the Lord God above all so that when the times of tribulation come you will be able to stand firm and without compromise for Him.